INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 11 March 1930, Page 5

INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

THE COAL STRIKE.

BREAKDOWN OF CONFERENCE.

tress Association-Electric Telesraph-Copjrigb SYDNEY, Monday.

The breakdown of the coal conference an hour after its commencement to-day leaves peaee on the coalfields as far off as over. The miners’ representatives announced that they were not prepared to accept any terms other than pre-stopjmgo conditions. The colliery proprietors expressed their willingness to re-open the mines on the basis of the compromise agreement of November 23, which tho miners’ representatives again rejected on the ground that their organisation had given them "no mandate therefor. A deadlock was thus reached and the parties dispersed. The conference had been opened by the Premier, who expressed the hope that a settlement would be effected, pointing out that it would make the Government’s task easier from the standpoint of reducing unemployment.

The State Cabinet to-morrow will consider whether unemployment relief should be withdrawn from tho coalfields in view of the failure of to-day’s conference.

A meeting of miners’ lodge secretaries will be held to-morrow at Newcastle in order to formulate a policy for the future.

(The agreement reached in November, but rejected by tho miners, provided for a reduction of all contract wages by 12 A per cent., also 6d a ton from the wages of day labour employees at the collieries concerned. The owners on their part agreed to submit figures to a committee of employees showing that the reductions mentioned represented 9d a ton on an average over the whole of tho collieries concerned. The miners undertook not to restrict the • output of coal).