THE MINERS' STRIKE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 2528, 22 September 1888, Page 2

THE MINERS' STRIKE.

[By Electric TELKunArn.— Copyright. 1 Sydney, September 'JO. Three of the ringleaders, named Sloan, Firth, and Evans, who took part in the riot at Lambton mine have been arrested. Three more miners have been arrested in connection with the Newcastle rioting. Several colliery owners, who do not belong to the Employers' Union, have arranged for miners to commence work. Their mines will employ 1000. London', September 19. Coal is being from English ports to Adelaide. [PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. | Sydney, September 12. The miners' striku with its widespread consequence of privation and distress is still the most momeut.-u.-i topic. Some little element of hopefulness has been imparted to the situation by the fact that tho coal owners have consented to meet the miners' in conference, A result which is due to the efforts of Messrs Brunker and Creer, M.L.A., and Caxon Selwyn. (Our cable messages have informed na'that these efforts wereabortive, the masters having declined to alter a clause in their agreement.) There are, no difficulties which cannot easily be removed by negotiation, and it is hoped that great things will result from the projected mooting. Meanwhile, we cannot forget that the the last meeting led to strike, and that the spirit manifested by some of the loading men on both sides, is even more aggressive and unreasonable now than it was then. Yet they both desire the sympathy of the public, and, in order to gain it, it is necessary that they should at least appear to bo willing to treat with one another. On the other hand there are many who are s-iocer.'.ly anxious for a settlement, not merely because of the injury which is being <\r.wi to Newcastle and the district, but because of the distress and inconvenience which is being caused among the general public. The chief incident in the actual struggle has been the victory of the Greta coalowners. For many years this colliery has been working, and in consequence a very large pile, some 20,000 tons or so, cf small coal has accumulated at the pit's mouth. At present prices this! is immensely valuable, and as it can be obtained without mining there ought to be no obstacle in the way of utilising it. Any labourer who can use a pick and shovel can load it into the trucks. Accordingly the company ?"ld at a very satisfactory price, some 10,000 tons or so to the Victorian Government. But when they wished to give delivery the men whom they employed were promptly secured by the miners' representatives and by mingled threats and cajolery were induced to leave the work. Ultimately, however, the company engaged some 30 men in Sydney, made arrangements to board and lodge them at the mine, and secured an escort nf i"> policemen to protect them from the attack which it seemed certain would follow. Thi.s is almost Ihe first instance in which any sign of vitality has been displayed by the authorities and it is proportionately welcome. l T p to the time of writing tho attempt to coerce tho company and deprive tlu public of the Coal has signally failed. Failing Newcastle, the chief reliance fora supply of coal has been placed on the Illawarra mines. But the labour troubles are beginning to be fult here. Fired by the thought of the high prices which it was said tho C'lalou'ner.s were getting for their product, the miners not unreasonably thought ■that they ought to share in the bonanza— an opinion which is, of course, sedulously encouraged by the miners who are on strike. But on the side of the masters the case is not so clear. They point out that the greater part of their output is covered by contracts previously entered into at a very low rate with the view of getting their coal into consumption. The quantity which they are able to sell at higher prices is a very small fraction ot the wh»le, and they maintain that if they were to increase the hewing rate by Gd a ton all rmiml, as demanded by the men, there would be no profit left. It is abundantly evident that, under present circumstances, the lot of those who are dependent for employment or for profit on a regular supply of coal is by no means a happy one. When we consider the paroxysms of fury into which society allows itself periodically to be lashe.d about some trumpery question affecting the " ins " or the "nuts"—mere chips in porridge—the apathy with which this crushing blow is borne is astounding. It can only be accounted for ou Carlyle's hypothesis—that mankind are " mostly fools."