BRITISH COAL STRIKE.

Waikato Times, Volume 101, Issue 16948, 10 November 1926, Page 7

BRITISH COAL STRIKE.

NEGOTIATIONS HELD UP., SOME DIFFERENCES CLEARED UP REVIVAL OF OLD SLOGAN. LONDON, November 0. The Government yesterday issued an official statement announcing that the conference with the parlies to the coalmining; dispute had been adjourned to enable the miners to consult their constituents. A conference of miners' delegates lias been summoned for Wednesday. The negotiations continue to disappoint those who arc seeking peace. Although the trades union mediators definitely gave the Prime Minister, Mr Stanley Baldwin, and the Government to understand lhat a seven-hours' day was no longer an obstacle to peace, the Cabinet negotiators late last night learnt that the trades union mediators had gone beyond their brief in this respect.

Earlier in the day important points of difference had been cleared away. These included the minimum wage question, the subsistence wage, and the ratio of divisible profits—concessions which the miners had won in earlier struggles. The Government also persuaded the mineowncrs to agree to the principle of an arbitration tribunal, but only after a veiled ultimatum had been issued to the owners on that point. This ultimatum was that if they did not agree to the supervision of district agreements this would be assuredby legislation. Unfortunately, at the last moment the executive of the Miners' Federation resurrected the old slogan, "not a minute on the day," and the basic trouble seemed to be back again. The miners' executive only decided to resurrect this slogan by the narrow majority of 11 votes to 9. More than 300,000 miners are now working again upon the owners' terms. There is a hope therefore lhat if the Question of hours is' submitted to a free vote in the various districts it may be possible for the negotiations to continue.