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whom your letter was referred, do not see their way to abate or reduce the railway charges on the haulage of coal from Brunnerton to Greymouth." 25. That shortly after this, a general labour Conference having been convened in Wellington, Messrs. Lomas and Newton attended as delegates, representing the Amalgamated Miners' and Labourers' Association of New Zealand, and, on behalf of the miners, made a similar application to the Premier for an abatement of the royalty or of the railage. 26. That on the return of the delegates to Greymouth, and on further extended negotiations taking place between the company and. the coal-hewers represented by the A.M.L.A., it was agreed that the hewers would concede 2d. per ton permanently, and also, pending report after an inquiry into the matter, a further sum of 3d. per ton, making in all sd. per ton, no part of which was to be refunded by the company; but it has been alleged by the miners that if no concession is made in respect of the royalty or railage the question would be reopened, and some further arrangement would be necessary. 27. That on the 28th August the manager of the Grey Valley Company received from the secretary of the A.M.L.A. a letter confirming this arrangement, and agreeing that the miners should resume work on the following Monday, the Ist September. 28. That on Saturday, the 30th August, after a meeting of the A.M.L.A. held that evening, the manager received another letter from the secretary importing a further element into the dispute, and laying down as a condition of work that no coal should be supplied to the steamers of the Union Steamship Company. This condition was in consequence of instructions issued by the Maritime Council in Dunedin because of a strike entered upon by the seamen against that company which, however, was in no way connected with the relations between that company and its seamen, but was entered upon in support of a strike in Australia between other companies and their seamen. That, as none of the Union Steamship Company's steamers were then available, the mine-manager agreed to this condition being observed by the coal company, and work was resumed and continued to be carried on for three weeks. 29. That the Union Steamship Company, having succeeded in keeping their boats manned by " free " labour, and in resuming their regular traffic, claimed from the Grey Valley Company fulfilment of their contract for the supply of coal, and notice of this was given to the miners by the manager on the 20th September. At the same time the " Brunner," a Union Steamship Company's steamer, coming into Greymouth, was supplied with coal by the Grey Valley Company, whereupon the miners ceased work, by direction of the A.M.L.A., in terms of the secretary's letter of the 30th August. 30. That after a lapse of some weeks, during which no terms could be arranged between the coal company and the miners—who would not recede from the position assumed of blocking the Union Steamship Company's steamers —the company advertised in Dunedin, Wellington, and other centres for miners to carry on the work, offering 12s. per day for coal-hewing, and succeeded in obtaining the services of about a hundred and twenty men. 31. That on or about the 23rd October, when it became known that these men were engaged to fill the places of the strikers, negotiations were opened with the company by a miner, Mr. Dunn (the chief executive officers of the A.M.L.A being at the time absent from the district), and the company agreed to take on as many of the union strikers as might personally apply for re-employment unconditionally, and that, although at first the miners refused to do so unless the company consented to negotiate with them as a union, the company afterwards received many individual applications, and, with the " free " labourers engaged elsewhere, reopened the mines on Monday, the 3rd November. 32. That, whilst the company offered 12s. per day for coal-hewers, it at the same time promised, after the expiry of six months, that if the hewers desired, payment by tonnage-rates of 2s. 3d. for Coal-pit Heath and 2s. for Brunner on the unscreened or gross weight of the coal should be again resumed. 33. That the rates thus offered were equivalent to a reduction of 20 per cent, on the tonnage-rates paid from the 10th March, 1890, till the 19th July, when the