Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

37 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

FOR COAL SETTLEMENT.,

Newyddion
Dyfynnu
Rhannu

FOR COAL SETTLEMENT. To day's Vital Issues EFFORTS TO AVOID STOPPAGE "Deoide one way or the other. Decide for peace, if possible; but decide, anyway. If there must be a strike, let it come at once; if a settlement, eo much the better, but let that be at once. End our uncertainty. Let us know where we sta.nd." This is the burden of the cry that goes up from every merchant and trader in every part of the South Wades coalfield. People are tired of the protracted negotiations for a new wage agreement for the miners, and of t,he uncertainty that is killing trade, keep- ing thousands of men out of employment, and frightening probable customers away. This state of things has existed for many months past. It has caused so much lose and anxiety that traders have now beoome con- vinced that if a settlement cannot be arrived at it would be better for the parties to go to war and iight out their differences with idle collieries. If there must be a strike, the sooner it comes and is over the better. There are strong hopes that such a calajni- tous thing a-3 a stoppage will be avoided. but the uncertainty is in itself disastrous, and should be put an end to as soon as possible. So acute is the situation, in faot. that employers whose concerns are running after a fashion have decided that this week's pay- day shall be to-day, because, they say, it is of no use bringing the men in on Saturday, seeing there is no work for them to do. The leading merchants and traders of Car- diff have been considering the position very carefully, and have decided to bring pressure to bear upon the Coal Conciliation Board. A meeting will be held this morning at the offices of the Barry Graving Dock Company to appoint a deputation to wait upon the board to place the exact position before the conciliators. The deputation will appeal to the board to deoide one way or the other, and to put an end to the disastrous state of uncertainty that now prevails. The serious results of the uncertainty as to whether a. strike will take place at the end of the month have been brought home to the general public of South Wa.les in the present week in a manner which they will long remember. Only nine months ago they had to go through a. similar experience, though, perhaps, the hardships were not than quite to much felt. A month or so ago Mr. T. E. Morel, the newly-appointed chairman of' the Cardiff Shipowners' Association, announood publicly that shipowners were diverting all the steamers possible from South Wales because of the difficult situation. The effect of this .has been to hamper trade iu every way, and while shippers have had to pay higher freights, there has been a very con- siderable curtailment of employment. March is usually a busy month at the dry docks, the work at which constitutes one of the chief industries in the Bristol Channel, but this month has been particularly slack, and at present firms which can dry dock a dozen or more vessels at the same time have only a couple in hand. Something like two- thirds of the men belonging to various skilled and unskilled labour organisations connected with this industry are either idle or working ehort time, and, seeing that the prospects for April, for which month the dry docks have scarcely any stems, are so unpromising, the dry dock owners have been forced, how- ever reluctantly, to consider the desirability of paying off all the men not likely to be required and practically closing the yards. They can hardly be blamed for such a step, because to keep the men going at a time when no work is coming in to pay wagc-- only means the exhaustion of ca-pital and curtailment of competitive power in the future. When faced with such a situation, to neglect to oonsarve their resources would 7mean a short way to commercial suicide. What applies to the dry docks as one of our largest industries also affects the numer- ous engineering and other trades of the dis- trict. Complaints come from the iron and I 8teeJ works that orders are Mng withheld, thus adding to the numbers of the unem- ployed. While orders for coal are going to Germany and America, the uncertainty is flitting very hard the whole community, either directly or indirectly. -Much of the tra.de that has been diverted has been lost altogether, and represents hundreds of thou- sands of pounds less in wages. The public as a whole are hit very hard in another way. Wholesale traders, who ftmember only too well the disastrous results of the last great struggle of 1898, have taken steps to ourtail credit to retail traders, who have been given the alternative of finding Oa-sfh for their requirements. Many retail traders have in consequence had to let stocks run low, and buy from hand to mouth, ill this means paying .more dearly for the neces- saries of life, and housewives find the coat of rilea-t, provisions, &c., all advancing. In Car- diff small cottagers, through the action of the city council in reducing the rebates on the compounding of rates, find the rents ateo Mvanced. The labouring classes, therefore, have less wagee-iii some cases none at all- <fearer food, and higher rent to face. A11 classes of the community suffer more or less seriously. The commercial travellers have been severely hit, especially those in the drapery, hardware, and fancy trades, Small shopkeepers able to pay cash refusing to lay in heavy stocks of goods which may lie on their hands for months, while these Ho cannot pay cash have to take little at higher prices beoause the wholesale dealer ses long credit. Furniture dealers and even clergymen and ttestrars drawing fees in respect of Carriages also complain of the bad times, )oung couples delaying their embarkation 013,0n the uncertain seas of matrimony until their prospects are brighter. When such disasters have arisen from a Kate of uncertainty, those who do not tsmember the results of the coal strike of 898 may in a measure estimate what is "fcfore them. If the uncertainty continues patters will grow worse and worse. While it is hoped that a strike will be averted. tnany people even now are beginning to wish tOr a strike as the only means of bringing Ilbout a termination of the unoertainty. "A Obttlement straight away or an open fight tOl a finish is the call—no suspending of 140tioes or other delay. EVERYBODY COMPLAINING And Especially Trades Union Leaders A representative of the Evening Expreas" 'P?nt so?ue hùur on Thursday nig«t in *??rviewing leading omcials of some of the '?Qcipal trades in the ports which are ?Sely. if not solely, dependent on the coal tt'dL, and the same story was r?lated to 1m in all quarters "There is no life in Mythins." was the 8tlrn and 6ub6ta,nM of it. Merchants, ship- _'01's andmwters in every branch are atay- '4t their hands, merely dragging out ea?h ??s business without any effort to ma?e ?tra?ts ahead, with the result that the ??kers are kept in a state of tension as to h?t will be their reception at their place Of Employment the next morning." ?oth the Cathays and West Yards of the Vale Company have been working three- <)? '?rter time for the P^t nve months, "a?d," sajrt one of the railway society's o&cials, ? t),,r 6 is absolutely no hope of a return to 1411 time as long as the present unoertainty }? ^e ..I trade is allowed to continue. We t}? looking anxiously towards the Concilia- tNliloll Board for an ea,rly ¡;ettment. The Taff Company have found it nomasary to ? U<:e their expenditure in every depart- rc A Ilt owing to the alarming decrease in the )??ti ?Se. and we cannot expect them to  to the old &tate of things as matters rAt stand. ? official of the Boilerma?era' &mietv said t?)?? '? p?r cent. of the members were on the traDloY,ed books a.t the present moment, %rld there was an average of 1,000 boiler-  resident in the port of Cardiff. L?t ,tf,, t' ?he society paid out ",616 as ???b? "?yed benent. which works out at 4h,eit Za per head of the whole membership, itr4,d 'his year that ?ure was sure to be • l?;re 71Y increased. Last year's total v?as  UP as follow?:—CardifF. ?1,756; 3Mry. 4,?717 ??arth. £ 143. He addæ that the 4ott'e; ty "? been able to a?ree with the ?? M?' rs upon a prilist amicably, but ?j??M-tainty in the coal trade wM 6)?ki the very foundations o.f the whole I?  now held by the boilermakers. thI,eII quirie, in coaltrimmem' circles Iioited t tbat 'there has been for some weeks ?<t ?noreasin?ly abnormal number of ? ?? 0? ? °f employment, directly due to me 8 ?'? ?? .esseLs from be 3'T?tol ??? ) P?rta, and there was a very «*»rnest  amongst the coaltrimmera thai ?h?<?lay on the part of the ?nciUa.tion ?M. "I!. arriving at an agreement sWuld *? ????d at all costs if the shipping of the A 'Was not to suffer almost irretrievably. "ght Preferred to Suspense ? 1. ) ib  1 D. Williams, eeore?ry of Mi? ? ?-?t?'?'??? of 0ommaroo, aa?i:—The t L ^Pute is h?ing a deterrent effwt ■ i-t ? and Sen?ra?ly. not only on coal sell- t ? ?d?? *? baying, but in a iM?e number ? o?- 'ad-kim 4maxi6ms <m ? Maui"  supply of 000.1 at normal prices. In eoxoe cases it is having an effect wlych is little short of paralysing. In the ooal trade itself the present state of suspense is haaging up the question of numerous contracts whiob would long since have been entered upon. Personally, I consider the method of prolong- ing the agony little short of wicked on the part of both masters and men. When dis- putes are threatened the sooner they are fought out and settled the better for all oon- cerned." Concluding. Mr. Williams said thif was a view which was largely shared by out- siders. So acute is the situation that employers whose concerns are running after a fashion have decided that this week's pay-day shall be to-day, because, they say, it is of no use bringing the men in on Saturday, seeing there is no work for them to do.

Compromise in the Air I -

!COLLIERY MACHINERYI

rNegligence Alleged 0.

-An Agg-ressive Fight I

jCONSCIENCE MONEY.

ISuicide of Three Girls

RUGBY INTERNATIOALI

TO-MORROW'S REFEREES AND MATCHES…

ON LIVERPOOL.

Paddock Finals.

Notes and Selections.

PROBABLE RUNNERS FOR TO-DAY'S…

I"EVENING EXPRESS" FINALS.

NEWMARKET NOTES. I

..WEIGHTS. I

FROM THE "WESTERN MAIL.'I

Safeguard's SelectionsI

OFFICIAL SCRATCHINGB. I

Mid-Glamorgan Fight

TO-DAY'S NAPS.

WEEKLY OPINIONS

I SPECIALISTS' OPINION8 I

I DAILY PAPERS. I

CARONIA AT FISHGUARD I

I Liverpool- Meeting.

OFFICIAL STARTING PRICES.…

YESTERDAY LONDON BETTTXG-…

LATEST LONDON BETTING. I

-.ENTRIES..I

Family Notices

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Captain Co-respondent

Match Arranged - -——*

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CARDIFF I LP. OFFICIALS"!

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