EFFECT OF STRIKES. 373 



back, but it is feared that most of it lias been lost to Japan, 

 British India, China, Borneo, United States and Great Britain, 

 who now supply customers in the Philippines, Straits Settle- 

 ments, Java, India, Hongkong and South America, formerly 

 supplied by New South Wales. Co-operation has been tried 

 among miners, but collieries run on this principle have not 

 proved a success. Even State-owned mines have not been 

 proof against labour trouble, as witness those of Victoria and 

 New Zealand. 



The over-sea trade is governed by conditions over which 

 Australians have no control. Ships can go to any part of the 

 world for freights, and at certain seasons of the year the de- 

 mand causes freights to go up, and an extra shilling per ton 

 may lose a coal contract to another country working under 

 more favourable conditions. Besides, foreign countries take 

 such a serious view of our labour troubles that they look else- 

 where for their coal supplies, which, if not so good, are at 

 least reliable. Then again, shippers do not care to charter 

 ships for Newcastle, not knowing how long they may be laid up 

 on account of some frivolous strike. 



Strikes, by restricting the coal trade, lessens the demand, 

 make less work for the coal miner and those dependent on 

 him ; hence the broken time worked. If the miner likes to limit 

 his earning capacity, that is largely his OW T II affair, though in- 

 directly it also affects the welfare of the country, but unfortu- 

 nately there are many strikes, several of them being of a trivial 

 nature, run by mere boys, which affect others, such as those 

 who handle coal, tradespeople, etc., to say nothing of diminish- 

 ing railway profits, laying other industries idle for a time, and 

 throwing fellow unionists out of work. It is to be hoped that 

 the miners and others concerned in the coal industry will learn 

 to think and speak for themselves before the industry is ruined, 

 instead of allowing themselves to be led by irresponsible and 

 ignorant agitators. There are two sides to every question, and 

 each should be treated with respect. There are many things 

 one would like to happen, but they may not be feasible. Miners 

 would naturally like higher wages, but if the higher wages 

 killed the industry, the temporary advancement would be a 

 permanent injury ; or a curtailment of the output might in- 

 crease the earnings of a few while throwing a large number 

 of their fellow men out of work. Nature seems to have been 

 generous to New South Wales so far as coal and seaboard are 

 concerned; it is the unreasonable action of man that prevents 

 full advantage being taken of what is offered. 



