16 OCTOBER 1920, Page 3

The miners were asked on Monday and Tuesday to vote

for Or against the coal-owners' offer of higher wages increasing in Proportion to the total output above 240,000,000 tons a year. Sraillie advised them to accept the offer as a temporary arrangement until a better system could be worked out. Other leaders urged them to reject the offer. Most of the men and

boys who took the trouble to vote unfortunately flouted Mr. Smillie's counsel.