123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960

The colliery owners did not object to these pre-deter- mined

national conditions, but they continued to object to the proposal that a national body should be set up with powers to review the district agreements. The Gov- ernment, however, had felt this to be a necessary con- cession to the miners, and in a correspondence with the owners they refused to give. way. The fact that the con- _ stitution of the tribunal has int yet been precisely defined was not allowed by the miners to stand in the Way of a: referenCe of the 'Government's terms to the districts. The majority in the Delegates' Conference last Saturday for the reference recommending acceptance to the districts wws none too large. The votes were : For acceptance, 482,000 ; against acceptance, 352,000— • . a majority of 80,000.

Next page