The record of events during the week is as follows
:—On Tuesday it became plain that there was a deadlock between the representatives of the owners and of the miners. On Wednesday was published an invitation from the Prime Minister both to the owners and to the men to meet him at the Foreign Office, and a meeting, which was attended also by Sir Edward Grey and the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the President of the Board of Trade, took place on Thursday Later in the day the same Ministers met the mine owners. No. one is in a position to say exactly what took place at these conferences. We note, however, that in both cases the Prime Minister is said to have asked for a small committee to be appointed to discuss matters further. The mine owners at once appointed such a committee, but the men were not able to do so till they had consulted the body of which they were representatives. This body has been con- vened to meet next Tuesday, and it will no doubt then appoint the small committee required. As, however, the strike is to begin on the following Friday morning, that leaves only one or, at the most, two days for negotiations, and thus we are brought to the very edge of the abyss. It has been sug- gested in certain quarters that in these circumstances what the Government will do is to ask for more time, in order that the negotiations may not be hurried. Whether the men will agree to this remains to be seen. Another proposal is that the Government should devise a madly; vivendi and then impose it on both sides for a definite period—say for three months— pending investigation by a Royal Commission into the whole question. It is doubtful, however, whether such an arrange- ment, even though reasonable in itself, would be accepted.
