The International Miners' Conference assembled at Brussels on Monday, the
proceedings being opened by Mr. Burt as Chairman of the International Committee. The 339,500 English miners who belong to Unions, out of a total of 560,000, were represented by 38 delegates ; the 92,000 French miners by 14, the 183,000 German miners by 1, and 100,000 Bohemian miners also by 1 only. The number of the Belgian delegates is not stated. We have dealt elsewhere with the debate on a legal eight-hours day, and will only say here that the speeches of the English miners compared very favourably with those of the foreign delegates. At Tuesday's sitting, a great deal of excitement was caused by the announcement that the Belgian authorities had ordered two of the French delegates, both Members of the Chamber, to quit the country, on the ground that they had excited the French miners against Belgian miners working in the North of France. The French delegates denied the charge, and a Belgian delegate declared that he had been sent to the Pas-de-Calais to investigate the matter, and that the French Unions were not to blame,—meaning, we presume, that the Belgians were imported to fight the Unions, and so were fair game. A strong appeal was made to the Minister of the Interior to revoke the order for expul- sion, but without success. It was then proposed that the French delegates should retire en muse ; but ultimately it was agreed that the Conference should not be broken up, but should continue its deliberations without the presence of the French Deputies. On Wednesday, the vote on the legal eight- hours day was taken, with the result that delegates held to represent 994,000 miners, voted for it, and delegates repre- senting 100,000, against it. A majority nearly as large voted for the resolution of Mr. Weir, a Scotch delegate, in favour of a universal strike to enforce legislative action.
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