Labour and political circles are very gloomy as regards the pros pects of a settlement to the coal It is. not certain whether there would be @ general drift back to work even if the miners in many Uistriets conclude "district agree ments" in response to fairly generous terme, Such @ process must occupy weeks, Significance is attached to the {act that the Safety-men's U which has so far refased to join the stoppage, has been summoned to a meeting in London next week. The membership of the Union is the strongest in South Wales, which is very stubborn.
Subject to the "national agree ment campaign," initiated by Mr. Cook, the Miners' Secretary, and his colleagues, aimed at preventing local agreements, the sole hope for early termination of the stoppage lies in the reassembling of Parliament on August 30.
The business of Parliament will be to confirm the Emergency Regulations, but it is not doubted that time will be given to a general coal discussion.
Men Pouring in to Work in Midlands Aug. 21.
The breakaway of the Notts and Derbyshire miners continues.
By noon to-day a further 10,000 men had signed on to start work on Monday. jasmin many villages at the prospect of the men resuming work.
'A continuous stream of men is signing on in the Mansfield area, at one pit, there being a queue yards Jong at nine this morn jing. The men have not aske ed to see the terms in black and white but are anxious to sign on Aug. 23.
While messages from the coalfields report that many more miners fave working, it appears that Mr. 'A. J. Coop week-end campaign re. sulted in some inded ion among the miners at Mansfield who had signed on at the local mine owners' terms of a seven and a half hour day and approximately pre-strike rates of pay, and the big majority of these have not yet resumed work, All the roads leading to the pits in this district were picketed, and] many lion ting fo smack relent ges men who started from hornell
round or Mi. Cook's ebeeation|] that negotiations with the Government as 8 party, may occur this It appears that there is no probability of any actual negotiations the near future, though the Gov-_ ernment has informed Mr. Cook that one of the Ministers' will be: prepared to meet him at any time he desires.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.