Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 05 September 1902
Four Hundred Fresh Summonses Issued.
A New Price List Dawn Up.
Thera are at present no indications that the strike in progress at the Denaby and Cadeby Collieries will be settled, at rate not just yet: and this is the 10th week of the great struggle between masters and men. There have been no further demonstrations in the public streets, although another batch of miners were brought before the Doncaster West Riding magistrates last. Saturday, and over forty were ordered to pay the £6 damages and costs claimed by the Colliery Company.
We have it officially that a large number of fresh summonses to the tune of about 400, been served, and the defendants are expected to appear at Court on Saturday.
It is stated that they are going to form a procession at Denaby early on Saturday morning, accompanied by banners, and possibly a band, and they will no doubt be followed by a large crowd of people. They intend to have a triumphal march into Doncaster, the men who have summoned, it is stated, include datallers and surfacemen, and the whole of them are to be defended by Mr. J. H. Howland., of Wakefield, the same solicitor who has defended the other men who have summoned. .
What will be done in the case of the datallers remains to be seen.
A new price list has been drafted by the men’s leader and was formally submitted to them at a meeting of the men held on Wednesday morning, behind the Station Hotel, Coniaboro’, and it met with their approval. Some slight alterations will probably be made in regard to some of the items, but it is undoubtedly an improvement on the 1890 price list, which as stated last week, is admittedly unsatisfactory.
The drafting of the new price is a very important move on the part of the men’s officials and we sincerely hope, in the interests of the men themselves, that this important matter, which undoubtedly is the cause of the present struggle, will be amicably settled, and that the action of the officials will meet with success and the pits again will soon be in full working order. The price list will be found in another column
Discontent scents to prevail in certain parts of Denaby, Conisboro’, and Mexboro’ in regard to the distribution of the bread to the families, some laying complaints that families in need of food were being neglected, whilst some who had plenty were getting above their share. The committee, in order to cheek this feeling, have now decided that instead of bread they shall give its equivalent in money. It is to be hoped that this change will be satisfactory, but we rather think it will not be so, as when the bread was distributed it really ensured a meal for the children, whilst the money, which will be distributed instead of bread might go for something else. It is a pity that more men, do not interest themselves in helping the committee to distribute the bread, and see that every family who in need received its fair share of food
It was stated at the Doncaster West Riding Police Court on Saturday last, by Mr Gichard, the solicitor for the Colliery Company, that the sums ordered to be paid to the colliery company by miners claimed against, amounted to between £1,100 and £1,200. No doubt that sum will be considerably increased on Saturday.
We are sorry to bear of the severe illness of Mr. Fred Croft, chairman of the Denaby branch, and who has taken a prominent pert in the struggle. He was taken ill on Friday last, and is still confined to his bed. We hope he will speedily recover.
As we stated last week, the stock of household coal has been exhausted for some time, and men and women have had to resort, to wood gathering in older to make suitable material for a fire. We are sorry to learn, however, that number of persons were caught helping themselves from one of the coal stacks in the colliery yard. They were brought up before the Doncaster magistrates on Tuesday, when they were ordered to pay 10s including the costs. The Chairman (Major Dove) expressed the hope that it would act as a deterrent to others.
Two other Denaby cases were heard, in which youths, named Bullingham and Bruin were summoned for doing wilful damage, by breaking two panes of glass in a house occupied by Wm. Hy. Howden, in Balby Street. The case lasted a considerable time, and they were fined 17s. and 15s. respectively. Bullingham, we learn, preferred to do the time, and will spend a few days at Wakefield. This youth was some time ago ordered to pay 30s in an intimidation case. These cases were really an echo of the Howden assault came that was heard time ago.