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I OWNERS REFUSE TO FOREGO DAMAGES The following official report of the meeting of the Conciliation. Beard yesterday was supplied to the press by Mr. W. G. IHuziel: — A meeting of the Conciliation Board for the Coal Trade of Monmouthshire and South Wales was held at Cardiff to-day. Mr. Fred L Davis presided over the owners' side, and Mr. W. Abraham, M.P., over the workmen's s'de. The owners' representatives drew the attention of the workmen's representatives to the serious position at many collieries owing to difficulties which have arisen pre- venting the carrying out of the general agreement made on the 30th of June last, on the introduction of the new Mines tion Act limiting the hours of worling. The owners contended that whilst, at the workmen's request, the owners had consented to give the working of the new Act a trial during the existence of the present Concilia- tion Board agreement, upon the understand- ing that tho workmen's rsprcpcntatives would facilitate all necessary arrangements with a view to any loss of oiitp-.it and to minimise as far as possible t11e conse- i s po??qil)le th (II)IIli, quent increase in the cost of working owing to the reduced hours, great difficulties had occurred through obsfructions from the workmen at several collieries to the intro- clrction of the necessary alterations of the working shifts and in other respects. A general discission followerl upon this question, and the consideration of the matter was adjourned to a future meeting. The owners' representatives h-ivinsr on the 21st of August last asked the workmen's repre- sentatives to state what action they pro- posed to take with the view of the general body of workmen carrying out Clause 3 (f the new Mines Regulation Act as to work- ing an extra hour on 60 days in the year under that clan- in accordance with the recent decision of the Rhondda. stipendiary that the workmen are liable to work the hour when called upon by the owners to do so. and the workmen's representatives having asked that their reply might be deferred for a fortnight to enable them to consult the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, the owners' representatives at the meeting to-day asked the workmen's repre- sentatives if they had any definite statement to make upon the subject. The workmen's representative^ f,fcd fnt they were unable to give any definite reply, beyond making an appeal to the owners to suspend a.ny claim for damages they might have against the workmen for non-compli- ance, pending the decision of the Court of Appeal, the workmen having given notice of appeal; and if the Court of Appeal upheld the stipendiary's decision, then that the owners should forego any damages up to the date of the confirmatory decision. The owners' representatives, however, declined to accede to this arrangement, and said they must continue to hold the work- men liable for any breach oil the jfefe upon this question. Some disputes at several collieries were considered in referen-ce to points arising under the new Act, amongst which was the question of the continued refusal of the hauliers at the Cambrian Collieries, Clydach Vale. to carry out the arrangement at the last Conciliation Board meet-ins, that they should commence half-an-hour earlier than the other workmen, in accordance with fin agreement which they have entered into with the company. The workmen's representatives reported that they had seen the ha-uliers, as promised, but had so fa.r not succeeded in inducing them to carry out the agreement; and, in reply to the owners, they stated that they would not support the hauliers in their action, and -would, if possible, make further efforts to induce the Cambrian hauliers to oo-mply with the agreement. The following disputes wore referred to two representatives of the board for investiga- tion, with power to settle:—Price-list for a seam a-t Messrs. D. Davis and Sons' No. 9 Colliery, Tylorstown—Messrs. Thomas Griffiths and E. Morrell; price to be paid to the men for filling coal after mechanical cutters at Messrs. Hill's Plymouth Collieries, No. 2 South Duffryn Pit—Messrs. E. M. Hann and Ob aril es Edwards. It was arranged that the consideration of the other subjects on the agenda should be adjourned to a future meeting of the board