1892 - Broken Hill Strike
- Broken Hill - Miners - non-union labour -
From local newspapers, 16 September 1892 - "Seven leaders of the miners’ strike were arrested yesterday in Broken Hill. The prominent members of the strike Defence Committee face between seven and ten years’ gaol if convicted on charges of conspiracy.
After an initial raid on the committee’s rooms, in which all books and papers were seized, police swooped on a meeting being held in the Theatre Royal.
A large crowd of onlookers gathered in Argent Street as about 40 constables surrounded the building. Detectives A. Goulder and G. Brown marched into the meeting to make the arrests.
As the mob of noisy supporters grew, more armed police were dispatched to keep the peace. At one point, police were forced to disperse a crowd which had gathered around the police station where the men were being held.
Mr R. Sleath, Mr W. J. Ferguson, Mr. G. Hum, Mr H. Heberle, Mm E. P. Polkinghorne, Mr R. A. Hewitt and Mr J. Bennetts appeared in court around 3.00 p.m. The men were charged in relation to public statements they had allegedly made since the beginning of the mass miners’ strike on 4 July.
The men were formally charged with conspiring to ‘incite, move and persuade great numbers of the liege subjects of our Lady Queen to riots, tumults and breaches of the peace’.
A second charge of conspiracy to prevent and intimidate ‘certain of Her Majesty’s liege subjects from carrying on and following their lawful occupations' as also brought against the men.
Bail was refused and the men have been remanded in custody. They are expected to appear before the court again next Monday.
It is nine weeks since more than 5000 miners were called out.
The strike followed a decision by the mine owners to reverse the 1889 wage agreement and substitute piecework rates for time rates. Mine owners have brought in non-union labour.
Brawls, arrests, riots and drunkenness have characterised Broken Hill since the strike began and non-union labour was introduced. But police seem determined to crush the increasing chaos in the town. A detachment of 100 extra police arrived from Sydney on yesterday morning’s train.
Disturbances in and around the Hill over the past few days have escalated so much that many women have been ordered by theft husbands to stay indoors."