meeting, and they desired to be allowed a private consultation before they proceeded further. After a short consultation in private, the deputation drew up the following telegram, the substance of which they communicated to the employers:-- We regret to hear that Haswell and Castle Eden Collieries are idle. You must know that you are wrong, and we strongly advise you to commence work to-morrow, otherwise steps will be taken to repudiate such reprehensible conduct, and if necessary the strongest action will be taken in the matter. This was deemed satisfactory, and the conference then proceeded to the business which had drawn them together--viz. the remuneration of the offhanded men and boys. The employers stated that they had agreed to give all offhanded men and boys who work underground 20 per cent. advance on last April's prices, the same as they had conceded to the hewers. To the men who work above ground--viz. to the cinder drawers, joiners, blacksmiths, firemen, screenmen, and banksmen, and all other men and boys, with the exception of the enginemen and a few rare cases of cinder drawers--they offered an advance of 12½ per cent. on last April's prices. The deputation, while expressing their perfect satisfaction with the underground men and boys' advance, suggested the propriety of the same advance being extended to all those men, as enumerated, who work above bank. On the part of the employers, however, it was stated that the reason only 12½ per cent. was offered to the above-bank men was that a reduction of 8 per cent. in their working hours had been conceded; and further that their work was not of so risky and dangerous a nature as that of the underground men, and also that there was always a superabundance of men willing to work on the screens, and to do other work above bank. After a conversation, the terms offered by the employers for both descriptions of men were accepted. The report of the interview was given to a delegate meeting, Mr Crawford again presiding. The number of delegates was very large. The points under discussion were the two offers contained in the report above. It was agreed that the offer of the owners should be accepted, with the understanding that it come into operation at once. This was the whole of the important business discussed.