The strike still overshadows every thing else in public estimation in Broken Hill; and the fate of Minis tries, and even of Empires, is as nothing in our eyes compared with the chances of a speedy settlement. The Defence Committee is on firm ground in insisting on abiding by the agree ment ; and submitting any alteration of it to arbitration; still, if there is a chance of a fair and lasting settle ment, it would perhaps be wise, taking all the existing circumstances into consideration, to concede a little, es pecially to non-dividend paying mines. It would not hurt the cause of the miners, and would certainly strengthen it greatly as far as public sympathy is concerned. I am not one of those who favor a "peace at any price" policy, thinking only of their own sel fish interests of the moment and re gardless of future consequences; but, at the same time, if a little timely concession and a conciliatory spirit can save a long struggle that may bring misery and ruin to many inno cent individuals, I, for one, should not care to take the responsibility of standing in the way of a settlement. Several of the large shareholders and directors in the Associated Mines are simply adventurers who never had a penny before they saw the Barrier. They have all the instincts of the gambler, and have worked the mines with a view to gambling in the shares. In virtue of their position they wore supposed to be honorable men, but anyone who has studied the ante cedents of some of them will not be surprised at the cynical disregard for honor which they showed by break ing the agreement. The one defence which their Press claqueurs have for them is that they had a right to terminate the agreement, seeing that by some unaccountable oversight, a provision for its termination, was omitted when it was drawn up. Even if that were so, the other party had a right to be consulted as to its termina tion ; but a perusal of the shorthand notes of the conference which adopted the agreement will show the contention of the directors and their apologists to bo utterly baseless. 