THE COAL STRIKE

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17111, 5 April 1921, Page 7

THE COAL STRIKE

SUPPORT FOR THE MINERS. EAH.WAYMEN AND TEANSPOET WOEKEBS TO DECIDE. (By Cable—Press Associntion —Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, April 3. The coal deadlock' continues. There were mass meetings to-day throughout the country, -with the object of instructing the delegates as to whether the railwaymon and transport workers shall come out in sympathy with the miners. Mr Bon Smith, secretary of tho Road Transport Federation, speaking in the East End of London, said: "We shall be asked on Tuesday or Wednesday to give the miners undivided support, regardless of tho consequences. If we allow the miners to go down, we shall bo taken in sections and beaten If we stand together we have a chance. If tho Government floods the roads with motor transport, my advice is tlho drivers should Ktop those motor lorries running. If the Government wants sabotage, it can have it today! It is not a question of democracy, but of class war! Let those who have battened so long on the workers be given a taste of what a general social strike is like! Let tho workers show that ttie people who work are the pcoplo who matter! On Tuesday or Wednesday wo shall take up the gage." . A meeting of Newcastle and Gateshead railwaymen pledged their support to the miners to the extent of a strike. Seven thousand railwaymen at Derby passed a resolution that all sections should stand solid with the miners, recognising that upon the issue of the struggle depends the status of tho workers as a whole for generations. Mr C. T. Cramp, secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen,, speaking at Birmingham, said that a committee of the railwaymen were deep'y impressed by the miners' case.' What was tho fate of the miners to-day might be that of the railwaymen to-morrow. If Labour -were defeated in detail the different sections would lose confidence in each other. "I say frankly tihati if we were a_ssured~ that we could achieve a solid success we would not hesitate to force a strike, but I do not believe that the railwaymen alone, fighting with the miners, could aehievo success, because it is absolutely necessary to stop all forms of transport. But the railwaymen, miners, and transport workers should bo successful, so they thought they ought to' have a shot at it."

(Received Anril 4th, 5,5 p.m.) ; . mStDDTsr, April 3. All the principal railwaymon's district centres voted in favour of a sympathetic strike. Most of the resolutions were in the same form, declaring determination to resist .any attempt to lower the standard of life of the workers generally, and affirming that the miners' cause was the cause of all trade unionists.

Mr Frank Hodge's, secretary of the Miners' Federation, in a speech at Conisborough, extended his appeal beyond the Triple Alliance to tjio whole trade union movement. He said it had been asked to assist, and he believed it would respond._ The Miners' Federation did not wish to dictate to other unions, but it believed that the mass of the workers realised that if the miners were knocked out, no other organisation could expect to stand up>right. . "If we go down," he said, "the nation is doomed. The leash which .keeps the workers from revolutionary efforts may be removed, resulting in upheaval and revolt."

SAVING THE MINES. . THE PUMPING QUESTION. April 3. Owners addressed a mass meeting of North Staffordshire miners, and explained that, unles3 volunteers manned the pumps, many mines must be closed down permanently. They asked for volunteers. Four hundred immediately volunteered.

The emergency directions havo been published. They' confirm the cabled summary.

[An earlier message stated that an. emergency order would be issued on Monday, limiting householders \a one hundredweight of coal a week, and leducing the supplies of coal, electricity, and gas, both,for lighting and power, in factories, shops, and warehouses, by 50 per cent. The order will also enforce 'weakening the strength of gas and reduce street lighting to a niinimum.l (Received April 4th, 7.20 p.m.) LONDON, April 4. The strikers marched to two pits where men were working, and compelled them to quit. The owners of one pit asked the strikers to permit the enginemen to descend arid operate tru drainage machinery, but ithe striker* declared that if they descended they would wreck the surface machinery. A large force of police has been despatched to the scene.

N.Z. SUPPLIES AFFECTED. (PBESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAH.) WELLINGTON, April 4. The strike of coal-mmers in Great Britain will affect the contract recently entered into by the New Zealand Government for a large supply of coal from the "Welsh coal-fields, as the export of coal is prohibited temporarily. Fortunately, the matter is not of vital important at present, for it is 'stated authoritatively that New Zealand is fairly well stocked with coal.