THE COAL STRIKE

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17112, 6 April 1921, Page 7

THE COAL STRIKE

DANGER OF MINES FLOODING. ALL INDUSTRIES AFFECTED. (By Cable—Press Association— Copyright.) {Unite? Service.* • LONDON, April 4. In the Rhondda district the men ordered everyone, including the managers and officials, immediately to cease work in the mines.

The Cambrian pits have so far been kept going by the managers and overmen,- but a day's notice has been given to bring the horses to the surface, and the last of the safety men have Uen ordered to quit. In Derbyshire, the water is risin.; in all the pits, and some are -tlraady (looded. A lire is raging in the Oourtherbert Colliery. All industries are beginning to feel the effects of the stoppage, and numbers of steel and other worts are closing or shortening hands. At a miners' meeting ?t Wrsximm one speaker proposed that the M.ntis? Federation should arm all t.;e m.ners who are ex-soldiers. Mr J. R. Clvnes, M.P. Manchester), leader of the Labour Party, ;uterviewed, said the way out of the coal troubles was to postpone de-control foi at least a month. • (Australian and N.Z. CabU Association.) . LONDON, Ai-ril 4. Officials and volunteers »:iyo averted immediate danger from flooding in the South Wales mines. Many ex-somc-2-men and ex-naval engftieers are \oiuuteering for mine pumping. Birnu.igmm and London University students have offered to devote their holidays to tnat work. • .. Acting on the advice of Mumtjrs, the Prince of Wales has cancelled his visit to Norwich. The Lingfield races have been abandoned at the Government's request. Four hundred vessels are now docked at Cardiff, and the number is continually increasing. • . . Several firms are hard hit by the trade depression, and are now threatened with ruin. The Government, under the I'mer■gency Powers Act, has issued regulations empowering Departments to operate or control mines, transport, docks, gasworks, and electric power stations, and similar public services.

THE WAGES QUESTION.

TWO SIDES OF THE CASE. (Received, April sth, 5.5 p.ni ) *• LONDON, April 4. The Miners' Federation to-mgit is : sued a detailed list of. the proposed \wges, compared witlf those of 1.-'.4, whioh the Federation alleges-shows reductions -varying from 11 t? 49 per cent., according to the district, t Commenting on the list, Mr Fr.infi Hodges, secretary of the Miners' feneration, says it means a reduction bei-w the miners' pre-war standard of lite, in view of the fact that the cost of living is 141 per cent, above the pre-war level, and if they accept these rates, the miners will be placed in a worse position than sweated trades. Mr Evan Williams, president of tno Coal Owners' Association, points out that the figures of the Miners' Federation are based on a five days' week, whereas the average week is five and a half or; bix days. Taking the country as a whole, the wages of the miners under the owners' offer would be hi a week above those of 1914.

FRESH NEGOTIATIONS URGED. DANGEB OP TBOUBLE SPREADING :■"'"""" LONDON, April 4. The. executive of the Dockers' Union, while agreeing to assist the minors, has declared that nothing should be done to precipitate direct action or «o compel a general, strike without each Dody knowing the full details of the ftatter at Mr ßU ßen Tillett, M.P.jSalford), and secretary of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside, and General Workers' Union, m a strong speech, declared that, before "taking sympathetic action, every ettart) should be made to reopen negotiations. f Later.

The situation ia increasingly .threatening, Tho latest evidence of danger is that the executive of the Transport. Workers' Federation met to-night and adopted a resolution that if the, Government and the toal-ownere refrain from reopening negotiations with th* miners, the Federation must ask.its members to cease work. . . A number of Labour leaders are making an earnest effort to prevent a spread of the trouble to the Triple Alliance. An .essential preliminary ia the resumption of negotiations, thus stopping hasty decisions. Among those working tor peace are Messrs Will Thorne, Arthur Henderson, M.P., C. W. Bowertaan, M.P., and president of tho Trade Union Congress, and James Sexton, M.P. and general secretary of the National Union of Dock Labourers, who urge the Government to call a conference and arrange a, national wages agreement.

The possibility of the railwaymen and transport workers going on strike in sympathy with the miners lends interest 'to recent speeches by leaders of those sections of the Triple Alliance, warning the rank and file of the dangers of direct action.

Mr J. H. Thomas, M.P., general sectary of the National Union of Railwaymen, addressing a meeting of railwaymen at Hornsey, said: There were some who said, "Let us take one short remedy," but he would say to those who wanted industrial stoppage or social upheaval, "in the long chapter and in the long history, of the world's progress you will find that no social upheaval is equal to the revolution in the ideals and thoughts of the people themselves. In other words, I will never ask the railwaymen, I will never give a lead to the railwaymen. to withhold their labour, involving the sacrifice and misery and suffering of themselves and otherß, to accomplish what the exercise of commonsense and intelligence of the workers would bring about." Taking stock of the present position, Mr Thomas said that' the situation was that a deficit of something like £25,000,000 on the railways this year must be made up. If another 2*5 per cent, was, as was now contemplated, put on railway fares, the situation would become most serious, and, instead of that increase bringing in more revenue, it would bring in less revenue, as people travel. In the next few months the railways would either be handed back to private ownership, or they would be grouped in four or. five sections, or they would be i-ationalised. "Personally, I rule the latter proposition out, because of the absence of common sense and intelligence among tho workers themselves, because while holding up your hands in branch rooms in favour of nationalisation, you have always returned to the House oi Common* a majority of people who do not believe in nationalisation. You have only got the House of Commons you deserve, and until you change it, I say I don't see nationalisation is on the map." One oftho other alternatives had to be considered, and they -would find that a determined attack would be made to reduce their wages. "I wont to emphasise that there are troublesome times ahead," Mr Thomas concluded. "I know that there are still a ; large number of people who feel that my own policy as a leader is not sufficiently aggressive, and that a more aggressive policy would be successful. You are only as strong as your weakest link,, and the policy of merely assuming that , strikes every day will succeed is, in my

judgment, not ontv a mistaken policy; but a policy that" will ir.tvitably lead to disaster." Mr Ernest Bevin, an official of tho Transport Workers' Federation, speaking at a mass meeting of the Transport and General Workers' Union at Hull, said the British aristocracy had becomeeffete, and tiie present unemployment problem reflected the bankruptcy of Capital. He believed trade unionism was going to control industry at no distant date. Direct action was impossible with tho labour movement in its present state of organisation. Mere, verbiage in speeches would only lead men to disaster. At a time when "money could not be found for tho unemployed, the Chancellor of the Exchequer had given the capitalists a giatuity of £;2CO,000„OCO." [A reference to the abolition of the excess profits duty.] Organisation had done that. In nine trades a demand had been made during the past week for a reduction of wages, and there ivas talk of attacking the Shaw report. They must resist it.