LONDON'S FOOD BLOCKED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1204, 12 August 1911, Page 5

LONDON'S FOOD BLOCKED.

4) A GIGANTIC STRIKE. TROOPS WITH FIXED BAYONETS. ■ Mlim APSD DISORDER.

| By TelcEraph—Press Association—OonyrleW (R«c. August 11, 10.55 a.m.) London, August 11. The troops at Aldcrshot are sleeping in their clothes. Tho Hussars entrained at ten o'clock, the Queen's Bays and the Third Dragoons following. The Royal Irish Rifles and the Worcestershire Regiments at Dover are confined to barracks in readineis to proceed to London, and the- officers on leave have been recalled. Similar arrangements have teen made in regard to tho troops at Colchester, where trains are hold in readiness. Military Escorts. It is understood that it is intended that foodstuffs shall be escorted by troops with fixed bayonets from the docks. An Army Service Corps has been sent with forty motor lorries to the docks, to draw food and forage to Ahlershot. The troops of the Woolwich garrison went without breakfast yesterday until troops with fixed bayonets assisted tho contractors. Riotous proceedings were witnessed, and business has been dislocated in all parts of London It is estimated that 500,000 tons of goods are detained at the docks, exclusive of food and other commodities coming by the railways. Many.Lorries Overturned. Many lorries and motor vans have been overturned in Paddington district, where the pickets around the Great Western Railway ya-ds are very energetic. Fifty per cent, of tho London General Motor Company's omnibuses have been withdrawn, and twelve hundred men have thus been thrown idle. Australian mutton, which is usually retailed at threepence a pound, is now selling at sixpence. Mr. Keir Hardic, tho Labour leader, speaking at Tower Hill, adviEed tho men to make tho most, of having brought LonI don near starvation. "The masters," he cried, "starvo you and sweat you. Pay them in their own coin!" Eleven thousand railwaymen are striking at Liverpool, and another 4000 men have been thrown into enforced idleness. Two. thousand carters and 6000 dockers aro boycotting goods at. the depots, in sympathy with the strikers. Tho Police Pelted. There have been frequent conflicts, and tho police have been pelted with bricks, glass, and apples. Upwards of 500 police charged the mob with their batons, Many Outrages. Many outrages aro reported, such as tho following:—A hundred strikers followed a dray laden with fowls, and then smashed tho crates and liberatod the birds. Tho Lord Mayor of Liverpool has issued a proclamation warning tho strikers that tho military are available to assist the police if necessary, The Lord Mayor has also invoked fch* Riot Act. Four hundred men of tho Warwickshire Regiment have arrived, and also polico from Leeds and Birmingham, and some 200 men of tho Irish Constabulary.

BALL CARTRIDGE SERVED. POLICE STONED,' , London, August 10. Though the positioi in regard to tho striko of London dockers, carmen, and lightermen is no worse, the Woolwich and Aldershot commands have been ordered to hold themselves in readiness. All the Aldershot command will move on London forthwith. The cavalry and dragoons are marching by Toad," and the infantry is proceeding by rail. The troops have been provided with ball cartridges, and will use all available motors and steam tractors to convey food aud fodder. MILITARY MARCHING IN. Some of the streets of the metropolis are as quiet as on Sundays. Commercial vehicular traffic has ceased. Extra polico have been drafted into the strike areas. Crowds at Paddington prevented vans from leaving tho static.. Many isolated cases of personal injuries have been reported, and arrests have bcei. made. The fish porters at Billingsgate refused to work unless they were paid two shillings an hoar. The masters conceded the demand.

Air. Askwith, Labour Secretary of the Board of Trade, has arranged a settle* ment with tho coal porters. An agreement has been signed giving increased wages and other concessions. Conditions at Liverpool have become rapidly worse. Detachments of the-War-wickshire Regiment and two hundred Irish Constabulary havo arrived.

Riotous sccencs occurred at tlie Central Station. Tho police reinforcements were stoned, and many baton charges were made by tlio police before goods were removed from the station.

SITUATION AT LIVERPOOL MUCH DISORDER. > EAILWAYMEN'S GRIEVANCES. ( London, August 10. The strike situation at Liverpool is threatening. Pickets prevent goods from leaving tho docks and railway depots. The goods service of tho district is held up, and the passenger service is dislocated. Numerous disorders aud outrages have occurred, including tho overturning of a brewer's dray, the knocking in of the bungs, and the distribution of beer to tho mob. The Lord Mayor and tho Chief Constablo of Liverpool have conferred with prominent leaders of the strikers, with a view to possible action for preserving peace and obviating tho necessity of utilising outside forces. Mr. J. 11. Thomas, Labour member for Derby and secretary of the Society of Railwaymen, declared that discontent had been steadily growing in all the grades. The grievances were numerous, and there was especial dissatisfaction with the work of the Conciliation Boards, which throughout had favoured the employers. It was also exceedingly difficult to get decisions put into operation, tho combinations and pooling arrangements of the great lines affecting the working adversely. The situation had arisen spontaneously; tho union had not organised the strike. Non-union-ists were receiving strike pay, and half the strikers aro non-unionists. Mr. Thomas added that London may l>e completely isolated, and its food supplies cut off. The London Omnibus Company has withdrawn one-third of its omnibuses from service owing to shortago of petrol, only three days' supply remaining. The steamer Turakina, from New Zealand, landed her passengers at Plymouth. EFFECT ON NEW ZEALAND TRADE. CIIRISTCHURCH OPINIONS. (By Tc)e'crapb.--Pres» Association.! Christchurch, August 11. The effect of the big strike amongst the transport workers in Loudon upon Now Zealand shipments of frozen meat was the subject of somo inquiries locally bv a reporter to-day. From the point of view of the meat exporting companies and of meat exporters tho possibility of loss seems very remote, assuming (as is the case in many instances) that shipments aro insured under, the "all risks" clause. The shipping companies very naturally provide in their bill of lading for frozen meat that, they aro not accountable ior strikes or'lock-outs or the consequences thereof, but marine insurance policies cover those particular risks, so that' in caso of shipments that have been insured shippers arc protected. The season for the shipment of frozen meat from the- Dominion is practically over, and tho bulk of tho meat has been delivered. There are, however, somo shipments still on the water, the total, as on' August 2, being in the vicinity of 750,000 carcasb-es of mutton' and lamb. Much, if not everything, from tho underwriters' standpoint will depend on the duration of the strike, and on the question of whether or not steamers carrying cargoes of frozen meat will have sufficient coal on their arrival, or can obtain sufficient coal after arrival, to keep their refrigerating machinery working and their keep-meat in marketable condition. It is expected that in most cases steamers on arrival will have a sufficient amount of coal to keep their machinery working for a more or less lengthy period. A local underwriter expressed tho opinion that the good sense of Die people of England would bo such that they would not permit cargoes of perishable goods to rot in tho ships' holds. The effects of the strike would bo so keenly felt by all classes of the community that he anticipated that the strike would be short, sharp, and decisive. In the end ho thought that the strike would be of tho utmost value in the lesson it would convey to the people of the British Isles, who ivould be impressed, as they have perhaps had never before been impressed, with tho probable results that would follow upon a European war and the consequent interference with the arrival of overseas food supplies. Those who failed to appreciate the necessity for Britain maintaining a strong navy would,' he imagined, have a different opinion at tho end of the present strike. The only risk, or practically the only risk, run by shippers of frozen meat will arise from the interruption of markets— a matter which will, of course, depend on tho duration of the strike. It is possible that if tho 'strike lasts somo weeks, and if no way of dealing with shipments is taken, that the meat, if delivered by ships in good condition, may not, when put on (he market, realise the prices that it would have realised if no strike had occurred, and it' had boon possible to market it immediately it arrived.

It is understood that the Tasiuaniah orchardists will probably incur much loss through the strike, 'large shipment's of Tasmanian apples being duo to arrivo at London just about t'ho present time.