RIOTS IN MANCHESTER.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1211, 21 August 1911, Page 6

RIOTS IN MANCHESTER.

CITY IN THE HANDS OF STRIKE MOBS. BATON CHARGES. This was a wild day in Manchester on July 4, tho carters on strike bringing traffic to a standstill (states the "Daily Jlail" of July 5). Tho trouble is a sequel to tho seaman's and dockers' strike, which the carters at Manchester joined, demanding what the employers say is equivalent to an advance of Is. a week. By holding up tho goods that came by rail the Carters' Union hoped to prevent tho diversion of goods from tho Ship Canal, and thus comjileto tho deadlock. The dockers at Manchester failed to come to' an agreement with the Ship Canal authorities. They agreed to a truce, however, and withdrew their picket. 'But the carters, reinforced by all tho rough clement in the city, got out of the control of their leaders, and the disorder was widespread and serious.

Lorries ivere overturned in the street, and except for a small'portion carried on under police escort; tho carrying business of tho city was entirely dislocated. Mills and workshops were kept without material,' coal and food prices were going up, and conflicts between the police and strikers wero frequent. At least 8000 men wero out on strike.

When people came to the city by tram-way-car and train in the morning they found the strikers already in possession. Pickets had remained at tho exits of the goods yards all night, with the intention of stopping goods from going to Shudehill Market. So grave an aspect did the situation assume in the early hours of the morning that the Lord Mayor (Mr. Charles Behrens), accompanied by the chief constable, made a tour of inspection of the centres of unrest In a motor-cat.

As a consequence of their interference •with the carters who remained at work tho strikers and police frequently came into conflict. At several . places where tho crowds were aggressive batons and belts were used by the police. Opposite the Liverpool Road Goods Station of the London and North-Western railway two beer-laden lorries were attacked and an attempt was made to throw the barrels into the street. The police present were few. The strikers used their lists, hitting out right and left, but tho police used their batons and th«, crowd lied.

Fights With The Police. The neighbourhood of the Produce Exchange was the scene, of some lively .incidents. Merchants, already suffering from the delay in the delivery of produce in consequence of the strike at Hull and Grimsby, wore urgently in need of butter, eggs, and bacon. Twelve lorry-loads of bacon were at Oldham Road goods station, and it was decided to bring them down in the afternoon.' Mounted police led the way and constables on foot kept a close guard round the lorries. The procession was followed and hooted by the crowd, and on approaching the exchange •a large piece of brick was hurled fruin Hie crowd and struck a constable on t'he forehand. A case of eggs was ]\ished hum a lurry and smashed. A strong force of police was stationed around Shudehill Market, and the streets were aim ist impassable with crowds. Vehicles, of all descriptions were stopped over and over again, and police were constantly. hastening to the rescuo of unhappy carters. Here women were taking an aggressive part in tile strife. A man in charge of ,s 'nml of has* of pens and . raspberries tried to escape by putting his horse to. tin: gallop, but his pursuers helped themselves to, the peas aud raspberries, which ihey threw into the street. Batons r had again to be drawn before tho rioters could be. dispersed. ' The mounted police were pelted with stones at Quay Street Bridge, which, runs oft' Deansgate. They, were guarding a lorry which had failed' to deliver its load at Salfovd Station. The crowd made 'a nasty rush on the officers, stones were thrown, and one constablo was struck, while another was hit with a stick. The officers wheeled their horses round and forced a passage, several rioters being knocked over and slightly injured'. At the close of the afternoon an attempt was made to get three vans out' of tho goods yard of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway in Oldliam Road. A thousand men rushed forward to prevent this, and ,1 fusillade of stones rained on the nolice. A stone struck the chief constable on Ihe hat. Both tho mounted and the foot policemen charged with drawn staves, and a stiff struygle ensued. Several policemen was injured, and ' the crowd even attacked tho ambulance depot, which'adjoins Gonlden Street Police Station. As an injured policeman was beinpr convoyed to t'he hospital the ambulance was struck by stones and the windows shattered. Fierce Struggles. Another fierce struggle took place during the convoying of paper to on® of the Manchester newspaper offices. In Gerald lload and Whit Lane, Pendleton, tho vans w;ere met by a large body of men, principally miners, and so effective was the attack of the crowd that two police inspectors were rather badly injured. They, however, plnckily re.mained on duty. As the evening drew on matters became even .more serious. Shortly after eight o'clock about ten lorries heavily laden with fish and guarded on all sides by police, both mounted and 011 foot, attempted to get through from Victoria Station to the fish market in High Street. At the junction of Cannon Street and Corporation Street a crowd, of strikers, numbering several hundred, attacked tho lorries and endeavoured to board them. Tho police drew their batons and charged the strikers, who retaliated with sticks and stones. A number of police were injured, and one mounted constable was thrown from his horse „nd so seriously injured that he was taken away in a horsed ambulance. One of the strikers who unsuccessfully attempted to hit .1 mounted policeman sent a stone crashing through a plate-glass window, Although the police were Jollowed by a howling mob and many rushes were made at the lorries they eventually got them through to the market. Ihe news of the rioting quickly spread, and tens of thousands of people gathered in the neighbourhood of Shudehilland Market Street. Police reinforcements wero sent for, and on their arrival they clear--1 ed tho streets. | As a result of several conflicts late in ; the evening near SfcudehiU Market nine , policemen and about as many civilians I pro treated &t th© ambulance station I under an hour. One of tho officers had ! been severely kicked..