COAL CRISIS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1387, 13 March 1912, Page 5

COAL CRISIS.

OVER 2,000,000 MEN IDLEGREAT BRITAIN ON UNION STRIKE FUNDS. LABOUR M.P'S APPEALSBy Telegraph—l'resj Association—Copyright London, March 11. The "Morning Post" estimates flic number of unemployed through the cool strike at UOO.SIiO miners unci GGI.iSO others, inchiilinp; 20.1,700 surface workers, 225.000 steel, iron, ami • tin]ibilc workers, ,55,J80 textile workers, 70,000 poller}- workers, 55,030 dockers, and 20,200 sailors. There is a strong demand for vessels to load coal from New South Wales and North American ports. Eighteen and sixpence has been agreed upon as the freight from New South 'Wales to Colombo. -Many of the, branch railways close, today. The. restaurant cars have, been taken off. The London County Council is reducing the tram service. Tho quartern loaf is now costing sixpence in London. The pumping engine at the Stow Heath, South .Staffordshire, has been slopped awI ing to insufficiency of coal. Tho engine pumps two million gallons of water daily. The collieries in tho district are threatened. A careful investigation shows that there are 844,000 miners and 441,000 others who were, engaged in industrial work idle. In addition, many thousands of persons indirectly connected with those industries are affected. Two hundred thousand tons of shipping is lying idle on tho Tyno. Advantage of this is being taken to get tho vessels into proper trim. ' Tho sailing of the Atlantic liner St. Paul from Southampton on tho 23rd and tho Oceanic's sailing on the 271 h have been cancelled. Tho Board of Trade, in view of tho strike, lias given permission for each railway carriage to carry fifteen persons in excess of the regulation number. Tho London omnibuses will be allowed to carry Jive above tho usual number.