The Dominion SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4,1926. THE TRAGEDY OF THE COAL STRIKE

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 60, 4 December 1926, Page 8

The Dominion SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4,1926. THE TRAGEDY OF THE COAL STRIKE

Though the great coal miners’ strike in England is now to all appearances in its dying stages, the evil effects of this huge industrial upheaval must prove a tragic legacy. The defeat of the miners by a process of exhaustion cannot be regarded as a victory for the owners, for it offers no assurance of future security. The settlement, such as it has been, does not touch the really vital points at issue in the dispute. The blame for the failure to reach a settlement which would afford some reasonable expectation of a lengthy period of peace in the mining industry must rest largely with the leaders of the miners and especially with Mr. Cook. But the whole responsibility cannot be placed on the men. They have fought and suffered for what they had been taught to believe was a vital principle—a national agreement on a seven-hour day basis—and the courage they have shown and their endurance under great hardships afford testimony to the sincerity of their belief in the justice of their cause. That such a national agreement must have had the effect of closing down scores of pits and thrown thousands of miners permanently out of employment in the industry in Britain was either not recognised or was treated as a matter of less importance than the principle at stake.

On the other hand, neither the Government nor the mine-owners appear to have impressed with their handling of what was undoubtedly a most difficult situation. Mr. Baldwin was conciliatory and reasonable, but somehow he managed to raise hopes which were never realised. His last word on occasions was not always regarded as being final, and the miners in consequence apparently hoped that by holding off some more acceptable proposition would be extracted from him. When in the end it did not come feeling became more embittered.

None of the commentators on the position in the British Press appear to regard the closing stages of the strike as affording any ground for congratulation to any of the parties most immediately concerned. The resumption of work in so many mines naturally has given satisfaction because of its bearing on the general industrial conditions of the country, but the tragic blunder of the strike is accentuated by the unsatisfactory way in which it has ended. What the strike has actually meant to Britain cannot be fully estimated. Over two months ago the losses of the miners in wages alone was estimated at over £45,000,000, while other workers indirectly affected must have suffered to the extent of another £30,000,000. These losses to the men are never likely to be made up. On top of these, there is the loss of national income. The Statist, writing on the subject, mentions the heavy falling-off in railway transport (the figures were as high as 66 per cent.), while the iron and steel industries were practically brought to a standstill. Taking the different industries chiefly affected up to August, the paper estimates the minimum decline of national income in Britain as follows:—

Coal mining 60,000.000 Transport 25,000,000 Iron and steel 20,000,000 Other industries 35,000,000 Total 140,000,000

The reduced purchasing power following on this loss of income naturally was reflected in the trade of the community. Overseas trade figures showed eloquent evidence of diminished consumption—the sale of our own exports of produce suffered in the general loss of purchasing power of the British consumer. While it is a matter for congratulation that British industry’ is already showing signs of revival with the increasing coal output, the fact must be recognised that the real problem of the coal mining industry in Britain has only been shelved for the time being. It is to.be hoped that a basis of working which will ensure future stability may be peacefully evolved in the near future.