BRITISH LABOUR CRISIS.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1921, Page 2

BRITISH LABOUR CRISIS.

BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. COAL STRIKE. HARDSHIPS EXTENDING. LONDON, \l,v 2 Reports # of growing hardships are coming in from all parts of.the country. East Lancashire particularly is in a terrible plight. Accumulated stocks of coal have been exhausted and street lighting is suspended. Trains are reduced to two days weekly. Strike pay has ceased. 2,500 firms in Leeds closed down for want of elec-tiicity for power. “No surrender,” was the keynote of May Day meetings in .South Wales coalfields to-day, but a majority of the colliers are apathetic and content to foMuw their leaders without publicly questioning the wisdom of the speeches. The general estimate is it will be at least a month before the miners feel the pinch of hunger, as they are well used to strikes and are prepared for them, but other unemployed are sufferi eg MR SMI I,LIE’S VIE"'S LONDON, May 2 Mr Smillie broke the sileii-e at i,arkhill to-day. He said lie hoped the miners would not allow therosjlvc-s. to be driven to accept the substantial reductions which the owners propped. NAVAL RESERVES TO BE USED. • LONDON, May 2. The Government proposes to use Naval Reserves at the mines. In the House of Commons a natation was by 176 votes to 22 approved of for the calling up of 25,000 naval reservists to protect the mines. THE MINERS’ FIGHT. LONDON, May 3. Mr ‘ Hall, the Derbyshire miners’ leader., in a speech made a declaration that many declare is truth. ' He said: “I am proud that the miners are not making this merely a wage question. It is a. political question. If the Government had offered us a reduction of only sixpence 'per day, we should not have accepted it!” AN ALLEGED PLOT. LONDON, May 2. It is being stated that a communist plot to utilise the industrial crisis to effect a revolution in the United Kingdom has beau frustrated. It is authoritatively stated some tons of inflammatory leaflets were circulated. A number of distributors of leaflets were arrested. SOUP KITCHENS IN WAGES. LONDON, May 2. The North Wales Miners Federation have paid out their last available funds to the strikers. There is stated to be much distress, and soup kitchens have opened. '