STRIKE LOSSES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 658, 8 April 1914, Page 3

STRIKE LOSSES.

It is natural to find the South African papers discussing tne various estimates now current of- the losses incurred by the community generally, and Johannesburg business circles particularly, in consequence of the recent railway strike. The cost of mobilisation is stated to have been approximately £150,000 a week, a public burden which the Union Treasury could iff alford, but was glad to spend in order to avert a still more costly general chaos. The Johannesburg correspondent of the Cape Times writes:— "As a rough idea of the drop in income sustained by a dozen of the leading firms, the case can be instanced nf a big firm in Rissik street, who stated that their loss one week was £2700. This was one of the lowest estimates among the firms approached who were able to mention rough figures. Another firm actually mentioned £3050, so that the dozen selected as "leader" lost between them £40,000. With few people travelling, the hotels were great sufferers. One of the three leading hotels in the centre of the town lost £l5O a day in revenue. Mr Smith, secretary of tne Licensed Victuallers' Association, stated that among the 200 biggest retail licensed holders, the average loss would be £2O a day—a total of £4OOO a day—and the wholesale trade would Ipse £3OOO a day." Mr W, H. Souther, speaking as President o£ the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the city's trade had received a blow which, to many firms, might be almost a death-blow. Reports had also reached Johannesburg, he said, which showed that all Reef merchants and even big firms at Durban had been terribly Lard hit. Mr Soutter was to say that in only three minor cases in Johannesburg had there been over-charging to customers reported. He was of opinion that the commercial community had faced a desperate position with splendid calm and pluck.