INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 71, 19 March 1912, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

, THE ENGLISH COA L STRIKE. (By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Press Association.) London, March 18. A total of 1,312,000 men are idle, and the loss o',f wages is estimated at £5,613,000. Welsh coalowners have circularised the members of the House of Commons pointing out. that they have forward contracts for 25,000,000 tons of coal made on the basis of present wages. Granting the miners’ demands, they say, would lead to a reduction of 30 to 50 per cent, of the output, and would close some large collieries which were only earning small profits. Mr Hartshorn, speaking at Maesteg, said that no Bill would be acceptable to the miners if it deprives them of the right to strike. , G. Roberts, member of the House of Commons for Sheffield, said that the Labour Party must watch the Bill from the standpoint of the general trade union movement, and not allow a national crisis to be utilised , to deal a blow,- direct or indirect, at the general activities of trades union organisation. Dockers at Middlesborough refused to discharge a cargo of German coal for the municipal gasworks. Several pits near Swansea are flooded owing to the suspension of pumping. Sinco-The 1 transport workers’ strike the membership of the union has rapidly increased, and a quarter million arc now enrolled. The syndicalist element are fomenting a general strike for the minimum wage. W. Thorne, Labour member for West Ham, speaking at Blackfriars, said that if the coal strike continued for six weeks all trade would be bankrupt. Mr Hall, a Labour member, at Rotherham said the miners would not resume until tho Bill was passed, and ; then' only for a month pending the fixing of district figures. Victor Grayson, speaking at Crewe, said he had received hundreds of letters from soldiers declaring that they would refuse to shoot if ordered. Tom ' Mann; ‘ at Birmingham, said that unless the Government was prepared to compel mine-owners to grant the minimum' wage he would urge all raihvaymen and transport workers to strike, GERMAN- FREIGHTS INCREASED. , Berlin, March 18. • i A conference of Bremen and Hamburg shipping interests has increased i freights to distant ports 10 per cent., and to 'home ports 15 per cent., until coal is again available, when normal prices will bo resumed. NEW SOUTH WALES MINERS. A—VUlll, HA Sydney, March 18. An agreement has been reached between the western coalowners and the miners embodying a penny advance iii tlie ‘hewing 'rate and the concession of preference to .unionists. It requires ratification by the miners’ lodges. THE BLUFF DEADLOCK. Invercargill, March 18. The waterside workers, at a meeting on Saturday night to which the Press were' not admitted, decided, it is understood, to hold out for the Timaru. award and left the matter in the hands of the executive. Since then other meetings-have been held, and -the position now is that the companics offer Dunedin rates and the men are prepared to accept those except- as regards .working .of coal, for which; they -ask Is 6d ordinary and 2s 6d overtime, as against Is 8d ordinary Rmd ,2s 2d to 2s 3d overtime in Dunedin. The employers point out that only 10 per cent, of tiie work of'the port consists of discharging coal, and they consider that the substantial increases granted for other work should cause the workers to agree to tho proposals. A meeting to-morrow will decide what attitude the union will take up. TAXI DRIVERS’ STRIKE. (Received 19, 9.55 a.m.) London, March 18. Owing to the British Motor-Cab Company refusing an allowance of sixpence an hour to drivers while waiting, 1100 struck. EX-KING' MANGEL. AN ADDRESS FROM BANISHED MONARCHISTS. AN OPTIMISTIC REPLY. Paris, March 18. Ex-King Manocl, replying to an address from exiled monarchists, expresses the hops that the hour will not be long delayed for uniting them in the Fatherland.