First Edition. INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 76, 26 March 1912, Page 6

First Edition. INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

THE ENGLISH COAL STRIKE. (By Electric Telegrapn.—-Copyright.) | I (United Association.) : London, March 23. j The Premier said that if the minima; were inserted in the Bill there would be enormous difficulty in persuading the Board to entertain any other basis. The rejection of the minima was unreasonable. Mr Bpnar Law states that the minors’ schedule in some districts fixed the rate at -Is lid, realising that the owners could not afford ss. Fixing ing the standard would increase .the price of coal and close many mines. . Mr MacDonald said that it would be difficult to induce the men to resume without stating the amount. The men must have something definite, although ho would be willing to waivebids own full schedule.

Sir Edward Grey thought that the Labour Party would act wisely to accept the measure on the understanding that they might have a conference with the owners and men to settle the question of the minima. Mr Enoch Edwapds’ amendment to insert the federation’s schedule was negatived by 367 to 55. An amendment was inserted safeguarding the existing agreements for the payment of wages at a higher minimum than might have been fixed under the Act. The Premier then announced that he would adopt Sir Edward Grey’s suggestion for • a further conference on the minima before the - report stage. The meeting of the Miners’ Federation reaffirmed its demands for the inclusion of five shillings and two shillings as the minima. The Premier states that the owners and the men will confer on Monday. Mr MacDonald, interviewed, said that he hoped on Monday to find that the Bill was unnecessary. , The owners hint that if the Bill is passed as it stands they will not reopen the mines until the Boards fix the minimum. Possibly several will not re-open at all to work at loss. The Surfacemen’s Federation notified the Labour Party that unless they are included in the minimum, they will block the resumption. i d There is great destitution at Leeds, ''where women and children are Crying for food. The authorities are doing their utmost to alleviate it. ■):] ’ , Many more Yorkshire arid Lancashire mills fire closing, fhndi an additional 5000 men are thrown out of work. in Yancashire some railways are reducing the number of trains, while others are stopping all Sunday trains. Tien, women, and children in Manchester are fighting for food. There are lamentable stories of hunger and fireless ; homes'rill -' the - northern' towns-:-Six hundred railway workers in -Bangor,' Wales, have received .notice. T'he - Westminster Gazette states that the Labour Party is deeply chagrined, and'is expecting the Government to yield to the insertion of the minima.

TOM MANN’S ARREST. (Received 25, 8.40 .a.in.) London, March 24. The Transport Workers’ Federation and the Sailors’ and Firemens’ Unions are being urged to join in a general strike in retaliation for Tom Mann’s arrest. MINIMUM FOR ALL,_ (Received 25, 8.40 a.m.) London, March 24. A mass meeting of miners at Benton condemned the Minimum Bill. Meetings of colliers at Shirdhrook ■and 1 Warsop demanded that the surfacemen’s .grievances should be remedied, and passed a resolution refusling: to accept the Bill. The Independent Labour Party has framed an official resolution, to bo moved at the conference at Easter, at Merthyr, in favour of a minimum wage for all workers. CAN LAST ANOTHER .MONTH. (Received 25, 8.40 a.m.) London, March 24. Mr Koir Hardie, interviewed, said the miners .were not at the point of being starved into and were good for another month. The alliance of the front benches against inserting two shillings and five shillings dispelled the hopes of an early settlement, and had convinced the men that they must rely on their own strength. The Scotch steel-makers passed a resolution protesting against the estahlishment of a minimum coal miners’ wage and demanding that it should not come into operation until 1913, thus allowing existing contracts to bo executed before the price of coal rises. Six thousand at Birmingham waited five hours to buy two-pennyworths of Corporation coke. It is estimated that two and a half million workmen arc on strike, without work or on reduced wages. The South-Western Railway Company announces that it has sufficient coal to continue its present service for six weeks, having bought a large quantity at forty shillings per ton. NO COAL AT RIO. (Received 25, 9.15 a.m.) Rio de Janeiro, March 24. Merchants have notified the shipping companies that stocks of coal are exhausted. j

EVEN CHURCHES AFFECTED. (Received 25, 9.15 a.m.) London, March 24. Churches and chapels in many country districts are holding their evening services in the afternoon in order to save gas. UNREST IN MEXICO. FEDERAL AND REBEL FORCES CONVERGING. BRISK OUTPOST ENCOUNTER. .Mexico City, March 24. The Federal and rebel forces are converging at- Iscalon. An advance guard consisting of a considerable force of Federal s encountered the rebels in the neighbourhood, and a brisk skirmish resulted. PROPOSED STRIKE LOAN. (Received 25, 9.15 ia.m.) Paris, March 24. The taxi-cab strikers are attempting to float a loan and are asking trade unions to subscribe. General Orozco, the rebel leader, declares that there arc 3000 defenders ready to give battle. AMERICAN COAL MINERS. ” ’’ ’New York, March-23; The negotiations of the coal operators in Cleveland are postponed until Tuesday. It is understood that the lowners are anxious to place terras of settlement before the workers. SOFT GOODS~ASSISTANTS. Wellington, March 23. Drapers’ assistants, who were included as a branch in the Amalgamated Society of the Merchants’ Assistants’ Union, have now been registered under the title of Soft Goods Assistants’ Industrial Union of Workers. The new union includes employees in drapery and mercery trades. AN IMPORTANT JUDGMENT. Wellingten, March 23. , A judgment of extreme importance to employers and employees throughout the Dominion was lodged with the Clerk of Awards at Wellington to-day by the Arbitration Court. Mr Lc. Cron, Inspector of. Awards, proceeded 'against the Wfiirarapa Farmers’ Co-operative Association, Ltd., for a breach of the Wellington grocers* award in working a driver in Excess of the time prescribed by the aiwarji, l;mt not in .excess of the time laid .down in section 16 , jof the,. Shops find Offices Act. The award-expired on' Ajj'ril 7, igiifalid 1 ' the" elided' offences began on that date. The Magistrate (Dr. McArthur) held tJiaf.,}ip,,,tQ,!i,rie time of, tyaq yspirption of tho award its precisions were in force, hut after that it became modified by the Shops and Offices Act. Tho action was dismissed, and an 1 appoah Was-made MiS grdtt&ds thfit the magistrate Was wrong. i The appeal was heard by the Arbitratimr (jkmrt, which decided that the Magistrate was wrbng in holding that the award and the Act were inconsistent. ■'

The appeal was allowed, and the case remitted ,to the Magistrate’s Court to he dealt with there. Respondent was ordered to pay appellant’s costs, £5 ss. While he agreed wfitb the decision as correct in law, Mr Scott, the employer’s representative, commented strongly on the probable effect of the Court’s judgment. In his opinion it would lead to no end of litigation and strife, due solely to hasty and illadvised legislation, which showed clearly the danger of Parliament passing legislation over-riding awards of the Arbitration Court and overlapping the provisions of the Shops and Offices Act and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act. It would thus be seen that in connection with the hours of work employers and workers are compelled in some cases to observe hours prescribed by the award and in others by the provisions of the Act, and that neither employer nor worker is safe from prosecution. TO AVERT A STRIKE. 'Auckland, March 25. Mr Hall Skelton, solicitor, has announced that he will be a candidate for the Mayoralty, opposing Mr C. J. Barr, with the avowed object of endeavouring to heal the breach between employers and employees in connection with the general labourers’ dispute, and averting a strike. The Labour leaders propose to ask Mr Skelton to contest the seat as their accredited representative.