INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 79, 29 March 1912, Page 6

INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

THE ENGLISH COAL STRIKE

(By Electric Telegraph.—-Copyright.) (United Press Association.)

London, March 28

Five hundred Yorkshire colliers have gone to work at the Littleton Collieries, Cannock Chase, where the rn’ob is preventing thorn from reassembling at the surface and throwing missiles down the pit upon them, despite the appeal of the miners. A great mob overpowered the police, burnt buildings and did damage to the extent of £3OOO. There were numerous baton charges by the police, who finally sent an urgent - message for the military at Lichfield.

A’''detachment of infantry arrived from Chirk and the 2nd Hegimont from Aldershot. - The military are equipped with hall ammunition and ■three days’ rations land are entrain-

iiiig/'but it is not known for which area ’Where disorder is threatened. Tlho other troops are being confined

ito barracks,

Mi- Keir Hartlie, at Cambcrwhl!, said that the Coal Bill was compulsory on both sides and must be accepted. The boards might meet on

Friday or Saturday if the owners wish to concede the 6s and 2s minima,

'after that the details would be easy. It wbuld be possible for the men to bo back at work by Easter Monday.

Mr iiexidersbli declares that the La-

fydiir Party and Miners’ Federation miiike ‘tlieir protest now. It behoves

•everybody to make the Bill effective. The 'ss and ‘2s minima ought to be

''the"‘first’ business of ” the district boards. '

Tho Times sixties that the split between the Trade Union wing and the

Sobhilisis and Labour Party has resiilted in ahgry schemes and' recriminations. 'On Tuesday before ’he decided 'to 'oppose the Miners’ Bill, Mr ‘MacDonald counselled abstaining. 1

The : Strike Bill -was read a second

time in' the' House of Lords. ; Lord Crewe explained the circumstnHoes 'leading to/the Bill. ''Lord'.Xansdcrirno said that the Government had/rejected the principle of the 'minimum wage. It had been converted by 'a-: polossal conspiracy, making the miners’ grievances a pro-

text. The Bill,left the men’s leader's ,in power aiifl sentenced the country, to starvation and ruin, and would, perhaps, hunliliate and paralyse the nation. It was a time-when men were most needed not to-hmbarass

the Government by moving amendI'he 'Arcbbisliop of Canterbury ap-

pealed ,to the Christian conscience of tho_ nation to renjember the interests 'of the poorest' and weakest members. He believed that he was not to make', his appeal in vain. Earl Grey said that the battle proceeding between the radicals, individualists, trades unions and new unionists was aiming at the abolition of private ownership.

Mr Haldane denied that the Bill . was an attempt to' bay off the Government by conspiracy. He believed that it would be better to tala 'the simple principle of a minimum

wage than to attempt to fix .wages. In'tlie dommittee stage Bill was , postponed, owing to the miners’ leaders objecting to the wording of an amendment the Government desired to introduce.

' INFANT MORTALITY,

‘(.Received 29, v 8.5 a.rn.)

. * ’London, ’March 28. Two Aldershot regiments have gone to Shrewsbury. The infantile inbrtillity ■at Manohester has risen from 8.4 to 134 per thousand. There is a similar rise in the 'potteries district. The railways have decided not to ruri goods trains next week, except for .food.' Several have cancelled Harter excursions. There were angry meetings in Warwickshire owing to the strike pay flihd being exhausted, the miners demanding that the executive draw upon the pension fund. The Warwickshire Miners’ Executive has ordered the men not to wait the ballot, but to return to l work immediately. Mr Armshy Gore raised a debate on 'Syndicalism. Mr 'Lohoufie said he did not think ’the doctrine was real or would hold with the ’British working classes. There wore many causes of unrest. The Government were willing to grant a wide inquiry into the cases of the rise in' the cost of living and of indust ml unrest. DEATHS FROM STARVATION. (Received 29, 9.15 a.m.) London, March 28. Tom Maun has been released ,on bail, having promised not to repeat his remarks pending trial. A number of deaths from starvation have occurred in the potteries district. The Mayor’s fund v at ’Grimsby has been the means of relieving three thousand families, and a thousand children are being (fed at school. 1A 'total of 132 vessels, aggregating 147,000 tons, are idle on the Tyne where forty thousand men besides minors -are unemployed. -Five hundred of the Shropshire and Welsh Fusiliers have arrived at Brynnkinalit' and Chirk, where the strikes-s to-day accepted the masters’ offer to resume. The 'strikers in Midlothian are averse to resumption unless a minimum of 6s is granted. The Premier, addressing the Liberal members of the House of Commons and representatives of mining constituencies, emphasised the need for legislative recognition of the principle of a minimum. He dwelt on

the increasingly strong public demand for the resumption of normal conditions.

The meeting passed a resolution oi admiration of the Premier’s action, also appreciation of the benefits cif the Bill.

ASSITANCE FROM AUSTRALIA

March 23

Mi- McGowen has cabled the AgentGeneral authority to spend £IOOO to provide meals for 50,000 of the starving unemployed in the provincial towns.

GE.EY WATERSIDERS

Greymouth, March 28

A meeting of the Greymouth Wharf Labourers’ Union was held last night, when the delegates to the conference with the Union Steamship Company, recently held in Dunedin, gave a detailed report. Messrs P. C. Webb and J. Glover, representing the Federation of Labour, were present. The delegates’ report was accepted. Tnt members present were unanimous in accepting the Westport award. The agreement was signed this afternoon, lit is now anticipated that everything will run smoothly.