INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 85, 9 April 1912, Page 4

INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

THE ENGLISH COAL STRIKE

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

London, April 6. Follp'wifig on the announcement of the result, of the ballot yesterday, 62,000 miners have already resumed work. In many districts meeting! of the men' passed votes of censure on the executive of the Miners' Federation for its recommendation of a general resumption. Meetings held. in Yorkshire.,! Fifeshire, and the Lothian districts instructed their delegates to 10-dav's 'National Conference to oppose the resumption. There is a consensus of, opinion, however, that uuless the .conference orders the resumption of work the federation will break up, because those who are eager to resume decline to starve indefinitely. The Scottish miners are divided. Thousands are eager to resume work, and unless the conference rejects the executive's recommendation they will resume on. Monday. The prevalent feeling in Fueshire, where 40,000 men are employed, is that only absolute starvation will .induce them to resume. A meeting', at llotheram advised the men to 'imitate the boilermakers and overthrow their leaders on the ground that the principle of minimum wage • was worthless until the boards fix the schedule's'. The continuance of the strike meanwhile will, involve a month of hardship and semi-lstarvation. Mr V. Hartshorn, the Glamorgan Labour leader, s'iid that the continuation or the strife involves a risk of splitting, the federation into impotent sectionsThe ballot had emphasised that unless the district boards fixed satisfactory minima Une trouble would recur. Experience, had now proved that a national stoppage must be conducted by executives possessing full power and responsibility, individually.and collectively, ;tp act in any emergency.; Mr Hartshorn appeals to,all miners to resume arid to place loyalty to the 'federation;''foremost, inasmuch as the very existence of the federation is at stake. Mr J.Haslam, Labour M.l\, speaking at Chesterfield, said the men must* gracefully surrender. Nothing was to be fgalned by remaining out. The surfacemen at Dihnington, in Yorkshire, IVAve resolved not to resume until an equitable settlement is arrived at. A .mass meeting of South Wales', surfacemen decided not to resume work until their demands are conceded. The. pr'js'deh't' denounced the miners' leaders for''despising the claims of the surface'm'en'.' i It 'is understood that the decision of the Miners' Federation executive committee to ask the men to resume work on Saturday met with the ' strjoiigest oppossition, and that only ah appeal for moderation made by Mr" Eiißch Edwards, Labour M.P., and -secretary of the North Staffordshire Miners'' Association, turned the scale. ''.The fate of the committee's recommendation at the hands of the Nation;;!.; Conference is' uncertain. The Times' 'labour correspondent asserts that extremists will be able to carry the coherence against resumption of work.; Tne JN T ational Conference to consider'the question of resuming work was held yesterday. By 4.40 votes to 120 it ivas decided that work must be resumedftri Scotland on Monday and in England.'on Tuesday. Each vote represented. I'OOO members.

A section of the coalminers' conference sriarply criticised the executive, but the' general impression is that the situatio'ii must be accepted. Those voting'against resumption -l included the iNortti of England miners, except those im'Northumberland. ~ ' "A party of "strikers" were searchingfor coal "in a disused mine at Nantym eel when a huge fall occurred. Two of the rnirtv were killed. One boy was killed elsewhere. Several similar accidents "nave been reported recently. The cbal-owners have declined to further "discuss the demands of the Monnibitthshire and South Wales enginemeh 1 and stokers'. Mr. Reir Hardie is distributing £IOO 'sterling to necessitous miners, contributed by the Westralian timberworkers" The 'union strikers at Newbridge, Monmouthshire, invaded the pitheads and forced strike-breakers to cease work, de'spite the efforts of the police. Other 'disturbances occurred at RotherHam, Midlothian, and West Fife, but tliev' were not serious. Mail/ 1 trades unionists made allegations"', that the railway companies, in consequence of the coal strike, are discharging prominent union leaders, particularly on the Metropolitan and Central'London railways. Serionfe rioting has occurred at Pendlebury'in consequence of the attempt to cart" coal. .Excited strikers overturned 1 the lorries and appropriated the coiil. 0 Thousands then invaded the pithead and stoned 150 police from behind a ;1 wall. The police made numerous haton charges, the strikers receiving 'many broken heads. A number were taken home on stretchers. Nin6 : arrests were made. A mirrors' meeting in Yorkshire commended the leaders for ordering the resumption of work until a minimum wage is! 1 fixed. Two 'hundred thousand miners will take part in a procession at Belfast on Tuesday, including representatives of 280 Unionist cluhs, with a hundred and fifty thousand members. Mr.'lveir Hardie, speaking at Doncaster;''said that a refusal to return to work was suicidal. The miners were going -W compel society to take over the miries. Their next demand would be for;;V fixed yearly salary. THE DUNEDIN FUND. lf J Dunedin, April 6. The Daily Times' fund for the relief of'the women and children in England who are suffering as a result of the strike now exceeds £I2OO.

KISSING THE FLAG. New York, April 5. The -Industrial Workers of the World,-'*' Socialist organisation which recent! v> has been disturbing the whole Pacific'Coast from Vancouver to San Francisco, has been rounded up at San Di'ego. Hundreds were compelled to kiss *the American flag, and then an armed force of citizens drove them all from the district.

COMPULSORY ARBITRATION. "•''■ Auckland, April 8. Mr, 1,1. Wilson, secretary of the British" Seamen's Federation ,arrived from S.vdney yesterday. In an interview' lie stated that though he was hitherto 1 , opposed to compulsory arbitratioiV'in settlement of trade disputes:'l|nd had repeatedly opposed resolution's moved by Ben Tillett at the Congress, he was so impressed by the system and its working n Australia, that he intends on his return lb England to try and arrange with shipowners to agree to a compulsory 1 ; Arbitration Bill to apply to the shipping trade only. If such an agreom'ont was arrived at there should l,'o lid''difficulty in getting the Bill through. 'He thought, however, that other trades would oppose it.