RAILWAY STRIKE IN ENGLAND.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3473, 29 April 1920, Page 5

RAILWAY STRIKE IN ENGLAND.

ROAD TRANSPORT INTO LONDON.

in the great English railway strike of last year——lasting eleven days, from the 25th September to 6th October—— the "public was saved by motor transport. The Government had plans to meet. the emergency, both in transport and distribution. of "food. Quite unknown to the public the Ministry of Food had ready to put into immediate operation a. coniplet-eiischeme to ensure the feeding of a country deprived of the use of its railway system. As a precaution, rationing of meat, bacon, margarine, butter! and sugar was reimposed, but transpdrt and distribution were the vrux of the problem. At the telegraphing of a code word the scheme was launchel all over the country. Few- people thought that. with the railways paralysed the great cities could still be served with milk and such p_el-ishable‘ food as fish. But it was done. A thousand motor lorries were brought. under instructions to provide London with milk. Maps, plans, andiall details were ready. The strike was declared at midnight on Friday, 26th September, and the next day Hyde Park was taken as a milk depot for London. By Sunday afternoon it was filled with lorries, each one chalked with its destination, and the number of cans it could carry. In accordance with a time table, which was kept very closely, the thousand vehicles employed in the service covered 72,000 niiles daily. The counties‘ from which the milk could be brought were parcelled out into districts within a radius of 100 miles. Farmers took their milk to pro-arranged steps, where it was collected by the lorries and brought to Hyde Park. From the Park wholesale dealers drew their sup» plies, and passed them on to retailers in the ordinary way. When t'he lorries took back the empty cans they ilso carried back as full .a. cargo of foot‘stufiis as possible moved from the; docks by horse transp-)'t. Supplies were maintained so succezsfuljz thuti there was never any appmenl: shortage. ’ , _ 1

The peculiarity about the English nxilway s’t}‘ike- Of September~Oetoher, 1919, 9W£IS the rapid way in which services was resumed while the strike Still continued. Within twenty-four llu'.l.'S Ines: of the companies were rum.-.ng :1 few passenger trains on th.,- .- main lines. Thousands of volunteers nfi’ered their services, and from these it was possible to select a large nu-.u')er for the less technical branches of railway work. Day by day the num~ bin: of trains it was possible to run utereased eonsiderablyf, and emergency systcms of signallilng were ul'gallis-rd, W‘l‘:l(fll made railway travelling at all evcrflrs safe. The suburban servi-zes were p.‘u"(iully restored, and eompa.lies_ were able "50 issue pl'ovisioll-'ll sehcd-l ulas for main, branch, and su:)u-:ba.ll

lines, and to carry ‘them out. Within a. Week over 4300 trains Were runningr, exclusive of underground trains, which n'umbel‘e64 900; TOWal'dS the last days of the strike even gno-.15 services were organised, and 580 wpre running on Friday, 3rd October, two days before the strike €1.".11‘..’1. Efioxt was practically directed Lo clearing cclliery sidings, and making 9.09.] :I\'=2ilable for gas works and 01-cc-c.'nc p:uvcrsfafions. .

| l7'1?1«lV'IO'US RAILWAY srnrnr s. I , . ‘ S'I‘OPPAGE OF AUt“rUS'l‘, 191:. k The year 1911 was one df great. inidustrial unrest in England, and the series of great strikes of miners, seamen, and dockers was concluded by that of the ‘railway on. 18th August, l right in the middle of the holiday sea.son. On 15th August, the Railway;men’s Union issued a twenty-four L hours’ ultimatum to the companies, demanding recognition of the unions. Next. day the Government intervened, and on the 17th August, Mr Asquith, then Prime Minister, ofiered to set up a. Royal Commission to investigate the nlen’s grievances. They refused, and on Friday, ]Bth August, the strike was general. Trains were left standing ing everywhere, and holiday-makers returning from the seaside or on their way there, had to walk home many’ miles, With their children and belongings. The scenes were extraordinary, particularly in the North of England, where the strike was most effective. The strike was not long-lived. On Saturday, 19th August, Mr Lloyd George successfully intervened, and induced the men to accept the otfer of a Royal Commission. The directors and eii‘icials of the companies met the men. The eleven-days’ British railway. st.riki‘-. of last’ year is Within recent! memory. The issue was compromised! by what the leader of the men, Mr J.‘ H. Thomas, described as an honourable settlement. It is generally considered that the success of the Government in meeting the strike situation had a remarkable e'fi:'ect in lifting the prevailing depression in England during the first half of last year.