STRIKES IN ENGLAND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 42, 11 August 1911, Page 5

STRIKES IN ENGLAND.

THE TRANSPORT WORKERS' DEMANDS. SHIPPING AND RAILWAYS PARALYSED. TRADE AT A STANDSTILL. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. London, August !). The stevedores ask an all-round increase of 25 per cent., giving at least 7s 6d per day, with double pay on bank holidays and the King's Birthday, work to cease at noon on Saturdays.

Upon representations by the municipal authorities, Mr. Gosling, president of the Transport Workers' Federation, has arranged to allow the resumption of barging dust and refuse, the cessation of which threatened to cause a great public nuisance in the hot weather.

Five hundred Smithfield meat carters have struck.

The strike of Manchester engineers has rendered 20,000 men idle.

Four thousand, railway men at Liverpool have struck, and quantities of meat, butter and other perishable articles cannot be moved. Fruiterers are suffering severely.

A general strike of carters has been ordered, involving a further 10,000 men. The strikers overturned a cab containing meat and wool as it was leaving the docks. The cold storage porters have struck. There were exciting scenes at Smithfield, the strikers roughly handling salesmen and attempting to Temove carcases. A number of trucks were overturned. *

••The Runic's fruit shipment lias not been discharged. All the foreign fruit trade at Covent Garden market is suspended. Business at the Corn Exchange, Smithfield and Tooley-street is practically at a standstill. The clerical staff at Waterloo goods Btation, refusing to perform porters' duties, have struck.

Mr. Gosling, president of the Transport Workers' Union, anticipates a speedy settlement as the outcome of the conference with Mr. Askwith.

Chaos reigns at Liverpool at the docks, quays and railway station. Strikers demolished the fish boxes, which were scattered in all directions, t and looted a beer waggon and milk van. > Passenger porters and vanmen have j struck.

A hundred workmen at Port Sunlight soap mills have strut!; for higher wages. SERIOUS DISTURBANCES. POLTCE CHARGE THE MOBS. Received 10, 11.20 p.m. London, August 10. The driver of a van in the Minories fired a revolver, slightly wounding a boy, owing to the strikers endeavoring to prevent hisc progress. The driver was arrested. There are serious disturbances at the East India Docks. The police drew their batons and charged the mobs. Mounted police, four abreast, broke the mob. Many were bruised, and were treated at the Poplar Hospital. Similar baton charges took place at Deptford and Broadway. Eight arrests were made at Smithfield owing to attacks upon salesmen, under the protection of the police, attempting to handle the meat themselves.

The employers are willing to recognise the Stevedores' Union and to eoncede their demands. Mr. Askwith's conference with the lightermen and coalmen is adjourned, and it is understood the carters will join the conference to-day.

HUNDRED THOUSAND STRIKERS. FIGHT WITH POLICE. N.Z. PRODUCE NOT HANDLED. Received 11, 12.20 a.m. London, August 10. It is estimated that 20,000 dockers and 30,000 carmen, 7000 lightermen and engineers, 0000 coal porters, SOOO stevedores, 8000 laborers, and 1200 porters at Billingsgate Fish Market, and additional unregistered workers, making over 100,000, are on strike. A hundred and fifty vessels, laden with meat, wheat, butter and fruit, are lying in the Thames undischargeable.

One Smithfield salesman states he has 122,000 carcases of New Zealand mutton and lamb at the docks awaiting delivery. Another says he has cabled to New Zealand to withhold shipments. The Great Western, the. Great Northern, and the Midland railways' carmen are supporting the strike. The South-Eastern Railway is unable to deliver 24,000 eases of Tasmanlan apples, which are rapidly deteriorating. All thoroughfare leading to the docks are picketed. Carmen are picketing the Goswell road. They unharnessed and cut the harness of Pickford's carts and Paterson's van for half an hour, and hand-to-hand fighting between dockers and police occurred at Wooley street. The strikers hid in the side streets, and when the carts appeared to collect butter, a whistle summoned the strikers, who surrounded the carmen, who were given the option of withdrawing or having their carts overturned. The police are powerless.

There were similar scenes in Leaden hall street and Aldgate.