Strikes in Britain

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 51, 22 August 1911, Page 5

Strikes in Britain

RIOTING IN WALES. XWO personsTkilled BY THE SOLDIERS. By Gable —Press Association —Copyright London, August 20. As a train was entering Llanelly yesterday a mob standing on the slopes beside ti»ei track stoned the police and soldiers guarding the line, and at- 1 tacked the driver and fireman. The Worcestershire Regiment advanced, and the officer warned the rioters, hut without result. The Riot Act was read, while the crowd laughed and jeered. The officers fired in the air. The jeers were renewed, and then the troops fired at a lower range. None of t4»e mob was hit, but of four persons in a garden in the vicinity two were killed, including an invalid from London, and two severely injured. The railwaymen late last night and parly to-day were so incensed at the incident that they destroyed the section of the line, held up a troop train at Llandilo junction, and captured a quantity of ammunition. They looted shops at Llanellv and set fire to trucks of provisions in the railway goods shed, where an explosion killed three and injured several. Many others were wounded by bayonet charges when the troops were clearing the streets. Fifty Grenadiers were sent to Norwood on the strength of a report that two men had been shot in a fight round a signal-box. HATTERS QUIETENING DOWN. SOME STRENUOUS STRIKE EPISODES. ACTS OF WANTON DESTRUCTION. THE TROOPS WITHDRAWN. London, August 29. All the troops have been withdrawn. The Home Office reports that things ar» quieter everywhere. A diabolical but unsuccessful attempt to derail the mail and passenger train at Taff Vale, by loosening a rail, was opportunely discovered. The strikers and miners destroyed rails in the Erewash Valley and stopped the Midland Scotch express! and two other trains. Troops from Derby cleared the line. Several were injured in baton charges which followed an attempt to wreck a signal-box at Stafford. Strikers at York stoned passing trains, rushed the station gates, and attempted to wreck two trains. The military then occupied the station. Two Dover stations are closed, also a dozen stations at London, and the Great Northern station at Nottingham. Two thousand troops had been sent to Swindon, and the troops in Alderney and Guernsey summoned to England on strike duty. The Great Eastern Railway was unable to guarantee delivery, and requested the suspension of German shipments. Bolton and Liverpool are within a day or two of starvation. Cardiff had only one-tenth of the usual milk supply. Margate and Ramsgate were short of provisions, and' many visitors left. Immense quantities of perishable goods are at a standstill on the eastern coast. Owing to rioting, a thousand troops were sent to Leicester. The races at Wolverhampton were postponed. An express at King's Cross, by a mistake in signalling, narrowly escaped a collision. The Home Office report states that it expected the railway settlement will solve the difficulties at Liverpool and Birkenhead. The military report states that the railwaymen were not responsible for the rioting at Llanelly. A train with three hundred passengers was derailed and a bridge at Rucorn set on fire in two places, and it has been closed. The Fishguard express ran through, the disturbed districts with rifles pointed through the windows. Forty racehorses were held up at Redcar, wanting trains. The War Office has ordered all troops on strike duty to return as soon as possible. The timeliness of the settlement was illustrated by the position up to midnight. The incident at Llanelly deeply impressed the conference. The Railway News shows that in 1910 thirty-six railways paid 30% millions in salaries and wages, or about the same amount as preference and ordinary itockholders were paid. The paralysis due to the strike is rendering idle 120,000 men in collieries, and iron and steel works in Cumberland. Thousands in Derbyshire and at Middlesborough, eight thousand colliers at Nottingham, ten thousand at Durham, forty thousand in North Cumberland. and two thousand at BishopAuckland were threatened with idleness within two days, also two hundred thousand in Wales. Four thousand dockers at Bristol struck out of sympathy with the railwaymen. Acts of wanton destruction have rapidly increased in many directions, but the lines on the whole are well controlled. The continual despatch of troops to threatened area 3 had an important influence in securing peaceful methods. The Home Office reported that the Port of London was almost full owing to the activity of the Amalgamated Societies. It is estimated that the strikers this evening numbered a quarter of a million. Its executive made a gratuitous allowance of 6s a week to nonunionist strikers, of whom there arc six thousand of all trades. Some lawyers and doctors volunteered as special constables in London, and hunflreds were sworn in.

The Londou and North-Western Company gave loyalists double pay. The London and Brighton Company promised a reward to non-strikers. Passengers on many trains made a collection for the loyalist*. Lord Derby insured Knowslev Hall for £191,000 against strike rioters at a premium of one shilling per cent, monthly. Numerous insurances on warehouses and shipping are reported. Mr. Asquith, who is suffering from an affection of the throat, deputed Mr. Lloyd-George to act as spokesman at the conference. The Midland Railway strikers from Sheffield urged the Chesterfield men to strike. They attacked the station on Saturday night, and a serious conflict ensued. The Riot Act was read, and the mob was dispersed at the bayonet point. Thirteen were injured. SPEECHES BY LABOR MEMBERS. THREAT BY MR. KEIR HARDIE. London, August 21. Mr. Keir Hardie, in a speech at Merthyr (Wales), on Saturday, said there would be no settlement until the unions were recognised. He added that the stoppage was due to Mr. Asquitk's threats, but when the next big strike occurred the colliers and ironworkers would be called out, and then they would see what soldiers could do. He considered the men to abide loyally by whatever decision was reached. Mr. Barnes, M.P., speaking at Wowlais (Wales), said that the only solution was to destroy damnable capitalism. The great railway dispute was only one feature of the labor unrest, which was spreading the length and breadth of the country. While he did not object to conciliation to settle temporary difficulties, there would be no broad solution until the workers won for themselves the whole of the produce of their labor. PRESS COMMENTS. London, August 20. The Railway Gazette states that the real reason for the strikes was that the conciliation boards provided a safety valve and reduced the opportunities of the unions to call strikes, and weakened the power of the unions to compel men to join them. The Chronicle described the strikes as wanton and, in the opinion of the community, dead against authority. There was much enthusiasm at the Central Station, Manchester, at the resumption of work. ' A number of strikers on the London and Brighton railways have applied to resume work. The tramways in Liverpool l -'-e re, sumed running, and the rai' "men have returned to work at Stroud and Chatham. Mr. Williams, secretary of the Amalgamated Railwaymen's Association, interviewed, interpreted the agreement as paving the way to the extensive recognition of the association. TRIUMPH FOR LLOYD-GEORGE. London, August 20. Mr. Lloyd-George spent ten hours yesterday laboring to obtain a settlement, during eight of which he was face to face with the railwaymen's representatives. MESSAGE FROM HIS MAJESTY. London, August 21. The King telegraphed to Mr. Buxton, Secretary of the Board of Trade: "I rejoice that the strike is ended, and congratulate both sides on the success of the negotiations. I am sure the satisfactory solution is in a great measure due to your untiring efforts." HOW THE NEWS WAS RECEIVED. DISSATISFACTION IN SOME CENTRES. FURTHER RIOTING. Received 21, 9.5 p.m. London, August 21. The Lord Mayor disbanded the special city constables, and each was presented with his baton and armlets as mementoes. The railwaymen's executive has issued a joint manifesto, which declares their recognition in the negotiation of the present dispute, and their evidence before the commission, will win in a few weeks a charter long enjoyed by every other class. It urges a loyal acceptance of the agreement. They had shown their power and taught their opponents a lesson. Their loyalty had swept away the petty tyrant that for years had been the cause of so much unrest. The manifesto adds that a settlement was reached only after Mr. Buxton's statement that the lockout at Liverpool would be withdrawn immediately after a railway settlement was reached.

Mr. Williams, addressing a railwaymen's demonstration at Hyde Park, said the committee was approached with a proposal for a Royal Commission. There was great prejudice against it, but now they were convinced the offer was legitimate and sincere. The terms of reference were such as had never before been given by any commission. It had been r"solvcd that the men should resume, altho:'"h they did not accept the terms as full settlement of their demands. A mnto"- n nr with Messrs. Keir Hardie and G. N. He rues aboard, struck a side bank in a narrow mountain roadway at Merthyr, Tvdril. T*nth were thrown out and severelv shaken.

News of the agreeivnt met with a mixed reception in the nrovinces. The railwaymen at Leeds and Bradford are not enthusiastic. There was a meeting of thousands at Manchester, who greeted references to the strike leaders with cries of "Traitors!" A resolution in favor of resumption was angrily rejected, but later great numbers resumed.

Many speakers at Bristol declared it doubtful whether the men ought to resume till the full terms of their demands were conceded.

The Sheffield :i'i n will not resume nn: til the carters' dispute is selLled. The railwaymen at Liverpool criticised the settlement aa not embodying the promise of material advantages, but resolved to resume to-morrow. Those at Birkenhead doubted if the settlement was a victory, and threatened to again strike unless the local dockers' demands were conceded. The settlement failed to give much satisfaction at Birmingham, Crewe, Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are indications that" resumption will be general to-day, even in the disappointed centres. There were serious disturbances at Lincoln on Saturday night. The men attacked the Great Northern and Midland Station, and Btoned the police. The latter made constant baton charges. Hundreds of shop windows were smashed, and two constables and many rioters injured. The brewery offices were also set on fire, and the Riot Act read. At two o'clock in the morning the military were summoned and the mob dispersed. Some rioting is reported in Dublin, and 120 people received minor injuries. Hooligans at Tredgar, profiting by the laibor troubles, looted eighteen Jews' shops. THE AGREEMENT ONLY TEMPORARY. THE TIMES ON THE SITUATION. "THE STRIKE COULD NOT SUCCEED." Received 21, 11 p.m. London, August 21. Saturday's misdeeds include an at-, tempt to wreck the Accrington-Todmo-ren passenger train, a riot at Birkenhead, and looting at Neath. The newspapers congratulate the Government on the success of its efforts to cope with such an unprecedented emergency as the railwaymen's strike. Hopes are expressed that an effective, settlement will follow, but the concensus of opinion is that the situation is still delicate, requiring careful handling. The good sense and conciliatory spirit shown on both sides in Saturday's agreement is warmly commended. Mr. Thomas, interviewed, described the agreement as temporary and contingent. The Times remarks that Saturday was the crucial day. Had the strike spread, producing an effective paralysis of the railways, no settlement could have been reached, but it became clear that traffic was not being paralysed but only interfered with sufficiently to cause an intense public agitation, and with the' succeeding days the situation would improve as the companies mastered the difficulties and filled their depleted staffs. Unless the strikers could carry the position by assault from the outset they could not succeed, because it was evident on Saturday that they had. failed to do so, and one of the essential conditions was that protection should be afforded to the lines, wherefor the Government deserved the full credit, particularly Mr. Churchill, who had taken to heart the lesson of the danger incurred in tampering with disorder. It, was undoubted that but for the presence of troops great disorder would have occurred in many parts of the country. The strike was an outbreak in revolt against society, and to a great extent was forced upon the union executive, who, seeing the strike would fail, wisely accepted the Government's olive branch. There had been a tendency to blame Mr. Asquith for the blunder of making the original offer, but had the union committee intended to accept it it would immediately have asked for details of the proposal. It was what had happened since the strike was deferred which had changed their mind, couple, with the companies' concession for conferring directly with them. This was due to the Government's guarantee that power would be given to raise the railway charges. Mr. Herbert Emery, a member of the Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Congress, addressing the railwaymen at Hanlcy, stated that he attended Thursday' negotiations. When Mr. Bellamy asked, "Have you endeavored to get the companies to meet the men's representatives?" Mr. Asquith replied in the negative. Therefore Mr. Asquith failed in his duty as Premier, for everything now arranged could have been arranged on Thursday. The Daily Chronicle declares that the nation will gladly pay an increase of rates beyond the present maximum in order to raise the railwaymen's wages to a decent minimum.