STRIKE SPREADS.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1921, Page 5

STRIKE SPREADS.

RAILWAYMEN JOIN. UNANIMOUS DECISION. MEETING THE TRANSPORTERS. By Telegraph.—Pres* Assn —Copyright. Received April 8, 9.50 p.m. London, April 7. The railwaymen decided unanimously to support the miners, and have asked fdr an immediate consultation with the transport workers.—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn. Received April 8, 9.35 p.m. London, April 8. Despite Mr. Bromley’s statement the locomotive men’s society has decided to support the miners to the extent of instructing branches to refuse to work traffic to and from the collieries, and also to refuse to remove anybody whom they consider ’‘black-legging” into the mining areas. The society will consider a total withdrawal of labor if the triple alliance strikes.— Cable Assn.

THREAT TO DESTROY MINES.

PREMIER SEEKS PEACE. CONFERENCE PROVES ABORTIVE. BRITAIN’S INDUSTRY IN PERIL. » London, April 7. The meeting between the Premier and the miners’ executive was abortive. The miners declined to order pumpmen to resume, on the ground that if they did they'would surrender the only vital bargaining weapon. Received April 8, 10.30 p.m. London, April 7. At the conference between the Government and the miners the Premier strenuously appealed for a resumption of pumping. Mr. Smith, a miners’ representative, declared that the owners gave every workman notice, including the “safety men”. There could only be a truce if every man went back on the old terms. He charged the Government with tricking the men into an agreement in November, and backing up the employers on the present occasion. Mr. Lloyd George said that after Mr. Smith’s declaration it appeared to be of lio use saying any more. The Government’s main interest was the nation’s welfare It was not true to say the Government was forcing any scale of wages The Premier emphasised that what was more serious than the flooding of the mines was that the whole industrial existence of the country was threatened, and he wanted to emphasise that if these repeated strikes were continued the industrial position of the country would be absolutely destroyed. Mr Smith retorted: “It is no use our bargaining about this. .We have got to get a national wage, and then we can I salk about the ‘safety men*.” Mr. Lloyd George: “I understand a threat to destroy the mines is to be used to force the owners and the nation to capitulate. I think the decision of the Miners’ Federation is one of the gravest mistakes in psychology ever made by the leaders of a great organisation, and it shows their complete failure to understand the psychology of their own countrymen.”—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.

TROUBLE IN FIFE.

POLICE USE BATONS ON CROWD. LOOTING OF SHOPS. Received April 8, 9:35 p.m. London, April 7. There were further disturbances at Cowdenbeath (Fife) last night. The police were forced to use their batons to jdisperse the crowd, who broke shop winidows and looted their contents.—Aus. £nd N.Z. Cable Assn. It was reported in yesterday morning's babies that a number of casualties followed encounters between the police and strikers at Cowdenbeath. The miners repeatedly broke the police cordon and dislocated the street lighting, plunging Jhe township into darkness.