BRITISH COAL STRIKE

Taranaki Daily News, 12 April 1921, Page 2

BRITISH COAL STRIKE

EARLIER INCIDENTS. RAILWAYMEN’S LOYALTY. STEEL WORKS CLOSED. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. London, April 8. The railway companies are not unduly alarmed. A considerable number of the employees are expected to remain loyal, enabling a restricted service to be maintained. The Seamen’s and Firemen’s Union will ballot on the Triple Alliance decision. The Archbishop of Canterbury has issued an appeal for special prayers on Sunday for the spirit of counsel. The Newmarket and Uttoxeter race meetings, fixed for next week, have been abandoned. Palmer’s steel works at Jarrow have closed down, and two thousand men are rendered idle. FEAR'FOR WELSH MINES. Water is rushing into the Glamorgan collieries at the rate of 3000 gallons a minute. It is feared that the pits, which have the most modern equipment of any in Britain, will Ibe closed for ever. There is now only one pit in Fifeshire where pumping is proceeding. Hostile miners compelled the volunteers to desist. RESERVES CALLED UP. Proclamations calling up the "reserves and appealing for volunteers for the new defence units have been posted in prominent positions and excited the keenest interest. Scenes reminiscent of wartime occurred in the streets, and at stations on the railways. There was very great activity at the War Office from an early hour. Queen’s Volunteers defence pnits have been formed at Whitehall. The rush to join so greatly exceeded expectations that attestation officials throughout the country were inundated with applications.

The War Office has issued a statement that the), response by volunteers in London and the provinces is exceeding all expectations. The volunteers include hun« dreds of special reserve officers also retired officers. The defence units will receive regular army pay* Mid-war activities prevail at Aidershot camp. Town reserves are streaming in. Naval reservists are flocking to Portsmouth and Chatham. The steady flow from thd station to the barracks at Portsmouth last night recalled the outbreak of war. Buglers paraded the streets sounding “the assembly.” The King’s proclamation was screened at the theatres and cinemas.

Among those doing the week’s regulation drill are a number of miners who, in ordinary circumstances, would have returned to their homes to-day. Two hundred naval stokers have left Portsmouth for South Wales. A notice has been issued stating that officers and men of the naval reserves and naval volunteer reserves are free to join the defence units or other national service organisations.

BETTER PROSPECTS. MINERS COMPROMISE UNDER PRESSURE. London, April 10. Official.—The Miners’ Federation is notifying branches of the unconditional resumption of negotiations with the coal owners on Monday, and urges members to abstain from action interfering with the safety of the mines or likely to necessitate the Government’s use of force. Successive meetings of the Triple Alliance from morning till midnight debated the developments of the negotiations between the Labor leaders, acting as mediators, and Mr. Lloyd George, the latter adhering to the condition that the safety of the mines must be insured before wages were discussed. Either the pump men must return to work or a compromise must be made whereby the miners guaranteed not to molest volunteer pump men. The Miners’ Federation resisted the compromise, despite the pressure of the leaders' of the railwaymen and transporters regarding a sympathetic strike, and the danger of the strike collapsing owing to the hundreds of thousands of unemployed anxious for work. THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE. Mr. Thomas, Labor M.P., in an interview, said the resumption of negotiations was a triumph for commonsense. The right atmosphere had been created and they must maintain it. SCHEME FOR SETTLEMENT. London, April 10. The rush of volunteers in the strike crisis continues, and the recruiting offices are inundated. Messrs. Thomas, Gosling, and the leaders of the moderate wing of. the triple alliance had their case strengthened by the disclosure of the Government scheme, which provided for a settlement on a national basis. The Government will subsidise the poorer areas in order to bring the wages there to the national standard, which will be less drastically reduced than the owners propose. This assistance is to tide over the bad times. It is officially stated that the country’s stocks bf food are at present sufficient, given reasonable economy, and rationing is not thought necessary. Meanwhile evidences are accumulating that the triple alliance’s strike threat is in nowise whole-heartedly supported by its members. Many openly declare that they will refuse to obey the strike order.