STRIKE RIOTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 June 1922, Page 5

STRIKE RIOTS.

TRAGEDY IN AMERICA. BITTERNESS AROUSED. MORE TROUBLE FEARED. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received June 29, 12.5 a m. New York, June 27. The Coroner’© jury at Herrin, who are believed to be under the union miners’ influence, found that the officials of the mine owned by the Southern Illinois Coal Company, were guilty of the death of two striking union miners killed during the massacre, while the death of some sixteen other non-union strikebreakers was declared to be due to unknown causes. The local union is not disinclined to disclaim its acta. Although no official utterances are made individual members of the union are inclined to boast of the acts, pointing out what will happen to non-union strike-breakers if they again attempt to break up a strike. Mr. Farrington, president of the Illinois Federation o2 Miners, of which the Herrin Union is a. unit, has issued a statement which generally condemns the violence on the ground that it will discredit the union movement and possibly destroy the union mine workers of America, of which the Federation is the Sfate unit. It appears the greater number of the dead and wounded were either the mine guards of the strike-breakers or their family ties. It is said the strikebreakers themselves belonged to the Steam Shovellers’ Union, which is not recognised by the American Federation of Labor. This renders the situation uncomfortable. The mine officials asked the authorities for protection in removing the injured non-union workers who are in hospitals to Chicago in order to safeguard them- They will 'be used as witnesses at the coming investigation of the tragedy. The mine officials declare they received threats from the union miners that any attempt to remove the wounded will mean further violence. Pittsburg reports that two hundred armed striking union miners marched through the mine district near that city threatening to kill non-union miners. They succeeded in shutting down four mines by terrorising the strike-breakers.