A RAILWAY STRIKE

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1786, 11 December 1912, Page 6

A RAILWAY STRIKE

IN NORTH ENGLAND. Press Assn—By Telegraph—Copyright I London, Yesterday. Meetings of railwaynien at Hull. ■ Sunderland, Y'ork and Darlington have refused to support the NorthEastern railway strike. Though the ; North-Eastern men are recognised jby the Amalgamated Society, they ; are not supporting the strikers. ; The North-Eastern Company lias given notice that the WOO strikers are dismissed, and have been asked | to return their uniforms and equipj ment. | The strike has caused unrest on the Midland railways, the men al- . leging victimisation of the Union . leaders. | Twelve hundred North-Eastern ; Tyne dockers have struck in sym- ■ pathy. The coal trade is being held | up, and much shipping is idle. i The railwaynien are appealing to the Amalgamated Unionto declare a , national strike. | Knox (over whom the strike oe- [ curred) was disorderly on a tram j car, and assaulted the police. The \ company did not dismiss him, be- , cause he was a driver of 22 years' ; standing, but instead they reduced : him to a pilot driver, with wages Ds ! a week less. | The North-Eastern manager sates I that it is necessary to protect the i public, and they would have to answer if an accident occurred after a i conviction for drunkenness. He reJ calls the Board of Trade's recent rei port on the Darlington accident, ! which described drunkenness even j off duty as an unpardonable offence |by an engine driver. He was wil-1 ; ing to reinstate Knox after a proba- ; tionary period. The strikers doubt Knox's guilt. In any case they declare conduct off duty is not the company's business.