RAILWAY STRIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 18, 22 January 1924, Page 5

RAILWAY STRIKE.

. J CONGESTION IN LONDON. : ALL VEHICLES COMMISSIONED MANY JLOTAIi RAILWATMEN.' BRITAIN CARRIES ON. THE NATION'S ORGANISATION. (By Cable.—r-ress Association.—Copyright) (Received t.30 p.m.) LONDON, January 21. At midnight Mr. Bromley's union I abandoned the engines. ' i It is Teported that many National j Union men at Prestou, Newport, and I Glasgow also struck in sympathy. ! The Ministry of Transport holds a secret organisation in readiness for instant operation in the event of a serious threat against the nation's food supply. ("Sun.") ' ' THE SECRETARY'S THREAT. Determination to adhere to the strike decision marked the crowded final meeting of London members of the Locomotive Society. Mr. W. Bromley, the secretary, said: "We are going to strike back," and declared ho had received a message threatening to shoot him if a strike occurred, but such threats would not prevent their protest against the general managers demanding their pound of flesh. The Associated Society of Engineers and Firemen wore de-tor-mined to stop the never-ending elide down into pre-war conditions. They would not object to any Government running mails or carrying food for people, but any Government (even a Labour Government) which helped to run private railways during the strike would be blacklcgged. "The companies had been told the union was bluffing, bubt they would find nine-tenths of the trains stopped at midnight. The men would cease work from one end of the country to tho other." Reports aa to the effects of the strike are still very conflicting. It is claimed at the offices of the railway managers that the vast majority of National Union drivers and firemen remain loyal to the union. A few here and there have struck in sympathy with Mr. Bromley's union was bluffing, but they would find work. Other reports state that at Warrington members of the two bodies made common cause in striking, and at Crewe the National Union men are acting as pickets. In London, while Paddington station is congested with derelict main lino trains the situation at other termini is not so bad. London officials are hopeful of being able to keep restricted services running. Underground railways, trams, and buses are crowded to their fullest capacity this morning, and motor cars are employed bringing workers to the city. (Keuter.) I WHAT MANAGERS SAID. The railway managers state that the terms which were agreed to between the General Council of the Trades Union Congress and the managers but which were rejected by the Associated Society, were as follows: "Provided that the strike notices were withdrawn, the companies would give an assurance that an immediate meeting with the two unions concerned (the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen,' and the National Union of Railwaymen) would be held with n view to considering the alleviation' of any hardships affecting individual or groups of individuals, which, after discussion, both sides {were satisfied should be alleviated, and any agreement reached would be applied immediately. The companies also gave an assurance that there would be no dismissals arising out of the application of the decisions. It is impossible to foreshadow the extent of the strike until it is known how many drivers of the National Union of Railwaymen are affected. -Mr. W. Bromley, secretary of the Associated I Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, expects that at least 60,000 enginemen and firemen will respond to his call. Some claim that 80 per cent of the normal railway service will be stopped, but the companies hope to continue a service equal to the usual Sunday service. Little trouble is expected in connection with London suburban traffic. TRAINS STOP SUDDENLY. On the main lines trains which started before midnight stopped at the first big station after the strike began. In some cases National Union of Railwaymen drivers struck in sympathy, but in other cases N.U.R. drivers carried the trains to their destinations after the strikers had left the trains. The Irish mail was only twenty minutes late at Crewe. Many milk dealers arc making arrangements to transport milk by motor cars. One milk company has collected 1500 lorries. Another fleet of 350 lorries has been organised to supply Covent Garden with vegetables and fruit. Meat supplies in cold stores are well above the average. There has been a great rush for petrol supplies throughout the country and many smaller dealers have been cleared out. The railway strike in 1919 cost Britain £50,000,000, the Government's expenditure alone being £10,000,000. The present strike is costing London newspapers £30,000 daily extra for distribution. Motor cars and lorries from all directions are carrying newspapers as far as Wales. Many schools curtailed the holidays, and school boye and girls went back ] three days before the term was to have begun. Commercial travellers also hurried back to their grounds on Satur? day and Sunday. FIGHT BETWEEN LEADERS. The "Morning Post" says that the j keynote of the strike is enmity between Mr. Bromley, of the Associated Society, and Mr. j! H- Thomas. M.P., of the National Union of Railwaymen. Mr. Bromley is an extreme Socialist, though he is the secretary of the most autocratic Irade union. His ambition is to secure all key men so as to be able to paralyse the railways at any time. He is hot-tempered, emotional and easily worsted in argument. His only notion of attack is the frontal, but he is genial and capable of great generosit\-. At 14 he became an engine cleaner on tho Great Western. Since then be has been through all the grades. He is a simple, honest, blundering man, who thinks he can put the world to rights in five minutes.—(A. and N.Z. Cable.)

I Although the railway strike will ] cause much inconvenience and loss, it is I regarded less seriously than the 1919 I strike, in which all railway workers par- ! ticipated. If the 40,000 drivers and firemen who belong to the National Union of Railwaymen remain at work, as they have been officially instructed, the com- \ panics will be able to run reduced j ' services. 1 MUCH MOTOR TRANSPORT. Motor vehicles of all kinds will be employed in supplementary services. ■ Several companies intend transforming hundreds of motor vehicles, especially lorries, into motor trailers by means of flanged wheels. Thousands of provincial visitors to London returned home by the last trains to-day. The strike affects a relatively small proportion of London's suburban passenger traffic, as the tubes, trams, , and buses continue. Hundreds of motor buses will be employed to bring to Lon- ( jdon business men residing in the outer I suburbs and at the seaside. J Mr. Bromley, addressing London mem- . I bers of the Associated Society of Loco- . ! motive Engineers and Firemen, said that , I the railway managers, though courteous, y could not be honest. He added that the j, managers are incapable of a generous j gesture. They wanted their pound of flesh. His society was determined to stop the unending slide downwards into pre-war wages. Mr. Marchbanks, president, of the National Union of Kailwaymen, told a meeting of members of the union at Derby that they had no alternative but to carry on their ordinary duties. They must be loyal to their own union. He added: "The fight is not ours. We do. not intend to be dragged into it. If we go in it must be in a constitutional way. Xo organisation has any right to call on our members to accept its dictates." ("Sun.") EFFECT IN U.S.A. DROP IN STERLING. XS.W YORK, January 21. The news of the British railway strike caused sterling to reach 4dol 21 Je, repre- ; senting the lowest since 1922. — (A. and • N.Z. Cable.) THE 1919 STRIKE. At midnight on September 20, 1919, a general strike was called by the executive of the National Union of Railwaymen. The decision was sudden, and was given after almost a whole day's conference with the Prime Minister (Mr. Lloyd George) and the Cabinet. The railwaymen declared it to be unfair for a man in one grade to receive one rate of pay while another man in the same grade received a. different wage. They demanded a minimum wage of £3 weekly. The Government promised the retention of special war wages for three months, on account of the high cost of living, and that wages should remain at t,he same level until the cost of living had been reduced 3 per cent. A minimum of £2 was promised even if the cost of living fell to the pre-war level. The railwaymen'? executive, despite the fact that stability of wages was guaranteed for six months, called the strike. The public was not. in sympathy because of the haste with which the thing was done. Only the Labour Press applauded the strike. The Government, fresh from handling the greatest war in history, handled Britain's tremendous traffic problem with great skill. The motor vehicle (already a serious rival to the railway) was the key to the situation. Millions of people walked where they had previously taken short rides—and the weather was good. There was hot talk of a nationwide general strike, and numbcrlens heart-to-heart conferences with Mr. Lloyd George at "No. 10." A huge protective civil police was formed, and John Bull settled down for a prolonged passive resistance to the disaffected railwaymen. It was a band of trade unionists who really effected settlement, acting as they did as benevolent buffers between Downing Street, the public, and the strikers. On October 5 a settlement was arrived at. The settlement was to the effect that no adult railwayman should receive less than 61/ a week as long as the cost of living was not less than 110 per cent above pre-war level. The men promised to work harmoniously with those who had not struck/ The strike affected 400,000 railwaymen and cost the country £50,000.000.