STRAIGHT AHEAD.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 71, 23 March 1912, Page 7

STRAIGHT AHEAD.

BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION. COAL MINERS' STRIKE. SPEECH BY LORD HALDANE. By Telegraph. — Press Association. — Copyright, (Received March 23, 8 a.m.) LONDON, 22nd March.' Lord Haldane, Secretary of State for War, speaking »at the Fishmongers' Company's Dinner, said the Govern- ' ment would proceed with the Coal Mines Bill looking neither to the right or left of what the Bill defines. There was no power to make the miners resume work, bat if any* desired work the Government would securo for them liberty of action. FEEDING THE CHILDREN. VIGOROUS RELIEF MEASURES. (Received M~rch 23, 8.5 a.m.) LONDON, 22nd March. The school authorities are feeding thousands .of children daily in the pottery districts. Twelve thousand are being fed daily at Leeds. Vigorous relief measures aro being organised. COAL MINES BILL. MR. BALFOUR'S SPEECH AND , MR. ASQUITH'S ANSWER. "UNDER WHICH KING?" "FEUDAL BARONS." ] LONDON, 22nd March. In his speech in the House of Commons when moving the rejection of the Coal Mines BDI, Mr. Balfour, who waa greeted with cheers and counter-cheere, the Ministerialists shouting " Under which King? " (Mr. Balfour acted on the invitation of Mr. Bonar Law, Leader of the Opposition), said the impression created at the opening of the debate was that neither 'on the Treasury Benches nor anywhere else was anyone satisfied with the Government's solution, which held out no grounds on which finality could be hoped for in the matter of a settlement, and which sanctioned principles whioh would be the precursor of perpetual futare troubles." Never before, in tact, had the country been faced by a peril of such a character and magnitude. There was the portentous spectacle of an organisation acting without regard to rights, and tlireatening to paralyse a whole community. The leaders were not tempering their power with any consideration of policy or mercy. No feudal baron had ever exercised his power as the miners' leaders were exercising theire. He was unable to understand how harinonv could be preserved in industrial affairs when agreements were allowed to be broken. Ministers had deceived themselves and the House by adducing arguments based on the " abnormal places " question, which were not arguments for a minimum wage. The miners decided to compel Parliament and a reluctant Government to adopt a principle which would render opposition to the. universal application of the minimum wage lm- ,' possible. Tha Opposition was compelled to test the Commons' opinion, but at the same time would do its best to secure the Government's policy, bad as it was, if the House approved of it. MR. ASQUITH'S REPLY. The Priino Minister, in reply, denied that the Government was responsible for the crisis. It had never yielded to pressure. The proposals in • the Bill were with those offered to the miners and owners three weeks ago. While lie would not say that the miners' representatives had acted wisely or considerately, he challenged the likening of them to feudal barons. The comparisons with American crusts also was unfair. He asked the .Opposition whether it thought legislation unnecessary. Mr. Balfour had not produced an alternative ; he had only propounded barren nega- ■ tives and impracticable platitudes. In the Scottish and Welsh agreements the masters and men had deliberately reserved the question of 'abnormal places" for future consideration; therefore it was not reasonable to allow agreement* to stand in the way of a settlement. The failure of the conference had compelled the Government to obtain Parliamentary sanction of the reasonableness of the minimum. The Bill would 'be the means of escape from a crisis without causing the Government to sacrifice its primary duties to society. LABOUR VIEW. Mr. Enoch Edwards, Labour member for Hanley and president of the Miners' Federation, expressed regret that the Government had to legislate to settle the dispute. The federation had not asked for legislation, but it realised that the Government would be lacking in its duty if it did not grapple with the question. There v/as nothing criminal in asking for a minimum where men failed to earn a proper wage through causes beyond their control. The miners were most industrious, and it would bo an insult to them to require safeguards. The minimum sought was not an extravagant one. Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for • Foreign Affaire, _ said the miners -should not ask Parliament to include their schedule in the Bill. It. was impossible to accept the schedule without exhaustive investigation, and this would be best left to district boards. If the Bill failed in its object and the 6trik© was prolonged, the Government would not neglect means to secure coal, which ought not to be withheld from the nation. SECOND READING PASSED. The Bill was read a second time, the division being:— Ayes ' 348 Noes ,225 Government majority ... 123 The Nationalists and Labourites voted with the Government. AMENDMENT GIVEN NOTICE OF fixing minimum wage, labour paper's advice. inflammatory" socialistic leaflets. (Received March 23, 8.10 a.m.) LONDON, 22nd March. Major-General Sir Ivor- Herbert, Liberal member for Monmouthshire South, and a coal owner, has given notice of an ainondment to the Coal , Mines Bill. He proposes to insert in the measure a clause providing for v minimum wage of live shillings and two shillings for men and bojs respectively. It is icpurted that the mincits tiro willing lo leavo the schedules to the district boards if Sir Ivor Hubert's minima, «iio included in the Bill. Th« newspaper Labour Leader advieco thj miners to.ftccept, £fag.pasteu£s jmd

resume work pending a settlement of the echedules by the district committees. Tha Leader asserts that when the miners have secured the minimum other trades will insist on being treated similarly. Inflammatory Socialistic leaflets are being circulated amongst the Yorkshire miners, warning them against betrayal through the acceptance of a meaningless minimum principle. The Times states that the Cabinet has refused to accept any of the miners' amendments to the Bill. Some of the Liberal papers anticipate acceptance of Sir Ivor Herbert's amendment. NEGATIVED. SIR IVOR HERBERT'S AMENDMENT. - PREMIER'S VIEW. HEATED DEBATE. (Received March 23, 12.30 p.m.) LONDON, 22nd March. In the House of Commons, Sir Ivor Herbert's > amendment to the Coal Mines Bill was negatived without division. The Premier waa disposed to think 2s and 5e reasonable, considering the unique difficulties of mining. He believed the district boards would adopt the sums, but thought it would be most undesirable to inaert particular figures in the Bill. Parliament was equipped with the information necessary to form a judgment; moreover, to do as the amendment proposed would be treated as a precedent. Mr. Enoch Edwards (Labour member for Hanley and secretary of the North Staffordshire Miners' Association) said the rejection of the amendment would close the door to an immediate settlement. Mr. Bonar La>g, Leader of the Opposition, said all members of the Houeo would be glad if 5a a day was paid to every miner, but it was impossible to fix such a scale. There must be an examination to see whether trad« could stand the burden. A heated debate followed. Several Radicals and Labour members urged the Government to accept the amendment. Sir Edward Grey asked the Labourites whether it was true the Miners' Federation, was prepared to waive the schedule. If so, though the 2s and 5s could not .be included in the BUI, the masters and men might come to ail agreement on^the point. Mr. Keir Hardie, Labour member lor Merthyr Tydvil, and others, promised that the federation, would meefc forthwith. -^ Sir Ivor Herbert's amendment may ha rediscussed at the report stage. A conference between the Government, the coalowuere, and the Miners' executive will be held to-night to discuss whether S& and 2s shall be paid if the federation abandons the demand for a schedule and the miners return to «nrk immediately. WELSH~MINERS. ARRANGING TO RESUME WOR&. ON MONDAY. MUCK SHIPPING IDLE. CONSIDEEABLE DISTRESS. — « (Received March 23, 11.30 a.m.) LONDON, 22nd March. The miners in North Wales are axranging to resume work on Monday next. There are indications that many of the colliers will loava the Miners' Federation owing to the early exhaustion of fuudo. One hundred thousand tons of shipping is lying idle at Southampton. Twonty-eight steamers and eighty-sis trawlers are laid up at Hull. Two million workers and miners arb idle. The miners have lost five million pounds in wages, not one-eighth of which will be returned in the shape of strike pay. , The Vicar of Burslem (Staffordshire) has served forty thousand meale. The relief being given in many places is inadequate, and the Government w considering measures for increasing the power of Poor Law Guardians. The distress at Cardiff and Swansea, in Nottinghamshire, at the Hartlepools, and in Scotland, is growing acute. TERMS OF IMPRISONMENT. BOWMAN AND BUCKS SENTENCED. RAILWAY MANAGERS CONFER. COTTON MANUFACTURERS .OBJECT TO LEGISLATION. '' (Received March 23, 1.5 p.m.) LONDON, 22nd March. Bowman was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment with hard labour and Bucks to six mouths' imprisonment for having incited soldiers to mutiny if ordered to fire on strikers. A conference of railway manager^de cided to keep the foodstuffs of the country going even if every passenger train was stopped. If one company is short of coal the others will assist. The Federation of the Lancashire Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers, employing 1 400,000 hands, and paying twenty million*? a year in wages, has protested against legislation for a minimum wage.