INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES

Evening Star, Issue 17312, 27 March 1920, Page 8

INDUSTRIAL TROUBLES

MINERS AND EAILWAYMEN. GREAT UPHEAVAL THREATENED. Pr««w Association— Bv Telegraph—Copvrizht. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, March 24. (Received March 27, at 12.30 p.m. The country is confronted with drastic suddenness 'with the possibility of a national strike of miners' and" serious trouble with the railways. Mr Lloyd George addressed a letter to the Executive Committee of the Miners' Federation, stating; that ho did not desire to' meet them again, which is interpreted to mean that negotiations are broken off. Two thousand railwaymen employed by the Lancashire _ and Yorkshire Company are striking owing to the suspension of a driver for refusing to relieve another driver after he himself had done a duv's work. Mr J. H. Thomas, M.P., says the union's executive will snnport the strike. The underground raiiwaymrn th>v;.len to suspend the Easier holiday trniric unless the Railway Fares Bill' is immediately passed by "the House of Commons, authorising an increase in fares, which will onable them to receive on increase in wages en a sliding scale, which the rest of the railwaymen arc receiving. Mr Thomas., in the House of Commons, voiced the underground railwayman's decision, and Mv Bonar Law indicated that if memWis of the House wero willing to rnrta.il the discussion on the Consolidated Bill time could be found for tho measure. Ono hundred and sixtv-tvvo delegates attended the Miners' Conference, which was held in private. Mr Herbert Smith, wno complained of the tenor of Mr Lloyci OcoTge's recent speech. .Mr snu'th, ref-fti-ring to Mr Lloyd George's accusation that "the miners' pronosa-1 wrs Syndicalism in its worst tvpo. said ihe miners' demand w;i3 perfectly legitimate, and was made by a -roup* of'workers whose intentions wove as fair and above ouard as Any croup in the land, whether political or industrial. _ Representatives of South Wales emphasise.l, that their members would accent nothnig lean than the full amount needed. I hey were by no means satisfied with tho 7? I 1 r? ay offer ' Conference delegates said ; -hat- South Wales even threatened to strike independently if the federation accepted less than 3s. South Wales consider that as the chief exporting coalfields thev are carrying the rest of the industry on'their back. Delegates state that all exports of coal from the United Kingdom are ceasiV-" the coal brought to the pitheads is he : ivr directed to the industrial" centre-, and the government are making every preparation to carry on industries in the event of a strike. Tlie Government's 20 per cent offer is equal to l s H d per day for adults and lid for bovs.