GREAT STRIKES IN ENGLAND

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3293, 11 August 1911, Page 5

GREAT STRIKES IN ENGLAND

WIDESPREAD INDUSTRIAL UNREST.

CHAOS AT LIVERPOOL

EXCITING SCENES AT SOUTH-

FIELD.

[UNITED PMSSB ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.

LONDON, Aug. 9. The stevedores asked for an all round increase of 25 per cent., giving at; mast 7s. 6d. daily; double pay on Bank holidays and on the King’s birthday; and work to cease at 12 on Saturdays. Five hundred Smithfield meat carters have struck.' A strike of Manchester engineers has rendered 20,000 men idle. Four thousand railwaymen at Liverand perishables cannot be moved. The pool struck. Quantities of meat, butter fruiterers are suffering severely. A general strike of carters has been ordered, involving a further 10,000 men. Strikers overturned carts containing meat and wool as the vehicles were leaving the docks. The cold storage porters have struck. There were exciting scenes at Smithfield, strikers roughly handling salesmen, who were attempting to remove carcases. A number of trucks were overturned. The steamer Runic’s fruit shipments have not been discharged. All foreign fruit trade at Covent Garden has been suspended. Business at the Corn Exchange, Smithfield, and in Tooley street is practically at a standstill. The clerical staff at the Waterloo goods station, refusing to perform porters’ duty,, have struck. Mr Gosling, secretary of the transport workers, anticipated a speedy settlement as the outcome of the conference with Mr. Askwith. Chaos reigns at the Liverpool docks, quays, and railway station. Strikers demolished the fisli boxes, which were scattered in all directions and looted. Beer wagon and milk van hands, passenger porters, and vanmen have struck. One hundred workmen at the Port Sunlight mills have struck for higher wages.

FURTHER SERIOUS DISTURBANCE.

POLICE CHARGES—SEVERAL ARRESTS.

EMPLOYERS CONCILIATORY ATTITUDE.

(Received Aug. 10, 11.20 p.m.) LONDON. Aug. 10,

The driver of a van in the Minories fired a revolver, slightly wounding a boy owing to strikers endeavoring to prevent his progress. The driver wos arrested. There were serious disturbances at the East India, docks, and the police had to draw their batons and charge the mob.

A force of mounted police—four abreast—broke the mob, many of whom were bruised and were treated at the Poplar Hospital. There were similar baton charges at Deptford and Broadway. Eight arrests were made at Smithfield owing to attacks upon salesmen, who, under the protection of the police, were attempting to handle meat themselves. The employers are willing to recognise the stevedores union- and concede their demands. Mr. Askwith’s conference with the lightermen and coalmen has been adjourned. It is understood that the carters will join the. conference to-day.

ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND IDLE.

many produce vessels lying IN THAMES. A TRULY ALARMING POSITION. . .. ' / (Received Aug. 11, 12.20 a.m.) LONDON, Aug. 10. It is estimated that there are 20,000 dockers, 30,000 carmen, 7000 lightermen and engineers, 6,000 coal porters, 8,000 stevedores, 8,000 laborers, and 1,200 porters at Billingsgate Fish market, in addition to unregistered worker making over one hundred thousand men on strike. . , One hundred and fifty vessels, laden with meat, wheat, butter a-nd fruit, are lying in the Thames unable to be discharged. One Smithfield salesman states that he has 122,000 carcases of New Zealand mutton and laimb at the docks, awaiting delivery. Another states that he has cabled to New Zealand to withhold further shipments * The Great Western, Great Northern, and Midland Railways oar-men are supporting the strikes, and the South Eastern Railway is unable to deliver twenty-four thousand oases of Tasmanian apples, which are rapidly deterioratAlf'the thoroughfares leading to the docks are picketed. „ The car-men picketing m Goswell Road unharnessed the horses and cut the harness'off PiclrfordV carts and Paterson’s vans, and for half an. hour there was hand to hand fighting between the dockers and the police. The Tooiley Street strikers hid m the side streets, -and when the carts appeared to collect- the butter a whistle summoned the strikers, who sui rounded them. The car-men were given the option of withdrawing to their carts, which were overturned, the police being P °Similar scenes occurred in Leadenhall Street and Aldgate.

THE OPAWA’S CARGO. A QUESTION IN PARLIAMENT. tFER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON, August 10. In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon Mr H. D. Buchanan asked Government, if,, in view of cablegrams stating that theOpawa had been prevented from discharging her frozen meat cargo owing to. the strikers, they were prepared to do anything in con-

nection with the supply of coal to affected steamers. . x The Hon. J. A. Millar replied that the Government would do all possible in the matter.

LABOR UP IN ARMS. GROWTH OF MEN’S UNION. Mr. J. Havelock Wilson, president of the Sailors’ and Firemen’s Union, last month claimed that since the strike began the union had had an accession to its numbers of fully 5,000 men, which had brought their total up to 35,000, of about 70,000 British sailors and firemen working at sea. “Nearly every man who has come ashore during that time,” he said, “has joined the union. We have succeeded* in obtaining the rate of wages laid down by the union, for between 7.000 and 8,000 men during the last fortnight throughout the whole country, and we claim* that the federation has got only about , 800 ‘blacklegs.’ ” THE MEN’S DEMANDS. The seamen’s strike, which was proclaimed by the firing of rockets at many ports on June 14, arose from the mens ■ demands for higher wages and better conditions generally, and for a conciliation board with equal representation of owners and' men to settle, all disputes. _ Previous to the strike wages Were £3 10s to £4 10s per month for sailors and firemen in tramp steamers, and in mail steamers £5 10s for firemen and £4 10s for sailors. The demand for the men’s union was that wages should be raised to £5 10s per month for sailors .and firemen in tramp steamers, and to £6 for firemen and £5 10s for sailors in mail boats.