NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY With which is incorporated the NORTHERN MAIL DAILY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1920. EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE.

Northern Advocate, 20 October 1920, Page 2

NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY With which is incorporated the NORTHERN MAIL DAILY

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1920. EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE.

Registered for transmission through the post as a newspaper. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1920. EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE.

The great strike of British coal miners is already producing some curious and regrettable effects. A very interesting feature to which the cablegrams give prominence is the march of 10,000 London -unemployed to Downing Street to interview the Prime Minister. The march was headed by the Mayors of fifteen boroughs that have municipal councils consisting of Labour representatives. Probably this is the first action taken by these lea'lers of Labour in connection with the Strike, bat it seem»s to us that they have begun in the wrong place. They would have been better employed in making efforts to prevent the strike occurring. In any caso the unemployed would do better to appeal. to the strikers than to the Government, for the unemployment is clearly the fault of the strikers. If they would go on producing coal the work of the United Kingdom could continue, and there would be no need for anyone to be out of work. But the position in the Old Country is very much as it is Jiere. Labour's organisation does not govern Labour; it permits one section of the workers to inflict loss and suffering upon all the rest. The Labour Mayors should appeal to Labour, not to the Prime Minister ,011 whom they have no claim; If the miners had been reasonable there would have been no strike. They asked for an increase of wages which was not justified by the cost of living figures, but they could have obtained the increase by promising, to produce more coal than they have'been doing. If the coal industry were placed in a position to make better returns it could, and ■would, increase wages, but without a guarantee pf greater output, eon cessions could not be made? The miners have put themselves out of court by thejr refusal to accept a fair offer.

There arc, moreover, worse results of their arbitrary action than the unemployment that they have caused. We are told that the liots which have occurred iv London in connection with the inarch of the unemployed have been attributed -to "hangers-on ami hooligans of the Easi End foreign type." Much revolutionary sentiment is cherished by this portion of London's cosmopolitan population, and the opportunity of waving the red flag and cheering for "the revolution" is wvleonicd by them. The majority of the minors probably have no sympathy with the foreign revolutionary element and lid real desire to encourage it, but the strikes provides the opportunity and thf lawless section is willing to seize it. The result is xhat the precipitate action of the miners does grave injury to the whole country. It is remarkable that men who are ordinarily possessed of a good deal of eommonsense are are by no means lacking in. patriotism should be willing to challenge the safety of the whole community in order to seive their own selfish ends.