GRAVE DAYS AT HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19321, 7 May 1926, Page 11

GRAVE DAYS AT HOME.

DUTEARS OF VIDLENS

An extension of {lie general strike in Britain is recorded in today's cable messages. The dock workers are out and this is interfering with the despatch of cargo vessels to New Zealand and Australia. The men at the London and Walthamstow electrical power stations have also joined the strike. A report from Liverpool says the sailors and firemen at that port have called a strike. The London taxi-drivers have followed suit. British cargo ste:amers laden with fruit and vegetables from Spain are held up at Boulogne, and the export of fruit from Provence has ceased. Indications on Wednesday night pointed to a growing determination to continue the fight. At the same time the Trades Union Congress has informed the Government that "the door is still open." Conversations have been resumed in the hope of a settlement being reached and dramatic developments are expected. The Home Secretary introduced in the House of Commons on Wednesday an Emergency Powers Bill to enable the Government to take possession of land, buildings or undertakings for the benefit of the nation. The regulations under the measure give the Government drastic and summary powers. In the course of the debate on the bill Mr. Arthur Henderson, Labour member for Burnley, predicted worse things to come if a settlement of the strike is not soon effected. An ominous feature of to-day's news is the occurrence of rioting and acts of violence and incendiarism in various centres of England. These included an attempt to set on fire the Times offices in London. The Government's news sheet, the British Gazette, is still being issued, as also are single sheets and type-scripts from various newspaper offices. A number of papers in country towns have resumed publication. A raid was made by the police on the London office of the Labour paper Daily Herald. A news-sheet was seized which was running counter to the Gazette, but jvas released for publication later under censorship. All the Russian trades unions are subscribing toward a fund in aid of the strikers, which already totals several thousand pounds. Messages of support have been received by the Trades Union Congress from workers in France, Holland, America, Germany and Canada. Some districts in England are already running short of food.