GENERAL STRIKE

Otago Witness, Issue 3774, 13 July 1926, Page 31

GENERAL STRIKE

CAUSE OF -ITS FAILURE. T.U.C. OFFICIAL REPORT. LONDON, July 5. When the Trades Union Council’s “inquest” on the general strike, which was fixed for June 25, did not eventuate it was thought that the unpleasant business had been brushed aside for the sake of solidarity and in order to not impair the miners’ cause, but the truth is now creeping out. The Daily Express says that the disclosures justify Mr Thomas in his conduct of - the negotiations. The paper reveals that Mr Thomas took Mr A. J. Cook and Mr Herbert Smith (the miners’ leaders) to Sir Abe Bailey’s house which was loaned for the occasion. Here with Sir Herbert Samuel they discussed tbe whole mining position for several hours with the result that Mr Cook and Mr Smith modified their attitude on wages, agreeing that it would be sufficient if the miners were guaranteed a minimum wage 1 ut not that previously ruling. Another surprising disclosure is that there would not have been a general strike but for the men stopping the issue of the Daily Mail on May 2. EXTRACTS FROM REPORT. The Daily Herald devotes a column to extracts from the Trades Union Council’s report which should have been presented at the “inquest.” The most outstanding fact is that the Trades Union Council did not go as far as the miners with the three-point slogan but felt that the Coal Commission’s report and the Government’s acceptance of it made the reconstruction of tne industry possible. Therefore it would have been silly to continue with mere slogans. The Trades Union Council was with the miners against any loss of wages until other possibilities in the report had been discussed, but at the same time it considered that it would have been unwise for the miners to demand certain things on their side. The report further states: “The miners’ leaders knew that the industry would have to be reorganised before it could combine to pay reasonable wages. The miners’ slogan on the leaders’ own admission would have meant immediately throwing idle .300,000 ipiners by closing the uneconomic pits. This w/is too awful for the union leaders to contemplate, for it was saner that some of the higher paid men should be temporarily paid less than that so many men with families should be plunged into destitution while men earning £5 to £l3 a week retained every penny. The Trades Union Council declares that the general strike began not on the formula of the miners, which the Industrial. Ccmmittee had definitely rejected, but on the decision of the conference executive to sup. port the miners against any reduction prior to negotiations on the remainder of the Commission’s report or arising from Sir Herbert Samuel’s later proposals. Sir Herbert Samuel had been brought back specially from Italy by influential members of the public for the purpose of taking part in the negotiations. CHANCE THROWN AWAY. “The upshot was a sensational improvement in the negotiating position,” proceeds the report, “and yet the miners’ leaders threw away the chance and now most likely, after weeks of starvation, the temporary smashing of trade unionism and the victimisation of thousands of miners, they will not get anything like what the General Council could have obtained for them. The council could not disregard the responsibility imposed on it by the conference on May 1 and follow the miners’ policy of mere negation. It felt that it could "not permit the unions to continue making sacrifices a day longer. Whether the Government ever contemplated repealing the Trades Disputes Act, sequestrating the union funds and arresting the General Council never entered our consideration. “The strike terminated for one reason only—that in view of the miners’ attitude its continuance would have rendered its purposes futile. We have no excuses to offer, and no apologies to make. Our course was justified by oust knowledge of tbe facts and our responsibility to the trade union movement.” ATTACK ON THE BENCH. Mr Ramsay MacDonald in a vigorous reply to critics in the course of a lengthy article in a Socialist review of events before and after the strike says, in reference to the postponment of the Trades Union Council conference: ‘1 hope it will be held without delay. They nave the right to be told the story as soon as it can be told without damage to the miners’ wives and children.” Analysing the position of the urn ions he declares that every union found itself involved in troubles in its own trade. Moneys and reserves had gone, fortifications built up over years had been thrown down and their positions were weak and precarious. As regards the railways there seemed to be nothing but disaster ahead. Though the spirit was magnificent the resources were unequal to a long fight even had other things been favourable. He makes vicious attacks on "the magis. trates with constitutional bees in their bonnets and partisan prejudice in their hearts who sat on the Bench, not for the purpose of administering justice, hut for taking revenge. It is intolerable that a judge such as Sir John Astbucy should abuse his office and express opinions which, whether bawled in the-etreet or drawled in the court are nevertheless nothing but rubbish." COMMENT ON REPORT. The Daily Express says that two of the milieus oldest leaden were instrumental in I

postponing the "inquest’* on June 25 because if this statement were published the miners could not last another week in their resistance. Mr Dobbie’s fierce outbursts against Mr Baldwin caused some surprise in view of tbe foregoing revelations which give point to his dosing statement that “when the railway workers are strong enough to demand the restoration of their lost privileges there will be no room in the movement for men with feet in both camps." It is a significant tact that the first disclosure of the Trades Union Council documents is made in the Locomotives Union Gazette, which is controlled by Mr J. Bromley, who is a member of tie Trades Union Council. PART OF THE COST. SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES. LONDON, July 5. The Treasury has issued a Civil Service Supplementary Estimate of £3,433,000 of which £3,000,000 is for the purchase of foreign coal for the maintenance of essential services The balance represents the cost of organisation during the strike and the maintenance of supplies, such as £IIO,OOO for food; £IOO,OOO for grants to the police services; £60,000 for the civil constabulary and £16,000 for the British Gazette. LIVELY TIME FOR MR THOMAS. LONDON, July 6. According to the Daily Herald, Mr J H. Thomas had a very lively two hours’ private session at the Railway men’s Conference, arising out of his report, as general secretary, on the effects of the strike. No fewer than 80 delegates asked questions on the inner history of the strike. Mr Thomas emphatically denied that a conference took place at Sr Abe Bailey’s house between himself, Mr A. J. Cook, Mr Herbert Smith, and Sir Herbert Samuel. After the questions there was a general debate on a motion endorsing the National Union of Railwaymen’s delegates’ action on the Trade Union Council, which was virtually a motion of confidence in Mr Thomas. There was an amendment deferring a decision till the miners resume!. The effect of the motion was to side-track the branch motions demanding Mr Thomas’s dismissal. Late this afternoon it was obvious lb.it Mr Thomas had carried the conference with him. There was no surprise whn the motion of confidence was agreed to with six dissentient voices. Only six voted for Mr Thomas’s dismissal from the General Secretaryship and the no-confidence motion was Overwhelmingly rejected. THE PRESS REPRESENTATIVES LONDON, July 6. The pressmen refused to attend the resumption of the Railwaymen’s Conference to-day un(il the resolution concerning the press representatives was rescinded. Hie union replied that the conference would sit privately to-day, and that public business would be resumed to-morrow, but that the conference had not withdrawn or resdnded tjie resolution. INVITED TO RETURN. LONDON, July 7. Mr Thomas has sent a letter to the press representatives explaining that all could return to the conference without discrimination. The journalists decided to attend the public session to-morrow. FAILURE OF THE STRIKE. LONDON ,July 6. “The sole reason for the termination of the general strike,” says the report of the Trades Union Council, “was the futility of its continuance in view of the miners’ attitude. The leaders must have known that the industry must be reorganised, and for that reason it was necessary to devise an alternative to standing by while thousands starved on a slogan, the adoption of which meant throwing out of work 300,000 mine workers by closing the uneconomic mines. It was saner to allow a temporary reduction during reorganisation. The Council could not follow the policy of .negation of the miners’ executive under which the splendid response of the sympathetic strike would have evaporated by means of attrition, brought the unions to bankruptcy, and undermined their morale. No organisation is entitled to claim such a sacrifice and the continuance of the strike was utterly unjustified.” PARTING OF THE WAYS. LONDON, July 9 The National Union of Railwaymen’s Conference at Weymouth endorsed the executive’s decision not to take action in oonhection with the miners’ request to im. pose an embargo on coal.