APPEAL FOR PROTECTION

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1930, Page 7

APPEAL FOR PROTECTION

PERUVIAN MINE TROUBLE'

FOREIGNERS ENDANGERED THREAT UPON OIL FIELDS MILITARY LAW ENFORCED By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Lima (Peru), Nov. 21. The British Legation and the United States Embassy have asked the Government to send troops to protect foreigners at the Talera oil fields, where agitation is increasing owing to the disorders. The situation is regarded as grave. Seven thousand labourers there are employed by the national petroleum works of Canadian Standard Oil and the British Lobitos Oil Company. Earlier messages indicated that the trouble was due to the “insulting attitude” of foreigners to the Peruvians. The miners are reported to have been led in their attacks by “a white Peruvian woman named Grey,’’ who shouted for them to “kill the Yankees and drink their blood.” Refugees arrived at Lima on a train driven by a British miner named Knubsen, who assumed control and brought the train with great difficulty, owing to his being unfamiliar with engine driving. Military law has been invoked in Lima and other cities in Peru. Several Americans were fatally assaulted by the striking miners in the neighbourhood of Cerro de Pasco mines. >The United States has large copper an I gold mining interests m-this district, which is 15,000 ft above the sea level. British and American women and children are being moved out of the mining area. Authorities assert that the troubles are largely due to. Communistic influence among the native miners or Serranos, who are invariably susceptible to the influences of political labour agitators. These ' have recently been inciting trouble owing to the closure of mines following the drop of metal prices.