“AWFUL BUSINESS.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12757, 29 September 1919, Page 5

“AWFUL BUSINESS.”

THE-RMLWAY' STRIKE. “A CHALLENGE TO THE STATE.” WIDESPREAD PARALiSATIOH. LLOYD GEORGE’S ACCUSATION. LONDON, September 37. Mr Lloyd George,, in a statement, says that the strike’s precipitancy is . an indication of the deliberate intention of some individuals to force a quarrel at any cost. The strike was engineered by a small body of men seeking, to exploit labour for subversive ends, HISTORY OF THE DISPUTE. LONDON, September 26. The strike negotiations were originally conducted by. Sir Auckland Geddes. but when the Transport Ministry was involved Sir Eric Geddes took up the negotiations, and suggested a meeting of the parties. Directly the seriousness of the situation was realised Mr Lloyd George was called in. Prior to this week’s negotiations nil workers were receiving pre-war pay El us thirty-three shillings per week war onus. The railwaymen claim this should be permanent. Thp Government refused to accept this principle, offering instead a forty shillings minimum per week compared with eighteen, the pre-war rate. The Government also drafted a new scale aiming generally at giving 100 per cent advance to all grades. According to the March agreement the war bonus wag to cease at the end of the year, hut to-day the Government offered a prolonged bonus until tljp cost of living, which is now 115 per cent above the pre-war rate, falls to 110, and remains at that level for three months. This practically gave six months for negotiations, but the men rejected the offer. The Government pointed oat that contrary to Mr Thomas’s assertions the agreement with the locomotive section did not embody the principle that the war bonus should continue permanently. While it was true that the wages of drivers and firemen were fixed on this basis, cleaners under the same agreement received a ; smaller sum. The March agreement specially stated that the new perman- ■ ont wage should consist of the pre-war wage and part of the war bonus. The agreement did not contemplate the inelusion of the whole war bonus. It is pointed out that prior to the war the railways wage bill amounted to fortyseven millions annually. An increase of 100 per cent in wages and the extra cost involved as the result of recent legislation for a shorter day represen: s • a further sixty-seven millions.* It is estimated that the men’s new claims would cost an additional fourteen millions. A terowd besieged Downing Street throughout the day, necessitating the services of mounted police to clear the . .street. The Prime Minister was cheered when leaving the conference. General Fielding, commanding the London district, attended the meeting of Cabinet. TRIPLE ALLIANCE MUST COME IN. ; Mr Williams, secretary of the Trans- 1 porters’ union, declares that the strike will automatically involve the Triple Alliance, thus paralysing the whole country. The actual strikers are expected to number 564,800, and the total rendered idle will he about a million. \ GOVERNMENT PRECAUTIONS. The war time restrictions on the usage of petrol have been restored. The Government is calling upon demobilised volunteers to help to mamtain order. NO ROOM FOR NEGOTIATIONS. The official view is that there is no further loophole for negotiations. The railwaymen have slammed the door in tiro Cabinet’s face. , The Cabinet summoned Earl Haig f after the negotiations failed, and ho remained in consultation with the Cabinet for two hours. EMERGENCY ORGANISATION. The Government has issued an urgent appeal for volunteer motor drivers to carry food. The principal war time food restrictions have been reimpeaed. The Government has also specially prepared organisation for rationing food, if necessary, the distribution of food will be carried out by the compulsory acquisition of motor vehicles, for this purpose. Railway officials despair of even a skeleton services. They state that the clerks and others are now strongly organised, and there is little hope that they will perform the strikers’ duties. , / The Post Office officials have requested and obtained an official assurance that they will not he asked to do railwaymen’a work. Special constables \ are warned to be ready, and the Gov--1 eminent has taken powers to commandeer all vehicles and horses. TRANSPORT UNION’S ATTITUDE. Mr Bromley; Secretary of the Transport Union, states that until Tuesday he and his executive did not know of tire difficulties between the Government and the National Union Executive. He received Mr Thomas’s statement of their demands, and the Government’s offer, on Thursday after- ■ noon, and wrote to Mr Thomas twentyfour hours later, stating that the executive had resolved that in view of the lutes of pay ruling in other industries the Government’s offer was totally inadequate to meet the existing, cost of living, and had decided to extend any support necessary to bring the movement to a successful issue. Mr Bromley refuses ,to state whether the members of his union will also strike at midnight, but his executive is now sitting to formulate arrangements to carry out its resolution. A full Cabinet meeting, held late in ihe afternoon, considered the situation in consultation with the raQwav executive and managers. EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE. , LONDON, September 37. Not a single train is running Ihroughoat the country. The omnibuses and tramways in London are running a full service, , hut are quite inadequate to meet the demands. Queues a hundred yards long are waiting at starting places from'early hours, and many thousands are compelled to tramp from distant suburbs- Many travelled on motor lorries, horse waggons and bicycles, the multiplication of vehicles causing congestion in some streets. There have been several acddents. The groat strike began in ■ i:iany centres before midnight. Through the absence of night staffs many long- - trains fully loaded with passengers cancelled xheir running owing to .the absence of the signalmen.

FURTHER GOVERNMENT ACTION Naval week-end leave has been cancelled. _ The Government has imposed restrictions upon the use of gas and electric lighting in order to conserve coal, which is being stringently rationed to dwellings. The Board of Trade has warned the public that it may be necessary to stop coal transport entirely in the interests cf food transport. The Government at presentdocs not intend to provide trains with, military crews, but may do‘so for the transport of food. Existing stocks of petrol are ample, and arrangements are being made for an increase in the imports tlicreof. SPECULATIONS ON THE OUTLOOK. Though some anticipate a short, sharp struggle, there is grave danger that the entire Triple Alliance will be involved, and serious as a consequences the_N atioaal Union's action must in©vitisbly hi?, a feeling exists that the country wise/ now be faced with an industriail situation of appalling and possibly unprecedented magnitude, and that the railwaymen have struck the first blow in a trial of strength in which other tradeg_unions are only too willing to lend support. It may later be found that this dispute is being fought on the test question of whether the general high level of wages arising from - the special circumstances ox the war shall henceforth' be regarded as the standard- It- is notoworthy thS xur Thomas, in justification of the union’s standpoint, repeatedly insisted upon the standardisation of all grades on the same basis as had been conceded to the Associated Societies of Locomotive Men. Standardisation on these fines is the burden of his correspondence ■ with Sir Auckland Geddes. Observers in touch with labour circles declare that the determination to maintain wage standards at the present level exists throughout the ranks of organised labour, ©specially in the industrial north where there is serious .danger that the' Government’s stand against the railwaymen may b© i n . terpreted by other workers as a declaration of industrial war. There are already disquieting symptoms of this and there is every reason to fear that the transporters will throw in their lot if requested. . of a general TRANSPORT STRIKE. Mr Williams is one of the extremist labour leaders, but probably knows the sentiments of the rank and file in a dispute of this nature. The strike developed so suddenly that few indications exist of the transporters’ leanThe only utterance apart from is that of the secretary of the London section, who declares that vehicle workers are not likely to blacKleg against the railwaymen. The extension of the strike to dockers is equally liable. The Plymouth dockers lost no time in passing a resolution, declaring they will not blackleg against the railwaymen. Much depends upon the section of the Triple Alliance constitution relating to joint action. The full intervention of the Triple Alliance _ under ordinary circumstances would involve a matter of some little time,_ but the alliance thrashed out tiu question now disputed last March, when the country was faced by an imminent strike of railwaymen, miners and transporters. The settlement of the railwayman’s demands at that time averted the trial of strength, but the settlement was then conditional on tn© subsequent satisfaction of the railwa 4 ’- men’s demands for , standardisation, j-here is every likelihood therefore that the Alliance will regard the present dispute as a continuation of the earlier dispute, in which case Mr Williams’s intimation _of automatic joint action may speedily bo realised. . The Government, in pursuance of its declared policy of seeing the struggle through to a finish, is deriving considerable assistance from an organisation created in war time. Within a few hours of the strike decision emergency orders and regulations flowed in a rapid stream from a Gove,r!n?l®n*! Department differing only slightly from the war-time ordinances, it will be comparatively an easy matGr , te revise the war-time organisation, -nd much invaluable time will b© saved in the organisation of emergency transport by the vast supply of War Office motor lorries available. An important asset also is the register of private mo tofts suitable for transport wihich was compiled during the war to meet the, needs of a possible invasion, A POPULAR STRIKE. It is impossible to doubt that the strike is popular among railwaymen. Meetings in many centres received the decision with enthusiasm. At a mass meeting the secretary of the Rugby branch declared that the railwaymen were determined to wipe out the stain of the 1911 defeat. CORRESPONDENCE DISCLOSED. Mr Thomas discloses Sir Auckland Geddes s correspondence, showing that the crisis was practically inevitable from the outset- Sir Auckland Geddes, conveying the Government’s proposals on September 19, sent a covering letter containing the following studied phrase;—“ These proposals are not put forward as a basis for negotiations, but as a definite offer of the Government to the union. ’ The executive seems to have accepted this as a challenge. NEWSPAPER OPINION. It has been suggested that this is a misapprehension, but apart from the official Labour organs the newspapers are emphatic m declaring that the differences are so fundamental that it is unpossibio to talk of misunderstandings. The newspapers are in practically unanimity in considering that the men received a fair offer and that the strike therefore amounts to a challenge to the State, involving far more important issues than that of wages. It is a long-deferred struggle with direct action, which was, bound to come sooner or later. Accordingly * some newspapers breathe a sigh of relief, confident that the nation will b© witmg to endure inevitable hardships in order to remove a long-standing menace. “AN.AWFUL BUSINESS.” . Mr Thomas admits that the strike H an awful business and does not doubt that the Triple Alliance will come in. . H is suggested in many quarters that Parliament should be summoned. One reason given is that Parliament may devise a settlement. Ireland is not affected. ’BUSES AND TAXIS MAY JOIN. There will be a meeting of London provincial licensed vehicle workers tonight, and officials declare that the vote will support the railwaymen and buses, trams and taxis will cease to run after to-night. There was a gre«£ rush to clear the shops of tinned and tradesmen in the suburbs had* a great difficulty in getting fresh supplies. Milk from BujOingham an d other home countries was largely held up until lorries were sent to meet the local carts and other conveyances halfway. A fish porters’ sympathetic strike at Billingsgate seriously delayed the unloading of army lorries bringing supplies to market from termini.

A GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUE. LONDON, September 27. Earl Haig, Sir R. S. Home (Minister of Labour), Admiral Wemyss, Silane Geddes, Mr Long, Mr Winston Churchill and Mr G. H. Roberts (Minister of Food) attended a conference at the offices of the Council of Imperial Defence in Whitehall. Mr Churchill, Sir Erie Geddes and the railway managers subsequently conferred with Mr Lloyd George at Downing Street, whence, during the evening, the following communique was issued; Reports from the country, indicate that the stoppage of the train service is

complete. There have been few disturbances. The Government is rapidly organising road transport service to ensure food supply, and is receiving large numbers of offers of assistance from all parts, particularly from discharged soldiers and sailors and their organisation. DEMONSTRATION IN LONDON. LONDON, September 27A demonstration of railwaymen ,-.t the Albert Hall passed a resolution endorsing the executive’s action in calling the strike. Air J. H. Thomas, m a speech, declared that if Mr Lloyd George would say he was prepared to concede the same principle to the railway servants, the strike would cease immediately. MAY LAST A FORTNIGHT. LONDON, September 27. The duration of the strike is estimated in railway circles at a fortnight, if the Government remains adamant. DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD. The Government has taken over Hyde as a centre for food distribution for the London area. Milk, butter, vegetables and eggs are brought direct from the country to Hyde Park, and sent forthwith to scheduled districts in motor lorries under the direction of Air Force Country people brought produce to Plymouth over many miles of road. All sorts of conveyances were used for the distribution of food. Soldiers at Folkstoce assisted in carrying luggage and in loading coal and mails to enable cross-Chaniitl steamers to leave. Hundreds of telegrams have been received from the country, containing gratifying offers of motor-cars and drivers. A few hundred naval men have been drafted to London from Chatham, entrusted with motor lorries for distributing foodstuffs. POSTAL SERVICE TO BE RE-ESTABLISHED. ’ The postal service between London and the provinces will be re-established on Monday. Three-fourths of the Midland railway employees at the Darby carriage and waggon building and repairing works are idle. The platforms at Bristol were left piled with mails and perishable goods. Hundreds of workers were unable to reach Birmingham, Cardiff and other centres. OTHER INDUSTRIES AFFECTED The union officials claim that 350u railwaymen struck in South Wales. There are no workmen’s trains to the collieries in Avon Valley, and on Monday every pit will be idle. Steel and tinplate works must close in the absence of coal. The stoppage of English traffic seriously affects Belfast. The strike in Glasgow is complete, and supplies of coal are short, both industrial and domestic. The mills at Burnley will soon close because of lack of coal and material. There is muen inconvenience in Liverpool. Steps are being taken to keep the Mersey tunnel pumped. Seventeen thousand colliers and steelworkers at Neath have been rendered idle by the strike. The coal stocks will suffice for big local industries for a fortnight. IRISH APPROVAL. The Irish Trade Union Congress officially approves the strike, and has warned Irish workers to be ready to assist the strikers in everv possible way.