Coal Strike Sidelights.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLVII, Issue 19, 8 May 1912, Page 5

Coal Strike Sidelights.

IDLE millions. LONDON, March 23. The railway companies, especially those having a large mineral traffic, are feeling the effects of the strike very badly. They have—most of them —effected economies by cutting down their goods and passenger services drastically, but, even so, they are losing heavily. During the past two weeks alone the takings of the chief railway companies of the United Kingdom were over a million pounds below the normal, the chief sufferers being the North Eastern, the returns for which were £165,000 down; the Midland, with a deficit of nearly £150,000; the North Western, With £136,W0; the Great Western, 1X120,000; the Great Northern, £65.000; the Great Central, £80,000; the North British, £73.000; and the Caledonian, (£75,000. The only railways showing an increase in takings were London lines — the District, the London Electric and the Tilbury lines, which benefited to a small extent by the cutting down of the tramway services. But in no case did the increase reach £350 a week. Many of the railway companies have issued notices of funner reductions oi their already sadly depleted services, and the outlook for business men who live beyond the ‘bus and tram served area is disquieting. We have got quite used during the past fortnight to coming up to town fourteen or fifteen in compartments designed for eight or ten, and to riding in luggage and milk vans packed like sardines on the lines coming into London from the south; but it there are further serious reductions in the suburban services it will be a case of taking “‘Shanks's pony” to town and back, or investing in bicycles. The strike has not thus far materially affected London's food supplies. nor has it yet rendered the companies -upplying gas and electricity to the community incapable of fulfilling their obligations; indeed, most of the companies are in a position to promi-e full sup. plies for several weeks to come. The middle-class householder in the metropolis has indeed suffered little sn convenience from the coal-war up to the present. Be has had to pay slightly enhanced prices for some of the necessaries of lire, and has been put to some inconvenience in the matter of travel, but on the whole he has come off very well as compared with the labouring classes, thousands upon thousands of whom have been directly affected by the strike, either having been thrown out of employment or placed on short time. These unfortunates embrace almost every class of workers from highly skilled mechanics down to "monkeyLarge" men. and many —probably the majority—of the workless have no union fund to fall back upon, or belong to unions that are not in a position to distribute "more than four or five shillings a week out-of-work pay, and that only for a very limited period. In some quarters of London the distress caused by the coal strike has become acute and must rapidly be -ome more so if the mines remain closed. Every day sees more factories closing down or making drastic reductions in their staffs or working hours, owing to the inability of emplovers either to oblaln raw material or to the fact th»t their productions are being held up in Consequence of the shortage in th“ good* train service* of the country. Many employers who laid in ample storks of coal to meet their needs for weeks to

come, and others who are not dependent on coal for power, have had to shut up shop on these accounts. From all porta of the country ror.3 terrible tales of the privation and mi-err caused by the strike. The Poor Law authorities are making every effort to minimise the distress, and especially to prevent the children feeling the full effects of the crisis. In some quarters the little ones are being fed on a wholesale scale by the guardians; indeed, in some districts where the people are practically entirely dependent on the mines, the Poor Law authorities are the unpaid caterers for the community. And the bill they will presently present to the ratepayers will be a big one —a nasty jar to those householders who, because they have not yet found their pockets seriously affected, are suggesting that it would be well to let the miners and mine-owners fight it out to the bitter end. THE UNEMPLOYED. It is impossible to give accurate figures of the actual number of people who are to-day workless owing to the strike, but the accepted estimates for the different trades show that the total cannot be far short of two millions. The tables prepared are interesting. as showing some of the ramifications of the eoal war. They do not show all of them, for the unclassified workers include clerks, commercial travellers —hundreds of these have been taken “off the road" —, barmen and barmaids, stable bands, motor lorry drivers, tram drivers and conductors. shop assistants and unskilled work er of every description. The number of these people affected can only be guessed at; but the most conservative guessera put the figures at 50.000. In those trades where it is possible to take an approximate census the estimates to-day are as follows: — Miners 1.039.<«» Steel. Iron, and T::.piate Wackers Textile Workers . . t*\o» Dockers and Kindred Workers . . 70. WM Pottery Workers - - — 60.000 Sailors. Trimmers, etc. sM.OOO P’::id:ve Trade. Briekmakers. etc. 30.000 Jute Workers 25.000 <as works Employees Engineers 14.000 Coal Porters ......... 11.0*1 Lace Workers S.Ot>> Fishermen a '*«*> Lindecm Factory Hands 6.500 Confectionery Trades -— 3.500 Quarrysueu 3.500 Chainmakers 3.000 Glass Workers — 3.000 Pit Prop Makers - 3.0» Soap Factory Hands 2.600 Chemical Fa-lory Hands .. ..... 2.500 Agrsenitwral Implement Makers . 2dX» Cab’ie and Rope Makers . !.«>» Fnclasssfied sO.ffi» Total 1.535.-»> Every day will see big additions to this already monstrous total, and it is estimated that if the strike lasts for another week England's unemployed will r-ach the staggering total of two and a-half millions. Of the-e probably a million will not be receiving anything from unions, and half that number will only be getting a few shillings a week. Not all these unfortunates will find it necessary to call upon the Poor Law authorities immediately for relief, but the majority will probably have to be helped in some degree by the State, if they are to keen body and soul together