Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-03-19
ENGLISH MINERS 60 OUT
Three Hundred thousand Quit
Work at Noon.
No Coal Production for Two Weeks--Pricet
TO lie Forced Up to Prevent the Cut
ting of Wages - The Move
WiH Affect Millions.

LONDON, March 12.-ht noon today
the greatest strike of coal miners in
the history of this country, or for tina:
matter of the world, will be inaugu
rated.
Nearly 300, 900 men will have their
time on their hands on Monday
morning.
They are all members of the Miners
Federation of Great Britain, which in
cludes Yorkshire, Le~icestershire, North
and South Staffordshire, Derbyshlre,
Nottinghamshire, Monmouthshire,
north Wales and Cumberland
AS a matter of fact the strike is not
a strike, hut n closure, the miners
quitting work for two weeks. Their
object in doing this is to bring about a
coal famine SO that the employers will
have no excuse for reducing wages, as
they have threatened to do. So far as
the famine is concerned it may be said
to have already commenced, for coal
has gone up to an enormous figure,
and factory after factory in the lead
ing trade centers has been compelled
to shut down. The poor people who
are compelled TO buy then coal in
small quantities are suffering terribly.
while the weather is unusually lncle-
nlent for this time of year. Moreover,
before three days have elapsed there
will be an almost entire cessation of
labor in most of the great industrial
~centers, including Bristol, Manchester,
birmingham, Leeds, London and Liver
pool,
All the rolling mills and cutlery es-
adjustments in Sheffield will shut
down on Monday and SO will vast en-
cheering establishments, iron foun-
dries, soap manufactures and cotton
and wooden mills by the score. The
total number Of people that will tenn
porarily be thrown out of employment
in the strike, If the closure continues,
cannot be estimated, but it will GER
tainly run into the millions. Many Of
the mine owners have given notice
Thai they will not start up again eX-
cept at n reduction of So to 10 per
cent.
The miners have a reserve fund of
several millions of dollars and will not
bllN WIN II NiiN SAA hk X ~ Nv "a
beyond the period 10 designated.
Spectators are taking advantage of
existing conditions, and already the
price of bread has been advanced in
many parts of the country. even where
the bakers have stocks OF Goa on
hand. Agents OF many big manufac-
turtles have been purchasing supplies
in Belgium, France and Germany, but
AIn 49, .,a . - q. - .aa1.,l
with the miners, and threats have
been made that they will no
only refuse to unload any imported
coal, but will boycott the lines by
which it may be brought in. Public
sentiment is largely with the miners,
although there is an undercurrent of
feeling that it is dangerous for any or
ganization of labor to take a step
fraught with suffering and possibly
destitution to hundreds of thousands
of fellow beings in other trades.
Probably the sentiment in their favor
is largely due to the fact that IL has
been demonstrated that the mine own
ers are already receiving what, in my
other business. would be regarded as a
very fair profit, and that consequently
there is no ground for their allegation
that coal is too cheap for profit and
that wages must Oe rcouvva.
The outcome will be watched with
more interest than has ever before at
tached to a labor movement. At the
clubs frequented by the upper ten
there is n question of invoking the in
reference of the government, al
though just how this a be accom-
plished one of those pressing it seem
to know. A general election is not
very far off, and even the tory govern
ment would be slow IN making q mov
that would tend toward bringing
against it the combined effort of the
trade unionists of the entire kingdom,
The miners federation has issued an
address to all its members urging them
to maintain order and keep the peace
in order that there may not be the
slightest ground for invoking the in
reference of the authorities.