Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1892-03-25
THE Big BRITISH STRIKE.
Over 100000 Stop Work in the
English Coal Fields.
Railroads and Factories Crippled
by Lack of Fuel.

A dispatch from Lon loa, Eny,anI says:
The majority of the coal fields in Great
Britain are idle. The grand total of m IN at
play is about A., 600. In Durham the men
to the number of 81, 900 are on strike against
reduction OF wages but in all the othe- dis
ricts the men have simply decide to take a
week. fortnight or even three weeks holi-
day IN order to restrict the output of coal
The colherieS of Lancashire Cheshire
Yorkshire, North Wales and other districts
are idle. The miners of Scotland. South
" ales anu northumberland are wOrkin:
quietly.
The miners of Durham are holding en-,
thuslastlc meetings, an have resolved that
under no circumstances will they Weld tc
the proposed reduction.
This movement on the part of the miners
has caused the greatest disturbance in the
British labor world, AMI ir the manufacture
ing centerS that has been known since the
American Civil War when SO many hun.
dreds of thousands of the cotton operatives
of Lancashire would have starved but for a
boundleSs CHARITY.
The Miners Federation has led in the
strike movement. 1t claims the exclusive
honor of having forced the miners wages
forty per cent. above the rates o. 1888. Thu
advance was wruug from the masters in
successive drIblets of ten per cents. and five
per cents. The last inStallment of the forty
per cent.-that IS to say, the concession OF
fifteen per cent.-made little more that p
year ago, was given in three sub-install-
mentS.
The miners outside of the Durham district
say that the present movem ant is not against
the reduction of wages, but to prevent the
reduction of wages at any time in the fu-
ture- They are afraid from the way that
the owners of collieries have been outbid-
ding each other for the custom, especially
OF large corporations, a general reduction
cannot be far off, and they have adopted
this method of raising prices
The latest b.egram in regard to the
strike, received just before this side of the
paper went to press, stated: Flntshire, ia
Wales, appears to be the only place where the
order of the Miners Federation to leave off
work has not been obeYed by the members
OF the association. The latest estimates of
the number of miners who are now idle place
the figure at $50 00O. Owing to the closing
down of other industries because Of the strike
fully 100000 men in other emplovments
have been thrown out of work.
The full effect of the strike will not be felt
In many cases manufacturers
who have large coal stocks will endeavor to
tide over week stoppage, but it the strike
exceeds a week in duration their supply will
soon be exhausted and they will be COM
oelled to shut down. Fifteen thousand coal
1liners are idle in North Statfordshire. I'm
ess they resume work in few days the pot
cries will be compelled to close down, throw
ng oO, OOO men out of work.
The miners who have stopped work are
observing the ''strike' purely as holiday.
large numbers Of them are taking advan-
age OF their ldleness to leave the districts
n which they work, and to visit friends
lsewnere. There is no excitement what
yer.
The Northeastern Railway will withdraw
~ passenger trains from its lines because
# lack Of fuel, and will reduce work in its
to tour days a week.
The Lon Ion gas companies report that they
AVE coal enough to last month. The
shipping Federation is preparing to meet
he London coal porters' refusal to unload
orelgn coal. Agents of coal firms are
egotiating in Francs for supplies
rom Pas-deCalais companies Cargoes
coal are being shipped from Ant
7erp The dock laborers in London and
antwerp are not allowed to know whence |
ne coal came or whittier it is going In the
leeds district the strike is severely felt
early all the large mills and the iron nd
eel works are reduoing the numoer of their
nplOyes, or suspending work alto yeth err