The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-03-13
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STRIKE OF THE MINERS.
TIE BIG LOCKOUT IN ENGLAND
UNDER WAY.


The Membership OF the Federation
About 2eo,ooo-Ths Eight-aour
Movements TO Come Up at the Con-
ference to Be Held at London on
Wednesday Next
LONDON, March 12-The great coal
miners strike was innugurated to-day in
accordauce with the plan OF the miners
federation. At o'clock this afternoon the
men employed In tho mines in Lancashire.
Cheshire and Yorkshire. stopped work and
the ponies we're removed from the pits. The
only men now at work are the surface men.
bumpers, ventilator attendants, etc., whom
the federation has not oalled out In DUR
ham mining work has ais completely
stopped. Twenty thousand miners In Not
tingham quit work at noon to-day. When
they came out of the pits they brought their
tools with them. Wooden barricades are
being built around the mouth of the pits in
Durham, and none Of the miner will be al
lowed insld ethe Enclosures. Many Of the
large industrial establishments in Leeds
and Manchester, and on the Tee side and
Tyne side aud other places in the vicinity OF
the collieries damped their fires when the
operatives left their work this afternoon.
This means that work will not be resumed
Monday. the manufacturers refusing 20 pay
the extraordinary prices now demanded for
coal
SNOW AT THE MOUTH OF THE PITS.
The weather to-day is stormy and snow
lies several inches deep about the oollieries.
This afternoon delegates from all the COL
lieries In the county OF Durham met In the
town OF Durham and finally decided that
they would submit to no reduction in their
wages. The Durham ami Northumberland
miners are not members Of the miners feds
GRAFTON but have an organization of their
own, the matte nal union. This union and
the miners federation OF Great Britain and
Ireland are entirely distinct, and they do
not work together In all things.
CAUSE OF THE STRIKE.
To put the matter OF the so-called strike
briefly the question at issue between the
owners aud miners is one and the same. buA
there are sever al solutions OF il. The quess
tion was reduction of wages. In some
cases the owners proposal Of a reduction
was met by fiat refusal on the part of the
men; IN others ii was met by a counter pros
posal TO reduce temporarily tho number OF
weekly working days to five; In others
again IL was met by proposal 70 stop work.
altogether for certain time. The second
and third proposals were based on the prin-
ciple that a reduction of The output would,
by causing rise in prices. obviate the ne
cessity of a reduction in wages The third
proposal is that which the federation has
adopted.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE FEDERATION
The membership Of the federation is
enormous. 1t comprises about 2S0,000
miners, OF whom 100000 are 'bottom
workers." the remaining 10000 being
employed on the surface, or at the
''pit tank" as It IS called. This vast
number of workers Is scattered over York
shire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottingham,
Staffordshire, Somerset. Gloucestershire.
Cumberland, Leicestefsnire ana North
Wales. The federation delegates who men
sometime ago at the Manchester confer
ence represented 175,000 working miners.
The conference TO be held on Wednesday
next will take place in London. The state-
ments that the strike will last a week, aud
fortnight. are little more than guesses.
THE EIGHT HOUR MOVEMENT.
There is special and immediate reason for
selecting London as the place for the next
conference, namely, the expected parlia-
mentary discussion of the eight hours bill.
Mr.. Parrott, a leader In the federation, In
speaking Of the demand for an eight-hour
day, said: "rhe choice lies between a par>
iiamentary act and recourse to strikes. We
want to avoid the harsh and costly plan of
strikes. In agitating for an eight
hours day we are consulting the
interests of the owners as well as our owns
Only an act OF parliament can protect those
owners who are willing to try the eight4
hours day against their rivals who are ops
posed to limitation, legislative or Others
wise. The other scheme of the federation
is to rescue women from the rough, de-
moralzing and uneconomic labor OF the pit
mouth.
THE ISSUE IN DURHAM.
The main question at issue I'm Durham
and Northu nberland was not whether.the
output should be reduced, but whether the
men should accept the owners offer OF re-
duced wages. To the first offer Of reducs
tion OF 10 per cent. the men replied with a
threat OF a strike. They were almost unani-
nous in rejecting the suggestion of arbitra-
ton, and their action to-day shows that
they intend 70 fight the masters with tho
only weapon at their hands, strike.
DANGER OF A WATER FAMINE.
Hitherto most of the water used by the
families OF the miners In their houses has
been obtained from the mines, the pumps
there furnishing them with an abundant
supply. 1t is now feared that water
famine will follow cessation Of work.
Women and children are procuring water
from every available source and storing 10
In all kinds OF receptacles in their houses.
The miners have plenty of coal, as the mas
ters have allowed them to provide theul-