The herald., 1896-09-06
A Worlds Labor Congress no
Meet Monday
CONTEMPLATED STRIKE
Involving All the Dock Laborers in
the World
Secretary chamberiain's Visit to the United
States May Settle the Much Discussed
Venezuela Question
Associated Press Special Wire

LONDON, Sept. Sit is reported
among the delegates to the trades union
congress which opens in Edinburgh on
Monday next, that all plans for gigan-
tic strike of the dock laborers of the
world at large has been perfected in
everything but the minutest details, and
the most important labor movement
ever conceived may be commenced this
autumn.
The trades union men who do work
at the ports of the United Kingdom
have been working on this scheme for
long time, and it is looked upon as like
ly to be signal for new era, not only
in the history of trades unionism, but
in the history of all labor organiza-
tions or secret societies. Since 1889
every strike for better wages or shorter
hours at any port in the United King
dom has practically come to nothing
because when the men went out at any
particular port the trade of that place
has been transferred for the time be-
ing to some other British or continent
tai port, and the strikers have been
compelled to surrender.
The present plan is designed to pre-
classes of laborers employed on or about
the docks, ships, wharves and ware
houses in the United Kingdom, United
States, Canada, Germany, France. Hol-
land Belgium, and Australia, as well as
other countries, in one great new fed
Grafton.
It's members are to wear a specific
badge and the cardinal principle of
membership will be to stand firmly
united and implicitly obey the instruc-
tions governing the council in spite OF
everything and everybody. Through
out the whole world the members of this
federation will be pledged to uphold
strikes of any section of the federation
by striking in sympathy and remaining
out until told to return to work.
The scheme is so gigantic in scope and
may have such far-reaching conse-
quences that it is attracting attention
on all sides and is seriously considered
by the Lawmakers Of Great Britain who
see in it great danger which may have
to be met by radical measures. The
strike is to be principally against the
piece-work system.
"Tom" Mann, one of the leaders of the
movement, was interviewed by the rep
resentative of the Associated Press. He
said: 1.-THE organization which is con-
trolling this movement is called the
International Federation of Ships, Docks
and Rivers. In the United States our
proposition met with a cordial recep-
ton from President Gompers, who has
Thoroughly distributed our literature
in the proper quarters. The dock labor
ers and other members of the federation
in America will quit work at the same
hour, and our continental brethren will
also lay down their tasks. If we wait
until we have 7s0, 900 men enrolled there
will be no need for a strike, as the en-
ployers will yield in the face Of threat
of a general paralysis Of the shipping
business in the whole world. 1t has been
proposed that the general strike shall
commence on September goth, next, but
l hope that will not be the case"
The letter which appeared in the Lon
don Times of Wednesday last written
by Lord Colville of Sulross, remonstrat-
ing against the alleged excessive speed
of modern transatlantic steamships Is
attracting considerable attention.
1t is stated that the attention of the
admiralty has been brought to the let
immediate steps to regulate the speed
of steamships in the Solent. According
to a writer in the Scotsman, owing to the
representations from that locality, the
admiralty, a couple of years ago. in
duced the German steamers to go slow
through Cowes roads, owing to the risks
incurred by bathers and small craft.
1t is now alleged that the American
liners go at full speed through Cowes
roads and member of the Cowes urban
council asserts that the wash of one of
the American steamers broke across the
esplanade at Cowes, invading a hotel
facing the sea, and he adds that fire.
quent complaints have been made on the
subject to the local authorities, who
claimed that the requisite safety could
be secured by adding only a quarter of
an hour to the transatlantic voyage. In
uuiry made here at the office of the
American line and the German lines
shows these statements to be utterly un-
founded and evidently based on oppo-
sition TO the foreign steamships them
selves and not to their speed. At all the
offices 1t was distinctly stated that the
Atlantic steamers never go at full speed
through Cowes roads.
In spite of the official statements to
the effect that the visit of the secretary
for the colonies. Mr.. Joseph Chamber
lain, to the United States is purely
personal trip, it is learned he will make
a point of seeing Secretary Olney. The
British ambassador at Washington, Sir
Julian Paunceforte, is still in England,
and therefore there is nothing to pre-
vent Mr.. Chamberlain from personally
settling the Venezuelan question with
Mr.. Olney
The deputy Of the late Russian min
lister for foreign affairs, Chickine, who
on the death of Prince Lobanoff- -Ros-
tovsky was made acting minister of
foreign affairs, and is now with the czar,
will, it is said, possibly be made his per-
manent successor. Chickine is an ex-
perienced diplomat, formerly Russian
minister at Washington. In other quar-
ters, however, it is said the czar selected
Gen. Count Won Schouvaloff, the gov
general of Russian Poland, who
suffered from paralytic stroke almost
Immediately afterwards. The generals
illness is regarded by the superstitious
as another proof that nothira o. b,,t ;I1-