The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-18
Weeks Gossip of England
nY w. HAMILTON RHODES.
mEMDwI mIEWIEmuml mlaMIHm mIHmIHs

London. Oct. 17,-Engiand Is now facing a grave crisis in all of her In dustrial centres on account of the un- employment of thousands upon thou- aands of workers who are on the verge of starvation with their tamliles anu other dependents.
 America. fortunately for herself. has haen able to send over 100000 alien workers to their homes In Europe, put England is obliged to care Tor all Who are out of work in her own territory.
 The problem facing the municipal government authorities Is thus greatly aggravated, and unless trade improves materially within a short time the re- sults cannot be predicted, but one thing is certain--the situation Is both se- rious and menacing besides being dis' tressful In the extreme. Disturbances more or less serious, have already oc- cured in Manchester, Liverpool anu Glasgow.
 While . meeting was in progress Tn the town hall at Manchester to con- sIder relief measures. the unemployed, to the number of many thousands as- sembled in the Albert-square outside. The pressure was so great that sev- eral shop windows were smashed, and at one time the demeanor 'of the mop was so threatening that raid on the town hall was feared.
 As a precaution all the entrances were locked and barred. There was large force of police on duty for the occasion but in spite of all their ef- forts little short of riot took place. The trans passing through the square were stopped and attacked, one or them having the electrical machinery so badly damaged that 1t had to be dragged back to the depot. The po- lice themselves were very roughly handled. while hand-to-hand fighting went on all round. The ordinary ve- hicuIar traffic was stopped and pedes- Arians found 1t impossible to make their way through the mobs By the time the meeting was over, however, matters had Quieted down. and even tually the square was cleared.
 At the meeting in the town hall the Lord Mayor announced that John Burns had promised that sanction would be given to the corporation loan of s250.00o to provide work for the un- employed. The corporation. said the Lord Mayor. were employing 75D men now. and hoped by the end of this week to employ 300 more. Preference would be given to married men.
 A letter was read from the Bishop of Manchester promising to devote of fertories in connection with the forth
 
 ployed fund. It was decided to. open subscription lists, and the Lord Mayor promised a contribution of $1,250. The public fund now amounted to about e1o,000. In Manchester alone the mum. Der of men without work Is now es- $imated to be 60.000.
 DemOnstRatiOn in Glasgow.
 There was another demonstration of unemployed in Glasgow. Several thousand men and women gathered in George-square, in front of the mu- nicipal buildings, and addresses were delivered by the Socialist leaders who have been carrying on the agitation.
 Among the speakers was R. BI Cum ninghame Graham. who afterwards headed a deputation to the town coun- ell, to the members of which he said that he would not have been present, but that he believed they were face to face with nothing less than a break down of the commercial and social system under which they lived
 q Before winter came to an end they would be faced with a serious phe- nomenon. It was impossible. he said 1hat men could walk about Glasgow with It's banks full of money and stores full of clothes. with despair in their hearts, without something serious happening. There were murmurs of dissent, but MT. Graham retorted that ne was aware of the responsibility he incurred In saying what he did. The Lord Provost. in his reply, referred to the Increase of drunkenness in ths city during the past year. and this re- mark was fastened on by members of the deputation, who afterwards har- anged the crowd in the square.
 Ohe speaker said the inference was that the major portion of their pow erty was due to incorporate habits ana declared that his lordship was a deliberate liar. After the meeting a crowd marched through the streets and Socialist songs were sung.
 me evidence as to the extent of un- employment and distress arising from It In Liverpool Is less full ana nre. cise than that for Manchester. but 1t ts suInclent: and 'though the case has been less obtrusive or less widely ad. verdsed. it would be rash to say that the need is less. Liverpool is nres eminently a port, dependent on shin. ping and dock work. and 1t has con sequently an excessively large propor- ton of unskilled labor, irregularly em-