The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-19

adjourn as has been expected today but
 will continue prepared to adopt any emer- gency legislation the moment it IS neces-
 sary
 The board of trades peace negotiations
 were still in progress at 6:0 o'clock thls evening, but the prospects of an immedi-
 ate truce were admittedly unpromising- | Though the railroads were by no means tied up tonight the service was chaotic, de- spite the presence of troops with fixed bayonet
 At noon the strike order last night ty the Amalgamated Society of Railway Serv- ants and allied organizations of employees had been only a partial success. Some or the railway lines were operating very lew | trains while other roads the serNlee was practically normal.
 l The military held possession Of the sta 1 tions along the lines, but not for the pur- pose at present of Interfering in the strike except to protect men desiring to Nork and guard the property of the companies. Meantime the government continued US lefforts to avoid a general stop of the transportation of the country. Sydney
 Buxton, president of the board Of trade who had an early morning call rom Viscount Richard D. Haldane, secretary of state. again met the railway mana gers.
 The officials of the union were in ses- sion at Unity hall considering the gov ernment's suggestion for the appoint ment of a royal commission which could investigate and report what amendments if any should be made to the concihatloh agreement now existing between the owners and employees, expressed by Charles David Lloyd-George in the house of commons last night. When the sug- eestion of a royal commission was made by Premier Asquith yesterday it was ac- cepted by the managers but rejected py the men, who seemed to feel that such an arrangement would mean long oe- lay in the adjustment of their grievances.
 Troops Arrive
 Some 800 troops arrived in London during the night and early morning iouno them encamped at points where they were able to protect the lines Of com munication according to plan workeo out months ago by commission com posed of railroad men and military men appointed to adopt a scheme for pro tecting these lines in the event or Tor eign invasion.
 The plan worked perfectly last night and long before Londoners were about this morning the various military umts we're at their posts. Should the strike be- come general, the soldiers could help put little in moving the trains, as there ars only three companies of royal engineers They. however, are able to protect the roads and the men working The order to the military officers in this connection are strict There Is to be no firing over the heads of the mob in case or a r1ot, but after the riot act had been read, ball with 100 rounds of which each soldier has been supplied, are to be used.
 The troops were placed chiefly in the passenger and freight depots. and at the signal boxes some of which nave all ready been disconnected by wire cutting and attacked by stone throwers; and at the tunnels, bridges and workshops. At each point one or two men stood guard with drawn bayonets while the rest of the company busted themselves with the horses and acoutrements. Six hundred men guarded the general postoffices to prevent interference with the mail carts and further to emphasize the military con- trol in London.
 Tondon's elaborate underground system, including the Metropolitan district rail- roads, had difficulty in operating because of a strike of the men at one station Eastham-through which no trains could rass Thus at times traffic was held up for a considerable period.
 The union leaders this afternoon ex- press themselves satisfied with the result of the strike orders. They claimed that 200 900 men had quit work.
 James Henry Thomas, labor member of parliament for Derby and assistant secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, issued a state ment in which he asserted the strikers had almost paralyzed the whole railway system of the United Kingdom.
 The conditions in the provinves were somewhat more serious than in and a about London. Early in the day word came from Birmingham that West Eng land was completely cut off
 At Liverpool the choate was complete. With the exception of few incom- ing trains, all of which were late. tho train service at Liverpool was practi- cally suspended. The three passen- ger stations in that city were besieged with passengers and the platforms were piled high with baggage belonging chiefly to Americans who had gone there with the hope of securing pas sage to America on outgoing liners.
 The companies were compelled to dis continue selling tickets. Throughout Wales. where the unions are strong, there was almost a total stoppage of traffic No trains were able to get through to Fish Guard.
 As the day progressed more serious reports came in. Strikers took pos session of the railway line at Llanel- ly, a seaport of Wales, and succeeded in repulsing the police, who attempted to drive them off At several of the out of the way places In Wales signal boxes were burned.