New-York tribune., 1911-11-05
Anglo american Memories
CXIIV.
PERSONAL MEMORIES VIEWS OF THE RAILWAY
Copyright. 1911. oeorr. w. small.y5
London. October 3. ytbe covsrr

land. and so It came about that l had a
u,tle personal experience of the recent
railway strike and OF what is meant by
settlement" 1 use the word settle
ment. because you must have been as
sured by cable that the strike had been
settled" 1 was to have gone by the
Midland night express to Stranraer. leav-
ing ST. Psncras at S:15 p. m. on Thurs
day, August II. But the strike was
stranraer- Larne route is one chief means
Of communication between England and
the North of Ireland. There was no
train on Friday. On Saturday the strike
had been settled" but still the Midland
authorities did not find themselves in a
position to dispatch from st. Pancras the
S:1J p m. express to Stranraer. 1t was
not till Monday evening that this service
was resumed, and even on Monday
morning the station master doubted
whether the train would leave. But it
did leave. and ] made the journey by
that train to Stranraer, though it was
not quite the usual journey.
It is a very good service in its normal
state. The Midland Is one of the most
enterprising of English railways. skilful
in Competing for popular support. There
are sleeping cars in which, by payment
Of 81 30, you may have an excellent COM
partment 10 yourself, including berth,
lavatory, electric lights by which you
can read comfortably. and sll those other
little conveniences common on a good
English railway and seldom found in
America. I seem to remember that from
New York TO Washington, about half the
distance from London to Stranraer,
used 10 pay 81 for drawing room" in
red velvet and gold; the only compart-
ments to be had in Pullman car unle-s
you liked TO sleep promiscuously in COM
pany with some twenty other human
beings of both sexes, content with the
privacy of d curtain shared with some
other human being male or female. as
the case might be, in an upper CT lower
berth. With air to breathe which all night
long was churned through the lungs of
gender. in short, having regard to dis
tance, You pay in England for decency
and comfort about one-siXth Of the Pull
man rate for their drawing room" 20
Washington. and for a whole compart-
ment about half the price of a Pullman
berth, neither decent nor comfortable.
Bu, on this Monday sleep was inter-
rupted. The express train became a
stopping train. When l rang for the
conductor 10 ask why. was told that the
strikers were holding up the train and
peacefully picketing' the engine drivers
Peaceful piCketing in this instance ap-
pearcd to consist first in ordering the
engine driver TO leave his engine and
when he refused. pulling him eff the
iootplate. or trying 10. That is what
was meant by the strike being Settled. 3"
But the delays, though frequent. were
no, serious. and we arrived at Stranraer
only an hour or so late. With the result.
however that we missed all connections
On the Irish side to Londonderry. where
] was met by a motor, and so reached
nv friends place in Donegal. forty miles
further. seven hours late.
on what has happened since I saw
nothing but a memory of what occurred
during the original strike NAV still in
terest YOU, and there are one or two ner-
sonal matters that may be dealt with
briefly. Indeed, there are MANY moro
han one or two that might prove illur,i-
hating, should there ever be time 10 dis
cuss them
Sir George Askwith. II whom I wrote
lately was so conspicuous q figure in
, connection with the recent strike that
many people seem to think he was the
only figure. But that is not quite so
To him was intrusted by the 3oard of
Trade the greater part of the negotia-
tons with the strikers and the railway
companic-. and he conducted them with
= skill none the less remarkable because
they ought never 10 have been conduct
ed by anybody: with or without skill
But there were critical moments when
other officials took up the running. and
one moment above all when one of the
great gods OF the modern political world
eescended from the machine to take
charge Of these mortal affairs I don't
think this inner story has been in
print. nor was the present Irish sequel
~ the English railway strikes. direct
and inevitable though II was. then fore
seen. But I will venture 10 offer YOU the
story, as heard IT, Of the method by
which the representatives Of the rail-
way companies were induced TO meet
though only in presence of and for the
purpose Of negotiation with the Board
Of Trade officials-the Trade Union lead
ers who were leaders of the strike.
The two representatives Of the rail-
way companies for the purposes Of COM
nunication with the Board Of Trade
we're Mr.. Claughton, chairman of the
London and North Western, and Sir Guy
Granet. general manager Of the Midland;
two Of the leading railways of Great
Britain. It was perfectly understood
that they were to negotiate with the
Government and not with the strike
leaders; nor in any way TO recognize the
trade unions. since recognition Of the
trade unions would mean ultimately con-
troll Of the railways by the trade unions.
the overturn Of discipline and immeas-
urable disaster. But all at once the
Chancellor Of the Exchequer appeared
On the scene.
Can II be necessary TO explain to any
human being that the Chancellor Of the