The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-08-16
RIOTERS ARE SHOT
Fighting in Streets of Liverpool
Grows Out OF Strike.
Tie-Up of All the Railroads Now
Is Threatened.
ONE AFTER ANOTHER
Return of Street Car Men to
Work at Glasgow
Is Followed by Walkout Among
Dock LabOrers.


any abatement of the strike fever that
has spread through Great Britain today.
At some points such as the London
docks, conditions continued to improve
but this was offset by outbreaks else
where. With the exception OF at liver
pool where there was rioting nearly all
night the men generally are orderly,
anc beyond picketing and peaceably in
ducing men to join the unions, did not
| interfere with those desiring to work.
The fighting at Liverpool last night
which resulted in the death of two RI
Oters who were shot by HuSSdrS IN
defending five prison vans occupied by
riot prisoners whom the mob attempt
ed unSuccessfully to release, has not
! tended thus far to improve the S1tua-
tion except as it has helped to keep
the peaceably disposed outside the
strike area. This enables the police to
more easily handle those who were
causing trouble.
| This was particularly noticeable this
morning when the streets were quiet,
the riot ers having retired for a much
needed rest after the nights Datlle ara
| also probably to keep out of the way
of the strong forces opposed to them,
diers, however, prepared for renewal
of hostilties when night fell
Teams UnmOIested.
Today teams were busy removing
goods from the railway station to bus
| mess houses. They were .lnnOlested-
Along the dock, however, work was
/ at standStlll and the men showed an
ugly spirit. The continued rioting on
the Mersey port was not calculated to
restore confidence elsewhere and men
at other ports were refusing to dis
charge steamers diverted from Liver
pool. Glasgow for example, which had
/ lust disposed of a street railway strike
now has a dock strike as result II
men declining to remove a cargo OF
fruit from a steamer sent from the
| MarSey.
Another ominous sign was the choice
by the leaders of the railway workers
of Liverpool as the city from which to
direct the threatened general strike on
| the railways which was decided last
night by the executives of the Amalga-
mated society of railway servants, the
society of locomotive engineers and
fremen and the general railway work
ers' union to become effective Wlthh
"a hours unless in the interim the COM
panies express a willingness tc neSotl-
ate for a settlement of grievances.
Heretofore the railway strikes have
been managed usually from London or
| some central point in the north. The
threat to tie up all the railway lines
in the United Kingdom caused more
uneasiness than all the toher strike
! movements combined, for 1t was
! known that if the effort was successful
if would completely cut off the food
supply from the greater part of the
country. The government exerted
every influence to avert such calam-
ity.
Peacemakers at Work.
This forenoon Sydney Buxton, presi-
dent of the board of trade, conferred
with the managers of all the railroad
lines and in the afternoon he met the
leaders of the employees in the hope
| of bringing about a joint conference.
! The managers had insisted on adher-
ing to the system of Cancellation
boards with which the men are dis
satisfied. An arrangement through
| which the boards would deal more ex-
peditiously with the grievance Of the
| workers might lead to a settlement it
| was thought, and the members of the
board of trade worked along these
! lines.
Should the railway strike take place
the managers hope to maintain a par
tial service on ali lines and for months
| have been preparing fO- such an event.
They have already made up time
aid of nonunion men who compose
about three-fourths of the workers,
| The unions have about ITO, 900 mem
bers The residents of many of the
poorer districts are suffering from pro-
1onged idleness and in some sections
of London and the other large cities
where the husbands and wives equally
contribute to the support of their
ent on charity for food
The trade of Manchester has been
completely dislocated by the strike in
the transport service. Today the
signal men Joined the strikers pre-
venting the movement of trains, so
even if the teamsters were at work
there would be nothing for them to
transport.
The striking freight handlers at
Birmingham returned to work today.
There appeared to be no danger Of
a resumption of the dock strike at
London. The men were slowly re-
turning to their places and it was ex-
pected that normal conditions would
| prevail tomorrow. Smaller and spas
modic strikes which have broken out
in every variety of industry throughout
the country have caused the greatest
suffering as the poorest class is en-
gagged in these enp1oym ents and a few
days without work means that they
must go hungry.
today notified their superiors of their
determination not to handle trains EN-
ployed in conveying soldiers and police
through the strike areas
A report was current this afternoon
that the government was likely to re-
spond to this action of the men with a
proclamation of martial law on all rail-
ways ard replacing the strikers with
men from the Royal engineer army ser
. vice corps.
Passengers for Manchester were in
formed at the booking offices that rail
way companies were unable to guaran-
tee them transportation further than
Crewe which is about 25 <f-es south
J west of Manchester.
Nearly Out of Bread.
Liverpool, Aug. 16--Unless a rail-
way strike is averted, two days more
will find the bread supply of Liver
pool exhausted. The only bread now