Omaha daily bee., 1911-08-17
STRIKE SITUATION is ACUTE
Ultimatum Of Railroad Workers Will
.. Expire at Eight A. NJ.
RAILROADS WILL NOT YIELD
Men at Several Centers Also An
nounce that They WIN Not Handle
Troop Trnins-MartInI Law
May he Proclaimed.


LONDON Aug. 16.-The ultimstum Of the
railway mems societies, demanding that
their employers meet them in conference
for the consideration OF grievances, will
expire at S o'clock tomorrow morning when
the strike on all the railways in the
United Kingdom is scheduled to become eff.
fective. Up to this evening the managers
had not Indicated a purpose to meet tho
wishes of the strike leaders.
The total membership OF the four socc-
ties which joined In the ultimatum Is about
10000 and It Is supposed that 7O,oO0 other
railway men are unionists.
| While the total number OF men employed
ION the twenty-seven principal railways Is
100000. a majority OF the skilled laborers
are union men.
The unions have funds amounting to
SO, los. 600.
George Lansbury. the socialist member
created a scene in the House OF Commons
this afternoon by accusing the supporters
Of the policy of utilizing the troops to sup
press strike roting of countenauclng the
butchery of the innocent"
He denounced Home Secretary Churchill
and was sharply called to order by Speaker
Lowther.
Mr.. Churchill informed the house that
non-unonists were entitled by law to work
without molestation and that the police
iwuld try to protect them In the exercise Of
that right
! Two Killed Liverpool.
There was little, II any, abatement of the
| strike fever that has spread through Great
Britain today. At some points on the Lon
don docks conditions continue to Improve,
but this was offset by outbreaks elsewhere.
With the exception OF Liverpool, where
| there rioting nearly all night, the men
generally are orderly, and beyond picketing
and peaceably ineucing men to join the
unions did not interfere with those desiring
work.
The fighting at Liverpool last night, re-
sulting in the death OF two rioters, who were
shot by hussars in defending five prison
vans occupied by riot prisoners, whom the
mob attempted unnecessarily to release,
has not tended thus far to improve the
situation, except as 1t has helped TO keep
the peacefully disposed outside the strike
area. This enabled the police to more
easily handle those who were causing
| trouble.
street Traffic Resumed.
This was particularly noticeable this
morning when the streets were quiet, the
rioters having retired for rest after the
nights battle and also probably to keep
out of the way Of the strong forces opposed
to them during daylight. The police and
soldiers. however, prepared for a renewal
of hostilities when night fell. Il
Today teams were busy removing goods
from the railway station to business houses.
They were unmolested. Along the docks,
however work was at a standstin. and
the men showed an ugly spirit.
/ The continued riOtinR on tho MarSev mort
was not calculated TO restore confidence
elsewhere, and men at other ports were
| refusing to discharge steamers diverted
from Liverpool. Glasgow, for example
which had just disposed OF a street rail-
was strike now has a dock strike as a
result of the men declining to remove O
cargo of fruit from a steamer sent from
the Mersey.
Direct strike from Liverpool.
Another ominous sign was the choice
by the leaders of the railway workers OF
Liverpool as the city from which 10 direct
the threatened general strike on the rail-
way, which was declared last night by the
executives OF the Amalgamated Society OF
Railway Servants. the Society OF Locomo-
tive Engineers and Fireman and General
Railway Workers Union, 10 become effect
tive within twenty -four hours unless in
the interim the companies express a will
ingness to negotiate 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 other strike movements combined, for
It was known IL the effect was successful
II would completely cut off the food supply
from the greater part of the country. The
government exerted every effort to avert
such a calamity. This forenoon Sidney
Buxton, president OF the Board OF Trade,
conferred with the managers OF the rail-
road lines and In the afternoon he met the
leaders of the employees in the hope OF
bringing about joint conference. The
managers insisted on Rdhering to the sys-
tenn of Cancellation boards with which the
men are dissatisfied. An arrangement
through which the boards would deal more
expeditiously with the grievance of the
workers might lead to a settlement, II was
thought. and the members OF the Board
Of Trade worked along these lines.
Refuse to Handle Troop Trains.
The railway men at various centers today |
notified their superiors of their determine |
ton not to handle trains employed In con- |
veying soldiers and police through the
strike area.
A report was current this afternoon that |
the government was likely to respond to |
this action OF the men with proclamation
OF martial law on all railways and repacng !
the strikers With men from the royal en-
ginters army service corps.
Passengers for Manchester were informed \
at the booking office that the railway COM
panies were unable to guarantee them
transportation farther than Crewe, which is
about twenty-five miles southwest of Nam |
chester.
Near Famine Stage In Liverpool.
LIVERPOOL, Aug, l6,-Unless a railway
strike is averted, two days more will find
the bread supply OF Liverpool exhausted.
Some restaurants already have beeni
closed because their managers could not
obtain sufficient provisions. All the neces-
saries in food have advanced in price. To-
day the price OF eggs went up 8 cents a !
dozen and butter made the same advance.
No steamers for America are likely 70 !
sail from this port this week. as they can
not obtain coal supplies. The malls for /
America were forwarded to Queenstown Eoi
catch the Southampton boat.