Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-18
INITHE BALANCE.
England on The Verge Of
A Tremendous Strike.
100000 Railway Employees Oui-'
Thousands More Involved.
Thousands Of Troops Being Sent To
Important Points.

London. Aug. 1.-THE strenuous, al
most desperate efforts the Liberal gov
ernment has made to prevent the
greatest conflict between capital and
labor that England ever has witnessed
are trembling in the balance tonight.
The representatives of the four or
CARNATIONS composing the Amalga-
mated Society OF Railway Servants is
sued a strike order tonight, calling out
the 100000 members of their allied
uniOns The men were asked to strike
Immediately.
Though the membership of the uni
ons is less than sixth of the entire
force of railway workmen, it includes
the highest skilled laborers employed
by the companies, and if they all
keep in line they will be able to Grip
pie tue tE4tIic of the entire United
Kingdom The vital question of tile
situation now is how large proper
tion of the men will respond to the
strike order No one can answer ithe
question or even attempt to summarize
the situation tonight.
Al midnight neither the Board of
Trade nor the board of railway mana
gers has any definite information as
the strike order Late tonight the ex-
ecutiVe committee of the strikers is
sued statement saying:
Reports from the provinces point
to an early decisive victory"
The leaders, however, could not
give details supporting this assertion
The government had been success
full in its attempt to staVe off the
strike which had been set TO begin at
s o'clock this morning and tonight
David Lloyd George, the chancellor Of
the eXchequer, stepped into the breach
in the House of Commons after the
days conference at the Board of
Trade had resulted in failure, in ar
endeavoF further to delay the walk
out Of the men and bring about an
amieable settlement of the controversy.
The chancellor argued that todays
negotiations and Premier Asquiths
offer To form a royal commission to
effect a settlement of the strike had
resulted in a misunderstanding on the
part of the men which vet might he
put straight. But the spokesman for
the railway employers refused to ae-
eept Mr.. Lloyd Georges view of the
strike, even though the negotiations
had not been definitely broken off.
Premier Asquith's proposition was TO
form a royal commission of three
members one from the railway com
pany, one from the strikers and the
third the chairman a man well kno Yn
for his impartialty. The railway COM
panies agreed to the proposition but
the employees rejected it,
dramatic feature of the affair is
that Englands army is on the move
Its activities might be described as
nearer a mobilization than at any time
for some years The government is de-
ploying troops to meet the emergency
all over the country. AT Aldefshot to-
night 1900 soldiers were loaded on %
trains The authorities refused to make
public their destinations, but a large
proportion of them have came to Lon
don and are encamped in the parks and
near the railway stations. Four thou
sand infantry are in Victoria Park, in
the east end of London. and the center
of its most turbulent populace. Three
thousand infantry are raising tents in
Regent Park; another 1900 in Hyde
Park; Goo are guarding the general post
office and another 600 are encamped al
the Tower of London. The only railway
station where soldiers are in evidence
is Chaplain Junction. the center of the
suburban lines. which the Scots guards
are picketing Elsewhere troops are be.
ing moved to strategical points
Later reports from the provinces say
there has been a wide cessation of work
and railway freight traffic is badly
crippled, The passenger service. however
is reported as being maintained with lit
tie irregularity. There are also reports
from many places of minor disturbances.
such as small riots and the turning
over of signal boxes. II is not yet known
whether Scotland will be affected by the
trike
The strike committee expresses sur
prise at the large number of men who
are reported to have gone out, Among
| them, they say, is a considerable num-
Der of non unionists.
iNCDnnnl OIIIET