The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-01
TRAIN SERVICES ARE
FIRST TO SUFFER
From Coal Strike In Great Britain,
Which Assumed Mammoth Pro-
portions To-day.

London March With the exeep-
tion Of small eoliers situated in the
isolated districts, all the coal mines of
tile country were idle this morning, and
the official returns estimate the num-
Der Of strikers now at l.049,407. In
most of the collier districts the men
are taking advantage of the strike to
enjoy holiday
No trouble is anticipated. The great
est danger spot Is in South Wales, where
the most determined spirit pervades.
The railways throughout Wales is
sued notices to-day that their train
services would be eurtailed. Several
hundred steamers are held up at va
rious ports through lack Of coal The
large transatlantic lines assert that
they are well provided with fuel.
Some Of the railways have sent out
notifications of curtailment of their
services owing to the strike.
"The government having recognized
the principle of minimum wage for
all underground workers, if it is not
secured by agreement it viii be secured
by the government by other means"
This extract from the speech made by
the prime minister to the members OF
the National Miners federation, as re-
ported in the official statement issued
last night concerning the conference held
yesterday, indicates the lengths to which
the government is prepared to 60 to
effect a settlement of the strike. It
is virtually an ultimatum to the coal
owners.
Emphasizing the point again, Mr. As
quith said that the government was
determined that the minimum wage shall
become part and parcel of the organiza
tion and working of the coal industry
By whatever appropriate means the gov
ernment can command" They would
have been false to their duty as stew
ards and trustees of the general in
terests of the nation, continued the pre-
mier, if they did not take what steps
they could to bring about a reason
able arrangement. The government felt
that they were face to face with a
warfare between capital and labor in
the coal industry, which might paralyze
all other industries in the country.
The government has started upon their
investigation of the problem, the pre-
mier said, without any prejudice of
party or class bias in one direction or
another. Having given the fullest and
most careful consideration to the evi.
dence which the workmen had brought
before them, the conclusion they had
unanimously come to was that a case
had been made out for ensuring to
the underground workers in the coal
industry. with adequate safeguards, a
reasonable minimum wage Already a
majority, certainly so per cent, OF the
coal owners of the country had assent
ed to the governments proposals, and
they did not intend that the resistance
of what he hoped was a dwindling
minority of the employers of labor
should unduly delay the attainment of
an object, which eve have satisfied our
selves is consistent with justice and
the best interests of the community"
The prime minister ended his speech
with an appeal to the miners to all
low reasonable latitude for discussion
with respect TO fixing the minimum wage
for the different districts and not to
insist upon rigid adherence to the sehed
ule adopted Nv IIe miners leueTAbiOu
He reminded them that if they persist
ed in that course they assumed ter
riblc responsibility, although it was OBJ
yious that nothing short of miracle
could avert a national strike.
That the government made some prog
ress in the direction of rendering the
strike of short duration is shown by the
fact, disclosed by the official statement,
that the Northumberland coal owners,
who were among those who rejected
the governments proposals Wednesday,
have been persuaded to agree to the
first two clauses of these proposals,
which in effect, declare the governments
belief that there are cases in which
underground workers are not able to
earn a reasonable minimum wage, and
that the power to earn such wage
should he secured by arrangements suit
able to the special circumstances in each
district, adequate safeguards being pro-
vided to protect employers against abuse
But the Northumberland coal owners
added that they could not consent to
pay a minimum wage irrespective of
ability and disposition TO earn such
waeN