Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-23
Possibility Of Passing Bill
in English Parliament to
Relieve Coal Strike Les
sened by Disagreement.
LEADER OF MINERS
SAYS DOOR IS CLOSED
Enoch Edwards Labor Mem
Der Of Parliament and
President of Federation,
Sees New Deadlock.

London, March 22.-Premier AS
auith in the house of commons this
afternoon refused to accept the min
ers' amendment to the minimum wage
bill providing minimum Of $1.25 and
fifty cents as the daily wage for men
and boys respectively
Enoch Edwards, labor member of
parliament and president OF the Min
ers' Federation Of Great Britain, an
nounced that the premier's rejection
of the miners amendment closed the
door. to an immediate settlement of
the strike.
4 The house had just entered on the
committee stage of the minimum wage
bill when the miners amendment was
moved and Premier Asquith's pro-
nouncement, the gravity Of which was
Immediately recognized because it is
practically certain to bring another
deadlock, caused a sensation among
the members.
In opposing the miners amendment,
the premier said that he was inclined
to think the figures reasonable ones,
4 but that 1T was most undesirable to
Z insert In the bill any specific min
simnm wage or to establish the pre-
cedent Of fixing the rate Of wages BY
act Of parliament It would, he point
ed out, be particularly dangerous to the
men themselves, because If parliament
once expressed its judgment that $1.25
was a fair minimum wage that sum
would be bound to be treated as the
maximum. i
Enoch Edwards, the miners leader,
declared the decision announced by
the premier had shattered his hopes
that the final form of the bill would
commend itself to the good sense Of
both sides. The refusals of the amend
ment meant the closure Of the door
. which yesterday appeared to be open
to settlement.
Andrew Bonarlaw, the Official leader
Of the opposition, sided with the gov
ernment, which, he said could not
have taken any other course.
The bill which the government in.
troduced into parliament to put stop
to one of the greatest calamities that
ever overlook this country, and which
was read second time in the house
Of commons last night, has still to run
gauntlet of the committee stage. 1t
was here that the miners representa-
tives in parliament endeavored to pro-
cure the acceptance of amendments
fixing minimum rate of wages.
II the miners refuse to return to
work, the government must face the
necessity of taking those "other and
different measures" foreshadowed by
the premier yesterday and which are
believed to mean adequate protection
for those men desiring to return to
work.
Despite the decisions of the unions
there already is, particularly in Scot
land, steady trickling of the miners
back to the pits Even with general
resumption, however, the mines will
not be In working order again before
Easter and some of the smaller ones
which have been flooded will never be
reOpened.
Some of the large mine owners de-
clare it will be impossible to work
their pits if the minimum rate of
wages is granted.
In the meantime starvation faces
the industrial population of the
country. The funds Of the trade unions
are running low, and in some places
this weeks payment of out-of-work
benefits will be the last.
$26 5000, 900 in Wages Lost.
At Burslem, in Staffordshire, one of
the centers of the potteries district,
900 meals have been served by the
vicar of the parish in the last eleven
days, for which small charge has been
made. Now the people Of the district
are unable to bear the burden Of pay
ing even a penny for the meal, and are
compelled to fall back on charity.
In Wales and Scotland and in the
Industrial districts of England relief
work has been started and soup
Kitchens established. There is scarcely
a mining village in Scotland where the
children are not being fed by the pub
lie authorities.
The work Of relieving the distress is
getting beyond the means of local
charities and demands are being made
on the government to take it up.
It is estimated the miners thus lar
have lost in wages s26,408,S50 besides
the depletion of the union funds.
Factories and work of all kinds all
over the country continue to close
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