Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-29
MINERS ARE VOTING
Return to Work Pending Wage
Settlement, Is Issue.
STRIKE PAY DISTRIBUTED
Walkout in England Already Has
Cost Unions $5,216,250.
GLOOMY OUTLOOK FOR MANY
Furniture in Homes Sold to Keep
Wolf From the Door
of Workmen.

LONDON, March 19-Balloting began
today in all the districts of the United
Kingdom on the question whether the
million miners now on strike should re-
turn to work pending the decision of the
district boards to be appointed under the
governments minimum wage act in order
to settle on the rates of wages in the
various centers.
In some cases the result of the ballot
ing will be known this week AS a mat
ter of fact, the collieries connected with the
Brynk1nalle mines at Chirk. Wales al
ready have voted on the questions and
the proportion of five to two of the men
is III favor of resuming. These men. how
ever, are exceptions to the general rule,
as throughout the strike they have
strongly supported the owners of the pit.
Donald Craig, veteran, eighty-two
years of age, faced the angry men from
the surrounding districts when they
threatened to close his mine, and has
insisted that his property be kept going,
no matter what happened. He has kept
his word. but not until this morning was
MS full staff of men working. and then
they were under military protection.
Ihe full returns of the balloting will
not be officially announced until April 4
and it probably will be after Easter be-
fore all the miners return to work. From
now on, however, it is expected that
greater numbers will resume each day.
Cost of the Strike.
The fourth weekly distribution of strike
pay was made today by those unions
which had anything left to distribute.
The organizations of North Wales. War
wickshire. Cumberland. Somerset and
Bristol had exhausted their funds last
week, and what little they were able to
pay out today was borrowed from the
banks.
The total cost of the strike to the
miners unions to date has been $5.216.-
30. and the balance left in the union
treasures now amounts to only S41JO 600.
most of which is invested In securities
which Will not bring in their full value
under forced sale. Besides the total spent
by the miners unions the organizations
connected with other trades have dis
tributed nearly s.. 800 600 in out-of-work
benefit to their members
Suffering of Unemployed.
While the majority of trade unionists
and the miners can therefore look for
ward without much worry to another ten
days idleness, this Is not the case with
hundreds of thousands of others who
have been thrown out Of work by the
strike and who have no hope Of being
able to resume their occupations for some
time after the mines have again been
opened and have begun to produce fur
ther supplies of coal.
1t will be months before the industries
and trades of the United Kingdom resume
their normal proportions, and as the men
go back to their work they will have
what are for them immense losses to
make up.
In the poorer districts of Cardiff the
houses of the wOrkingmen have been
practically denuded of all their furniture
in order to keep the wolf from the door,
and conditions in other industrial CEN
ters are similar or very little better. The
relief committees. however are now well
organized, and the suffering of the des-
titute Will be gradually lessened until
the men secure employment again.
Carry Only Food and Fuel.
will accept only food and fuel supplies
as freight, and this will enable them to
cut down their services to the mini
mum.
The gas supplies of Birmingham and
some of the other big cities now are be-
ing reduced the stocks of coal held
in reserve by the gas companies are
fast diminishing and there is some doubt
when new supplies will be available
The admiralty has learned lesson
from the strike and has begun working
out the plans for immense oil and coal
| storage docks at the new naval base at
\ ROSyth. in Scotland.
The royal assent was given to the min
| imum wage bill at noon today.