Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-03-23
Two and Half Millions Men, Women
and Children Rendered
JObIeSS
STRIKE PARALYZFS BUSINESS
Strike Funds Exhausted--FoOd Riots
in Several Places-50. 900 Soup Kit
chens Open. :.

London, March 23.-Two and one
half million workers, men women and
children--werc jobless today. De-
pending on them were enough others
to bring the great total Of those slow
ly approaching starvation because Of
the paralysis of business due to the
strike of the miners and the eyhau-
.tionof the supply of fuel, up to ten
millions.
So serious is the situation that the
heads of the various municipalities
have reported to the government that
if the strike is not speedily settled
they cannot be responsible for keep
ing order. Food riots have already
taken place in several places, notably
in Scotland and Wales. In the home
Office today it was admitted that 5O,-
900 soup kitchens are in operation in
North Wales, all conducted by the
municipalities.
The strike funds have been exhaust
ed in paying benefits.
The worst sufferers are the miners
whose great war chest, which they
boosted before the strike order was
issued, was almost inexhaustable, has
practically disappeared
The majority Of Lancashire and
Yorkshire cotton mills closed down
today because of lack of fuel. Their
workers have been added to the thous
andS who are already suffering. From
Leeds came the report that the gas
works there had to be guarded by the
police because /. was constantly be-
sieged by sufferers who asked for coke
and who, when refused, helped them
selves. Every foundry at Lincoln has
closed down and the suffering among
the 10000 workers and their families
lis reported to be very great.
At Barnsley, the municipality Is
feeding 1000 school children and 4
dozen soup kitchens have been estab-
lished for the destitute.
At WreXham and in the neighbOr-
ing village of Newtown provision
stores have been broken into and pro-
visions, flour, eggs and bacon car
ried away. At Manchester the police
reserves are kept on duty at the food
distributing centers because the hun
prv men and women fought for fav-
ored places IN the breadlne. In Bir-
mingham a driver stopped ten ton
auto truck ladened with coal destined
for the electric light plant while he
went into Swoon. When he came
,out ten minutes later, the entire con-
tents had been carried away by resi-
dents who were without fuel.
The scenes in the cities are parti-
cularly affecting, There is i con-
istant possession Of men, women and
children moving To the pawn shops.
White faced and wan, their appear
ance more than their words showing
the pitch of hunger; they carry their
miserable, scanty pieces of furniture
to the agents who advance few pen
MES at an extortionately high rate
of interest. Thousands of families III
the United Kingdom it was estimated
today are living in bare rooms, every
single article Of furniture and cloth
ing having been pledged to buy bread
to tie them through the present crlS-
is.
The infant mortality is appalling.
Few of the working class have money
left to buy needed milk; in hundreds
Of thousands of homes weak Cruel,
made from meal furnished by the
town authorities, is the only nourish-
ment possible for babies and very
young children.
Birmingham, Eng, March 23.-Be-
cause of the suffering through the
scarcity of fuel, the Birmingham Gas
Works Corporation today distributed
four cents worth of coke TO each Of
the 5000 destitute. The suffering in
this city is intense.