Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-12
FEELS
PINCH CAUSED
BY COAL STRIKE
Million Workers Thrown
Out of Employment in Ad-
dition to Miners; Food
Prices Go Up.

London, March 1.-THE strike
shows little sign of settlement. Be
sides the miners, another million
workers, men and women employed in
factories and mills in all parts of Great
Britain, have been thrown out Of EN-.
ployment because of the impossibility
Of obtaining fuel to run the machinery
Prices Of provisions and the necessar.
les of life have gone up to such an ex.
tent that extreme distress exists
among the poorer classes.
Railroads have had to restrict their
train service, river steamers have had
to cease running, the gas and electric
supply works have been compelled to
restrict their delivery of illuminants,
the mail services have been retarded
and many ocean steamers have had to
be laid up in harbor.
The government has been trying to
bring the miners and the coal owners
ogether, but has not yet succeeded and
1t is thought probable that as final
measure q minimum wages bill for
miners will have to be introduced into
the house of commons. Many of the
mine owners have expressed their SYM
pathy with the principle of fixed
minimum wage. but others decline
even to consider the idea.
German Coal Strike Begins.
Berlin, March 1.-THE coal strike
went into effect in the Westphalian
coal mines today when about so per
cent Of the 35O,OO0 miners employed
there obeyed the call ofrtheir leaders
to cease work. In some districts the
cessation Of work was practically COM
plete while in others only from Is to
80 per cent Of the men struck.
Large forces of police are on duty
everywhere throughout the region.
Strikers, however, generally are peace.
able and only two isolated attacked
on non union tniners .haye been re.
ported.
q The conflict is quite as much a strug-
gle between the leaders of the rival
socialist and non-socialist unions as be-
tween the mine owners and their en-
ployes. The leaders Of the non-social
ist Christian union are so far holding
their followers we'll in hand.
The success Of the strike will de-
pend upon how far the feeling of
soliditary with their striking comrades
Of the socialist miners union is carried.
Public opinion in the Westphalian
district, which was with the miners
during the last great strike, is now re-
ported to be largely against the strik-
ers. The stock exchange took favor
able view of the situation today, coal
stocks being firm.
The effect of the strike is not yet
noticeable on industry in general nor
on the prices of the necessaries of life
The iron works in Westphalian in the
grand duchy Of Luxembourg, and in
Lorraine are reported to have supplies
Of coal sufficient to enable them to
carry on work for three weeks.
French Miners Strike For Day.
Paris, March 11.-About two-thirds
Of the coal miners of France have re-
sponded to the appeal of the general
miners federation to strike for twenty
four hours. This action of the miners
Is not directed against the mine
owners but is designed to show to the
government the solidarity" of the
miners and as warning to parliament
that the miners are not satisfied with
the working mems old age pension
laws