Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-03-14
GERMANY'S COAL
STRIKE SPREADS
Over $40, OOO Now Out and Sit,s
tion Is Becoming Wofss
Everywhere.
FATAL CONFLICT WITH POLICE
Cavalry Regiments Held IN Read =
mess for Expected Call
Eve, Famine Already
ct Cnsse!.
FATAL CONFLICT WITH POLICE

Berlin. March I3-Th- Goa, tinn:rs'
strike in the great Berlin coal aeids OF
Westphal.e continues 20 spread. There
are over oiocnO MAJ, row on strike and
tho situation !E becoming worso ever:
where. :, hns taken a mos, serious tar!,
IN several districts and has resulted a.
ready in fatal conflict between tho
police and the striking miners In tho dis
,rct Of Herne. The feeling among the
men IS increasing in intensity owing TO
tnc rigid repressive measures OF the all
thorites and at any moment troops may
be called out to quell the disturbances.
It IS officially stated here tonight ths
provincial authorities have been in
structed to cali out the troops IL the police
prove inadequate to deal with the sltua-
ton. Tho cavalry regiments stationed a.
Dusseldorf, Krefeld and elsewhere are
held In readiness for orders
The mine owners and leaders Of the
Christian trade unions. whose members
are rapidly breaking away and joining IN
the strike which was brought about by
the socialist trades union, evidently In
1uenced by feeling Of solidarity or fear
ing an attack by the strikers. are clamor.
ing for military assistance but so far the
government has not taken this step. 1t Is,
instead of this. sending all possible rein
forcemen.s of police to the strike region
and has authorized the arnlng Of mine
officials and the organization Of private
mine police to assist in the preserva ton
OF order.
The police president Of Bochum. the
center Of the strike region. has forbidden
the sale of spirits and the saloon keepers
sent To the government a vigorous tele-
graphic protest
ATTACKS ON THE: POLICE.
Disturbances have been reported at
| various districts The most serious of
these occurred at Herneau. a mining vii
! lace five miles from Rochum. where a
number of strikers threw stones and fired
| revolver shots at n detachment of armed
police marching along the streets to the
! mine where thev had been ordered to pro-
tect the non-strlkers. The police replied
to tie attack with their revolvers and one
of the strikers was killed.
At Hamborn in the district of Dus-
seldorf whore fighting occurred be-
tween the strikers and the police yes
terday. number being injured. large
reinforcements Of police have arrived.
The strikers repeatedly bombarded
the police. escorting the non-strikers,
with bottles and stones. a consider
able number Of arrests have been
made.
Conditions are tending more and
more toward a strike among the min
ers in Lorraine Saxony and Silesia
where the men are all pressing their
demands for - per cent. increase in
f.,p
| The answers of the mine owrrre III
Guiding the rrussian state. which runs
it's own mines. to the demands Of the
unions in other German coal fields are
now coming in. They take the same
stand as the owners in Wetsphalia.
saying that financial conditions do not
permit the grantins Of the full in
creases Of wages and the other de :
mands of the miners SO that strike,
are also impending there
| The coal shipments are falling off every -
where. Only l2,Cco carloads We're sent of
by rail Yesterday from Essen. where the
| usual daily average shipment j. 30.WD car
| loads.
a coal famine Is reported from Cassel
Four interpretations concerning the
strike have been introduced in the Prus-
sian Diet besides that in the Reichstag,
which Clemens RelhrUock, the Prussian
minister Of the interior and Nicc-chan-
cellor of III. empire. has promised TO
answer tomorrow.
Saar0rueckeu. Germany. March l3.-The
managers OF the PrIsslan state mines in
the Saar region in replying to the request
! Of the miners for Increases of wages de-
clared that the miners could expect with
confidence an increase They. however.
gave no definite figure as to the amount,