Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-03-23
CLOSES DOOR TO SETTLEMENT
labor Member Says Action Means
Continuation of Struggle.
OBJECTS TO FIXING THE RATE
Liberal Leader Says it Would Be
Maximum, Not Minimum.
CONDITIONS GROWING WORSE


LONDON, March se-Premier Asquith
In the House OF Commons this afternoon
refused to accept the miners amend.
ment to the minimum wage bill providing
minimum Of SIS and 80 cents as the
daily wage for men and boys. respee.
lively.
Enoch Edwards. labor member OF Par.
lament and president of the Miners
Federation of Great Britain. at once an,
nounced that the premier's rejection OF
the miners amendment closed the door
to an immediate settlement of the strike
Arthur ]. Bslfour's motion for the re-
| lection Of the minimum wage bill was de-
feated and the government measure
| passed its second reading in the House
Of Commons last night by a majority Of
l2s-a larger majority than the minister
ialists themselves had hoped for. The
vote stood 3is to rs. The laborites and ma
tionalists voted with the government,
The bill still has to run the gamut OF
the committee stage. 1t was here that the
miners representatives In Parliament en-
desyored to procure the acceptance OF
amendments fixing ninimum rates OF
wages.
The house had just entered on the COM
mittee stage of the minimum wage bill
when the miners amendment was moved
and Premier Asquith's pronouncement.
the gravity of which was Immediately
recognized. because 1t is practically cer-
tain to bring about 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. but
that 1t was most undesirable to insert in
the bill any specific minimum wage or to-
establish the precedent Of fixing the rate
Of wages by act OF Parliament II would.
he pointed out, be peculiarly dangerous to
the men themselves. because II Parlia.
ment once expressed its judgment that
SIS was 3 fair minimum wage that sum
would be bound to be treated as the
maximum .H~ ssrss
Enoch Edwards. the miners leader. de-
elared the decision announced by the pre-
mier had shattered his hopes that the
final form OF tho bill would commend
itself to the good sense Of both sides. The
refusal OF the amendment meant the
closure of the door which yesterday ap-
peared open 10 a settlement.
Andrew Bonar Law. the official leader
OF the opposition. sided with the govern
ment, which he said. could not have
taken any other course.
Country Faces Great Crisis.
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 10 work.
Despite the decisions OF the unions
there already is. particularly in Scot
land. a steady tifckling Of the miners
back to the pits. Even with general
resumption. however. the mines will not
and some Of the smaller ones which
have been flooded viii never be reopened
In the meantime starvation faces the
Industrial population OF tho country. The
funds OF the trades unions are running
low and in some places this weeks pay
met OF out-of-work benefit will be the
last.
At Burslem. In staffordshlre. one OF the
centers OF the potteries district fo.oo0
meals have been served by the vicar OF
the parish In the last eleven days, for
which a small charge has been made.
Now the people OF the district are unable
to bear the burden Of paying even a
penny for the meal. and are compelled
to fall back on charity.
In Wales and Scotland and In the In
dustrial districts Of England. relief work
has been started and soup Kitchens es-
tablished. There is scarcely a mining
village in Scotland where the children
are not being fed by the public suthori-
ties.
The work of relieving the distress is
getting beyond the means Of the local
charities and demands are being made
on the government 10 take it up.
1t is estimated the .lmers thus far
have lost In wages sss sIS.S5e. besides the
depletion OF the union funds.
Losses I'm Wages Enormous.
Factories and WORK OF all kinds an
over the country continue to close down
and all the railroads are reducing their
services to the minimum. The food sup
plies from abroad also are threatened.
The bacon factories and creameries Of
Denmark. which depend entirely on Eng.
land for their coal. will soon have 70
discontinue their shipments 70 this coun-
try.
News comes today that one Of the South
American governments Is commander.
ing the stocks Of coal on hand at its
ports for naval purposes. which viii pre-
vent the shipment Of meat to England.
II Is officially declared today that the
Derbyshire pits will not be reopened until
the surface mems demands for increased
wages have been complied with.
In political circles II is thought the re-
turn Of Mr.. Bslfour TO the leadership OF
the unionist party in the House Of Com
mons is more than a temporary one. and
that in the big debates he will take the
actual II not the titular Leadership Of the
opposition.
Three Editors senfeneed.
Three editors and printers Of the Com
munist paper. The syndicalist. who were
arrested for issuing inflammatory pub
licaticns shortly before the arrest OF
Tom Mann. the labor leader. were sen
tenced at the Old Bailey essions today
to terms ranging from six TO nine months