Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-20
DISTRESS IS ACUTE
Strike Causes Great Suffering
Throughout England.
MILLIONS OUT OF WORK
Men, Women and Children Make Ap-
peals to Charity.
EARL ASKING FOR FUNDS
But Three Tinplate Mills Working,
and Cotton Factories Slowly
Closing.

LONDON. March oO-The distress
throughout the whole Of the industrial
districts of the United Kingdom. as a re-
suit of the national coal strike which has
thrown 100000 miners and over 1.:NV,OOo
other workmen out OF employment, is
acute
While the delegates of the miners and
of the mine owners are discussing with
politicians the minimum wages bill, wom-
en-. children and the workers themselves
in many places suffering extreme pow
erty. and appeals are constantly reaching
London. which appears tn be the least
affected of the large cities, for assistance
All Ranks Feel Strike
The Earl of Harrowby. who has just
made "A long tour of the pottefies district
in Staffordshre, in asking for funds, says
that acute distress exists among all ranks
of the population. Thousands of children
in the chief centers of the district are
being fed from charitable funds. In this
region alone 10000 miners are on strike
and the lack of coal thus caused has
thrown out of work 10000 potters. to
whose number must be added thousands
of general laborers, porteEs, railroad men
and bargemen who depend for their live
lihood on the output of the potteries.
The prevailing conditions in the Ere
wash valley. the great hive OF industry
stretching from Nottingham to Chester
field, serve as an example OF the condl-
ton of affairs in similar districts else
where. .
Here 10 per cent of the workers in all
lines are idle, and unlike the miners, as
these men have no strike pay, the rant
lies are thrown onto chaflly which Is
haino AiSnpnSP0 extensively.
Wales Also Suffers.
The mayor of Ilkeston, the largest town
i'm the valley, yesterday received appli-
cations from no fewer than 400 families
for assistance. and in one of the elemen-
tary. schools, out of 600 pupils. 400 are fed
by the teachers. Wales Is suffering
equally.
Only three tinplate mills are working
in the whole country. The cotton mills
slowly are closing throughout Lancashire,
and the last cargo of coal has now been
shipped from Newcastle to the south OF
England What railway traffic returns
are available for the past week show
decline of receipts amounting to SslO,oOO
in addition to S2JOO.OOO for the previous
week.
Some Men Resume Work.
Considerable numbers OF miners already
have resumed work in some of the Scot
fish coal fields. These, however, are all
non unionists and the police are having
serious trouble in protecting them from
assaults by the trades unionists.
There appears to be a daily augmenting
desire in the whole of the coal fields OF
the United Kingdom to see a settlement
of the strike and this will aid in bringing
about a prompt resumption of work when
an agreement has been reached Fresh
trouble however is threatened today, the
colliery surfacemen's federation having
notified the members of the labor party
in the house of commons that unless the
minimum wage bill provides also fixed
minimum for the surfacemen the dispute
will not be settled.
An abnormal exodus of steamers from
British ports for America is taking place.
The owners hope to obtain cargoes of
American coal for the Mediterranean.
James Henry Thomas, the labor mem
Der of parliament for Derby, and organ
izing secretary of the Amalgamated So
ciety of Railway Servants, confirms the
report that the railroad men intend to
submit a new national program to the
railroad companies early in the month or
May, but he would not commit himself as
to whether the men intend to strike IL
dam ndC are not conceded.