The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-26
SOUP KITCHENS
FOR STRIKERS
Coal Strike In Great Britain Has
Lasted Twenty-six Days and
Gloom Pervades the
Country as Result.
WILL WRECK THE UNION
American Strike Has Not Been Or
dered and Both Sides Are Hope
full Of Reaching an
Agreement.
WILL WRECK THE UNION

LONDON, March 2s.-Gloom per-
vades the country today, 1t having
come home to all classes that there is
no chance at present of settlement
of the coal strike. 1t has been con-
test Of endurance with both sides
claiming the other must give In.
The confidential reports of the
operators, because OF which they re-
fused all concessions yesterday,
stated that the miners generally we're
at the end of their resources. Facing
starvation it is said they would be
/ forced to give in and it was pointed
out by the leading operators that II
they stood firm against any conces-
sions they would utterly wreck the
union. This attitude was decided on,
The miners deny, however, that they
| are in such shape financially that
| further resistance is useless. They
have reduced strike benefits and claim
that they can hold out for another
4 fortnight by which time, they say,
the operators will have been forced
to concede their demands. They say
under no circumstances will they sur
render and if they can hold out work
ers in other lines of industry have no
reason to complain.
4 Telegrams received here today from
north Wales says that the collieries
there are generally posting notices
telling their employees that they will
grant the minimum wage scale \
fixed by the district boards and offer
ing to leave the matter in the hand,
of committee to be chosen Jointly
by the miners and the operators.
On the twenty-sixth day of the
strike the nation faced the most ser
J ious situation in years. Soup kitchens
in all the affected districts were over
crowded all day and various parish
poor relief officers were swamped with
appeals for aid. The suffering is par
ticularly intense among the womer
and children of the strikers and othel
workers. At Sheffield many children
have been virtually without food fol
week. In Wales where the souI
kitchens are able to provide only {
meager supply of food to sufferers, thu
authorities are attempting to relieve
conditions by establishing labor yards
where men may earn a small wage
May Get Together.
CLEVELAND, March 26-Hopeful o
an agreement that may prevent th'
ordering of strike in the soft Goa
fields, sixty-four operators and miner
today resumed their wage scale delhi
erations in joint conference here
Both sides appeared to be resolved {,
an almost certain suspension of min
operations beginning April j, for thii
ty or sixty days, to allow referen
: dunn vote on the results of the susper
sion.
;. The miners and operators remaine
: firm b. their announced positions.
= President John p White fears tha
:. a strike in the hard coal fields car
!. not be averted, conferences in Ney
: York having failed to reach wag
agreement. He was strongly in favo
OF effecting new wage schedule her
: for the bituminous miners to proven
a strike in all coal mines of the cour
try, but said he would not recede /
!. the miners demand for the mine ru
basis of payment and a general il
a crease in wages.
4 Chas E. Maruer of Cleveland, J. C
. Kolson of Terre Haute, Ind, and othe
y operators declared again that it wa
a their final rejection of wage demand
n that caused recess of the conferenc
here last Friday night. The operator
!. plea is that to raise miners wage
.. now would force many mine owner
n into financial difficulties
n Have chucked 1t.
6. LONDON, March Following al
1t other futile conference between tn
d union miners and operators one of tn
union leaders intimated that thel
V, was no hope of settlement.
1f We've chucked it," he said, as h
s. left the conference in digust. Oths
s. members of the conference expresse
n hopeless sentiments. The roc
s. on which they split was Il
Of five shilling minimum for me
and two shillings for bo,
ID which the owners insist under no ci
to cumstances will be conceded
k. The hopelessness of the situation WI
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