The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-22
TORIES AID
 LIBERALS IN
 PASSING BILL
Amendments Offered By Laborites Overwhelm-
 ingly Defeated
MINIMUM WAGE FOR
 ENGLISH COAL MINERS
Asquith Promises Bill
 Which Will End Strike Will Be a Law By Monday
Especial from United Press.)

Especial from United Press.)
 London, March 22-That the con- servative, members of parliament will content themselves with voieing their protest against the minimum wage scale bill designed to settle the great strike and will. not be parties to any combination to kill il, thus defeat. ing the government and precipitating parliamentary crisis, was demon strated, today.
 After Premier Asquith had explain ed in the House Of Commons that he had been forced to reject the labor members amendment fixing the min imum wage rate at five shilling for the men and two shillings for the boy workers because the miners op- posed the fixing cf minimum amount of work as days labor, and also because it would establish 8 dangerous precedent which would be followed by a demand from other leaders for similar action" he re- ceived unexpected support from Bon. ar Law.
 Law is the leader of the conserva- tives selected to succeed former Premier BalfOur when he asked to be relieved of most ofthe pressing duties of floor management of the minority. He said that the action Of the Premier was to be commended and the tone of his remarks throughout were cohciliatory, indicating that the conservatives will not vote as unit in any combination against the gov. ernment.
 Enoch Edwards and other mine 1ead- ers who followed the debate, express sed the fear that passage of the bill 1A5 1n blanks which the miners so earnestly advocate may prevent the immediate settlement of the strike.
 It was semi officially announced that the federation of the mine own. CTS had quietly served notice or the Premier that, if the fixing Of the ,nfr imum wage rate was not left to the local committees instead of being in cluded in the general law, they would refuse to reopen their mines. As no penalty was fixed for failure to abide by the provisions of the proposed law, E the government could not make the owners open their mines and Asquith it is said, was compelled to fall back on the original bill with few slight amendments to the text which failed to change the general intent of the measure.
 The debate became general a num- Der of the leading labor members de-
 
 the demand of the miners and refus> ing to fix the minimum by law They warned the Premier he would have to shoulder the responsibility if the bill failed to settle the strike when passed in an emasculated form.
 J. R. Macdonald, the leader of the Laborites, after. it had been demon- strated that the government was in control and that only amendments sanctioned by it could be tackled onto the bill, announced that the miners were willing to waive the schedule fixing and having it referred 70 the district boards created under the act
 Premier Asquith announced that the bill will he placed in order, to- morrow and after debate will be pass ed. It is stated positively that the necessary votes have been assured The Premier further declared that the bill will be called up in the House of Lords, on Monday, and passed there.
 The Premier said, today, that he had gone as far as was possible in accepting amendments suggested by both sides He said that to include the detailed schedules demanded by the miners would make the bill cum berSome and unavoidable. There is no question, he said, that the local boards which are to be appointed by the bill. can take care of all this. It is generally believed that the widespread distress arising from. the closing down of industries everywhere because of lack of fuel, the depletion of strike benefit funds until very few of the striking union have much money left, and the general pressure of public opinion everywhere will force both sides to accept the bill and abide by the decision of the Com- mons.
 If the miners refuse to accept the bill because they want their utmost demands granted, the Premier will accept the offer of the mine owners to operate their mines if guaranteed plenty of guards to protect strike breakers. The operators have told the Premier that they can mine coal and operate the majority of their mines but that their strike breakers will not go down into the depths un- less the mine entrances are surround ed by soldiers who will keep outsiders away.
 The miners in the past have killed many strike breakers by interfering with the mine machinery. the owners allege. and because of this they have been unable to convince the men thar they will be protected if they go to work.
 The second amendment offered by the miners, which provided that the wages of piece workers should be in cluded in the minimum rates to be fixed under the bill, was defeated by 367 to 55. The miners were very an gry over the manner in which their requests were voted down and insisted that the bill, when passed, would ut terly fail to end the strike.
 The amendment fixing the minimum wage scale at five and two shillings Fft,- me hOVS 1Ixy6 6ofo +oJ