The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-22
No Settlement of British Coal
Strike Is in Prospect.
Premier Asquith Rejects Mini
mum Wage Proposition.
THEY ARE FACING STARVATION
Strikers Already Have Lost
$26, ,4OS,s5O in Wages.
Besides the Union Relief Fund
Is Almost Exhausted.

London, March 22.-Premier Asquith
in the house of commons this afternoon
refused to accept the miners amend
ment to the minimum wage bill pro-
viding a minimum of S1.25 and so cents
as the daily wage for men and boys
respectively.
Enoch Edwards, labor member OF
parliament 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.
The bill which the government intro
duced into parliament to put a stop 20
one of the greatest calamities that ever
overlook this country and which was
read a second time in tbs house OF com
none last night still has to run the
gauntlet of the committee stage lr
was here the miners Representatives
in parliament endeavored to procure
the acceptance of amendments fixing
minimum rates of wages.
If 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 to
work.
Despite the decisions of the unions
there already is. particularly in Scot
land, a steady trickling of the miners
back to the pits. Even with a general
resumption, however, the mines VIII
not be in working order again before
Easter, and some of the smaller ones
which have been flooded will never be
reopened Some of the larger mine
owners too declare it will be impossible
to work their pits if the minimum rate
of wages is granted.
In the meantime starvation faces
the industrial population of the coun-
try. The funds of the trades unions
are running low, and in some places
this weeks payment of out-of-work
benefit will be the last.
At Burslem, in Staffordshire, one Of
the centers of the pottories district,
0,000 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 penny for meal ana
they are compelled to fall back on
charity. In Wales and Scotland and
in the industrial district of England re-
lief work has been started and soup
kitchens established. There is scarely
a mining village in Scotland where the
children are not being fed by the pub
lie authorities. The work of relieving
the distress is getting beyond the
means of the local charities and de-
nanuS are DelnS Indue Oh the BoNein-
ment to take it up.
loss of 26 Millions.
1t is estimated the miners thus far
have lost in wages $26. .40S,S50 besides
the depletion of the union funds.
Factories and work OF all kinds all over
the country continue to close down ana
all the railroads are reducing their SER
vices to the minimum. The food supplies
from abroad also are threatened. The
bacon factories and creameries OF Den
mark which depend entirely on England
for their coal will soon have to discon-
tinue their shipments to this country.
News comes today that one OF the South
American governments is communicating
the stocks of coal on hand in its ports
for naval purposes which will prevent
the shipment of meat to England. II is
declared today that the Derby
shire pits will not be reopeDed until the
surface mems demands for increased
wages have been complied with.
In political circles it is thought the re-
turn of Mr.. Balfour 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 if not the titular leadership of the
opposition.