Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-04-26
WIDESPREAD
BELGIAN WORKMEN
Situation Gave Officials Lit
tie Concern at First, but
Soon Grew Serious.
telegranh wires in the Vicinity.

telegraph wires in the vicinity.
The potteries in the Client neighbcT-
hood were all silent, but in the linen
and cotton mills something more than
half the hands remained at work, ex-
cept In two cases. where all quit. The
metal workers also went out, but few
cement mixers continued work.
The strike, which had appeared not
10 affect Antwerp in any way early In
| the morning, set in during the fore
noon. when there was partial suspen-
sion of work by the dock laborers. The
/ branches.
The stoppage of work at Journal
was only partial in the quarries and
coal mines, while at the factories near
~ the full complement of workers
went into the shops.
/ Growth of the Strike.
The full force of the strike was not
/ felt at Antwerp for the reason that the
steamship companies, forewarned. d.
verted so much of their shipping to
other cities that there was little work
to do at the Antwerp docks. The
/ strikers also adopted a similar plan
/ In advance all of them saving funds
| and provisions and those who could af-
| ford to do so sending their families to
! France or other countries for time.
BY the evening OF the third day the
| officials admitted that the strike was
| spreading and that at least 100000 men
were idle. Some estimates put the
number as high as 100000 Premier
! Broqueville, speaking in the parlia-
ment at Brussels, put the number ut
1 100000. Estimates of conservative
! journals reduced the total to few
| hundred less than 100000.
More than 10000 strikers surround
there was no violence. Several hun
dred paraded the capital without police
1 interference.
In answer to Socialist and Liberal
attacks in the chamber the premier de-
clared that the government could not
/ yield to threats. When Liberal dep
uty proposed national referendum on
] constitutional revision the premier
said:
when quiet is restored the govern
ment VIII be at your disposal to study
out the question"
Bruges Workers Quit.
The dock strike spread to Bruges,
and 200 men loading the German
steamer Wiegand stopped work. The
/ Bruges manufacturers posted notices
calling attention to the impossibility
of filing the orders on hand, as their
workmen were on strike. They point
ed out that no new orders were com
ing in and that many of their custom
/ ers were placing their orders abroad.
thus adding to the dislocation of indus
try and increasing the loss caused by
the strike both to employee and en-
| ployer
4 At Antwerp the dock strike extended
to coal unloaders at the Central basins.
The burgomaster predicted that work
/ at the port would be at complete
standstiIl in few days for lack of
4 freights. The arrivals of cereals. tim
Der and similar cargo at the railroad
4 freight depot rapidly became scarcer
A band of women gathered in front OF
the Socialist cooperative storehouse,
protesting against work being per
formed there during the strike. The
police dispersed them.
At Client 1900 more men joined the
strike. bringing the total there to 49,
4 900, of whom 5000 marched In the
streets. There was no disorder.
OF the 20S,00O workmen In the prov
inces of Halnault and Namur 10000
walked out, according to officials.
Violence Reported.
The promise of the leaders to carry
on a peaceable strike was not kept be-
cause of the refusal of the workmen
in some districts TO obey orders. On
the fourth day of the walkout bands
of young men went through the work.
mems residential district in Seraing'
breaking windows In the homes of men
who had refused to quit work.
Other bands occupied the roads lead
ing to the city and stopped gangs OF
men who were entering the city from
outlying villages with the intention OF
going TO work.
Even when acts of violence were re-
ported in Brussels the government OBJ
stinately refused to yield to the So
eialists' demands The police had a
hard time in the suburbs OF Brussels,
where strikers bought nippers and
rubber gloves with the intention OF
cutting wires and wrscking electrical
machinery.
The seriousness of the situation be-
came apparent when officials an-
! nounced that they We're almost out
OF coal and that the stopping of rail
} road transportation and the shutting
down of gas and electric plants seemed
inevitable.
Facing this extremity, however. the
government refused to yield. To all
J proposals of national referendum on
ronSfifutfonnl rpviSion the premier