Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-04-28
MOTIVES BACK OF WIDESPREAD
STRIKE OF BELGIAN WORkMEN
Situation Gave Officials Lit.
tie Concern at First, but
Soon Grew Serious.

owner. declared his intention Of sub.
scribing $4,000 daily to the strike
fund.
Work Stopped at Liege.
Work ceased In the greater number
Of the industrial concerns at Lege and
in the snrrounding suburbs OF Bres-
SIOUX, Jupille. and Wandre. OF $500
workmen 1.400 remained at their ma
chimes.
In the national arms factory at Her
stal the strike was complete.
All the coal miners ut Seraing. Je-
moppe. Tilleur. Mentegnee. Tlemaile-
Haute, -Grande and st. Mich
olas stopped work.
OF the IS 900 coal miners in the Mons
district all quit their work except 1000.
who kept the machinery running. All
the manufactures also we're idle. IN
Guiding the machine shops and potter.
les.
The suspension Of work at the coal
mines in the Charleroi district was
complete the first day. except that suf-
dcient men remained at their posts to
keep the machinery in good order and
the pumps working. The metal work.
ers only partially quit. The total num-
her on strike at Chartered was 69.DEl
out OF 1886 employees IN the various
trades.
La Louviere Idle.
Twenty strikers were arrested for in.
terfering with workers..
The miners strike at La Tlouviere
was general the frst morning. not a
man beyond those necessary to keep
the machinery in order going into the
mines. All the factories closed their
doors except a pottery.
Some attempts were made to cut
telegraph wires in the vicinity.
The potteries in the Client neighbor-
hood we're all silent. but in the linen
and cotton mills something more than
half the hands remained at work. ex-
cept In two cases. where Ill quit. The
metal workers also went out. bat q few
cement mixers continued work.
The strike, which had appeared not
to 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
movement also extended to other
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 nj
ford to do 30 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 10000 men
were idle. Some estimates put the
number as high as $4,000. Premier
Broqueville. speaking In the pariia.
ment at Brussels. put the number at
$4,000. Estimates Of conservative
journals reduced the total to few
hundred less than 100000.
More than 10000 strikers surround
ed the national hall OF legislation, but
there was no violence. Several hun
dred paraded the capital without police
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. a national referendum on