New-York tribune., 1918-09-26
Coal Mines and Shipyards
Idle by Virtue of Car
Shortage
Not a Pacifst Move
Workers Insist Upon Wage In
crease Commemorate With
Rise in Living Expenses
ON Cable To The Tyibune)

copyright. 1918. Now York Tribune 1nc}
LONDON, Sept. 25.--A railway strike
aHccting transportation in practically
an parts of England began to-day. Late
this evening the railway situation i'm
proved, the Cardiff strikers voting ia
return and the Reading workers being
ANXIOUS to reconsider their position
Offlclals believe that conditions will be
normal before the end Of the week
troops have been sent to Wales. J. H.
thomas says he will resign after the
strike is settled.
The government has decided upon
strong action unless the strikers re-
sumo work Immediately. The naval
and military authorities will assist in
the transportation Of munitions, wound
ed and food. No disorder was reported
to-day. ''~' ''>'
Even the suburban traffic is badly
crippled, while 'cross-country service
mas practically ceased. No attempt is
being made to maintain schedules.
Centres most affected are London.
Reading, Bristol, Bath and Birming-
ham,
Industries Crippled
me strike IS seriously crippling the
industrial life of England at the pres
ent moment. With more than 10000
railway men idle and their numbers
steadily increasing. the country faces a
grave situation. Though it would be
an eXaggeration to say that the situa-
ton had got out of hand. the action Of
the workers, who are defying even
thelr @ own leaders, is calculated to
cause undisguised alarm. Thousands
of munitions workers and coal miners
are directly affected Wales and West
ern England are in the gr:p of an in
dustrial upheaval. Briefly, the situa-
tion follows:
First-In Wales majority of the
railway men have quit, and consequent
ly coal miners are short Of cars.
Steamers are unable to get coal. muni-
tlon plants are short of fuel and raw
material and many workers are unable
to travel between their homes and the
factories.
Second-In Western England there is
sympathetic strike on the part of the
railway men. Munition works are idle.
The Mersey River coal passers have
quit. transportation is badly dislo-
Gated.
Clyde Workers Idle
Third-ln the Clyde districts ship
wrlghts and carpenters are idle
Fourth-In the London district there
10 Z" Aihc VI cllS lucSIS III LNe local
mines.
To date the government has limited
ITS action to appeals to the workers to
return on the plea that strikes are
bound to interfere with the prosccu-
ton of the war.
j. III. Thomas, the railway mems secre-
tary, pleaded personally with the union
mon, but without success. The miners.
Who are working desperately to reduce
the serious coal shortage, were forced
into idleness. Muntion workers. who
have no important grievances, have had
TO cease work in many places.
The railway men quit as a protest
against the award of five instead of the
ten shillings they had demanded. Thev
have no popular support. and it is be-
!leved that public opinion is strong
enough to send them back TO work
But in the meanwhile an alar,nino Sill
uation is developing.
Not Pacifcist Outburst
have tried to make the point in pre-
vlous dispatches that these strikes are
not measure Of pacifcism, but a mani
festation of industrial unrest. The
workers are determined to redress whar
they consider to be wrongs That the
workers are interfering with the prose-
cution of the war they freely admit.
The British system of war govern
ment is being put to its severest test.