The sun., 1918-08-31
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
STRIKE IN LONDON
Nearly Half of Metropolitan
Force Quits to Obtain Ad-
vance in Wages.
PRISON VAN DRIVERS OUT
Men Belong to Union and Are
Said to Be the Poorest
Paid in the World.

LONDON, Aug. so.-The police of the
London Metropolitan district, embrace
ing an area Of 700 square miles and a
population Of 5000. 900. went on strike
to-day for more pay.
The strength OF London's police force
fs about $4,000. According to the union
leaders, 10000 OF these were out at noon
to-day. and the greater part Of the re-
msinder had shown entire sympathy
with the strike movement.
Tonight virtually all the city Of Lon
don police Joined the strike.
At the Tower Hill meeting this eve
ming It was decided to send a deputa-
ton to the Home Offlce at noon to-mor-
row to meet Premier Lloyd George or
any other member of the Government
In order to submit the case of the
strikers to him.
The strike startled Londoners. al
though the agitation for increased pay
had been going on steadily for a long
time. being generally favored by the pub
lie. One union leader stated to-day that
the present pay of London policemen is
Ss shillings weekly. plus 12 shillings
war bonus. and the possible addition OF
two shillings weekly after twenty-one
years service Sergeants receive ten
shillings more weekly than the patrol
men.
1.-THE London police are about the
poorest paid In the world" said this
man. I'VE long ago determined to
remedy that. For year we tried pa
tiently all the ordinary routine methods
Of getting our demands recognized, and
1t was only when all these efforts failed
that we determined on a strike
The strike Is under the leadership Of
the National Union OF Police and Prison
Officers, which was formed In 1918 and
recognized last year. II is formally af
filiated with the Trades Council and
other labor bodies.
The authorities never have recognized
the union and have made some efforts to
halt its development. but the union lead
ers have tried not to give the authorities
an opportunity to suppress them and the
organization has grown steadily during
the last two years. Its present member
ship Is not stated, but 1t Is apparent the
strike has general support, even Of po-
licemen who are not union members.
The strike Is not entirely unprece-
dented in the London police force, as
there was a similar disturbance OF a
smaller scale in 1872. and again later.
but both attempts were suppressed In a
day or two.
The chief effect of the strike to-day
was felt in the traffic centres. All the
big financial houses and banks have
their private guards, while the big Gov
eminent buildings and important official
centres either are similarly provided or
are under military patrol. The financial
district of London is all within the oil
city.
Constsbles Evade Duty Calls.
There was an effort to-day to mobilize
enough OF the semi-civilian special con-
stables to handle the work of the regular
police, but this effort did not succeed
very well because the specialS generally
sympathized with the demands made bv
the regulars, and managed to avoid re-
ceiving the calls to duty.
The police warders. who are members
Of the union. remained on duty. there
being no attempt to call them out But
the drivers of the Black Marias Joined
the policemen and cabs had to be COM
mandeered to convey prisoners between
the prisons and the courts
The Thames police took over the du-
ties OF the regulars at Woolwich Arsenal.
and in a few isolated places military po-
lice took stations at country crossroads.
where most of the traffic Is now OF
military nature.