Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1919-11-14

the surprising things about the whole
matter was that it showed that the
working people can conduct a large
strike without any great amount of
row" True, the papers featured ac-
counts of attempts to wreck trains,
but so far as l can learn from a care
full reading of the papers, there were
only four such attempts during a
strike which lasted eight days, in
volved 100000 men directly, and a
whole nation indirectly I do not be-
Ilieve such strike would have passed
off so quietly in the United States.
The next great surprise Of the
strike was the extent to which other
means of transport, especially motor
cars, were made % do the work of
the railways. The motor truck in
dustry undoubtedly received a great
boost from the strike. Is it not pos
sible that the motor truck will even
tually supplant the railway to
great extent, as the motor car has
already almost ruined the street car
business? In small, thickly settled
country like England it seems to me
more than likely.
At first, traffic was paralyzed. Soon
the gift for improvisation, which has
been developed in the British people
by the war, began to act upon the
situation. Food was conserved by ra-
ltioning, as during the war, and the
Ministry of Transport quickly organ
lied a motor service for transporting
food. Everywhere, particularly in
London, the streets were much con-
gested on account of the diversion of
traffic which ordinarily went by rail-
Bicycles of the most antique pattern,
with one high wheel and one low
one, bumped into motorcycles which,
with sidecars, were made to carry as
many as eight passengers.
Among the volunteers who manned
the government food service were
earls who drove fish wagons, dukes
who delivered potatoes, and dis
charged soldiers who stepped from
army trucks and climbed onto similar
trucks in the government service of
supply without even knowing they
had changed their occupation.
Through everything the cheerful,
imperturbable British spirit. the
"phlegme britannique," as the French
call it, accepted the situation with
good-natured grumbling, and with a
few inconvenience and some quiet
amusement as compensation, life
went on. Indeed, it would take more
than strike to terrorize a people
who were hardly startled by the bonn
bardment of their unfortified towns
AS for the causes of the strike, the
first thing which impresses an Amer
lean is the extremely low scale OF
wages which the men sought to main
tain. Remember, first of all, that the
cost of living here is practically the
same as it is in the United States
shall develop that statement in q
future article. Railway rates, pas
senger at least, are exactly the same
as in our country. Yet railway con
ductors (guards), for example, gel
from So to 68 shillings ($14.50 tc
SID per week. Switchmen (shunt
ers) receive SO to Ga shillin.s.
These figures are startling when
compared to the wages of our railway
men at home.
In my opinion, whatever the imme
idiate couses of the strike may be
whatever the extent to which the pro
Ifessional agitators aggravated the
trouble. these low wages are it's root
Mr.. Lloyd George has admitted that
before the war some of the railway
men were disgracefully underpaid."