New-York tribune., 1919-02-25
George
Says Britain
Faces Strife
Continued from page +

this country was II shillings. as against
II shillings in the United States. If
the demands were granted he said, the
cost here would be about 26 shillings.
The country, the Premier said, had
already lost large orders from Brazil
where before the war the British had
virtually dominated the market. Or
ders were also being lost from Argen-
tina, and this was important, he said
as the coal ships sent there brought
back meat. The miners, as we'll as
other workers, he pointed out. would
be affected at once if trade were lost
or industries crippled.
There were two objects in the de-
mands of the miners to meet the in
creased cost of living and to prevent
unemployment by providing for more
work to be done. The Premier said
that if his figures were correct the de-
mands as far as those two conditions
were concerned would aggravate them
If the miners were seeking to reach an
ideal it ought to be done in such way
as not to precipitate a disaster on other
industries which ought to have time to
adjust themselves to demands Of that
character.
According to information in posses
sion of the government, Mr.. Lloyd
George continued, the cost of steel al
ready was high and would go up 10
per cent if the price of coal were
raised.
The Premier emphasized the serious
effect Of the cost of coal in relation to
the food supply. America, he added,
was very serious competitor in re-
spect to the export of coal, which was
more important for Great Britain than
for America. If that export trade was
destroyed an increase in the cost of
coal and food was inevitable.
Inquiry, Not Decision, Needed
A number Of the miners leaders
spoke, some of them fa~oring post
ponement of the strike for a govern
ment inquiry, others advocating a fur
ther conference with the government.
The Premier again rose and said he
could not accept the latters sugges-
ton, and added that, having heard the
miners leaders, ne was more than ever
convinced that it was q case not for a
decision but for an inquiry. The gov
ernment was not entitled to commit
the state to naturalization without a
careful investigation, not even to avert
strike. The government would do
its utmost to get the commissions re-
port before March 81, but could gain
nothing by yielding.
The miners, said the Premier, talked
as though the war was ended, but it
was not ended. His advces from
Paris indicated that things were by no
means settled. Peace had not been
made with the formidable enemy,
whom the miners themselves had made
great sacrifices to defeat.
Speaking In reply to the Premier,
William Adamson, chairman of the
Parliamentary Labor party, said that
the government had sufficient data at
its disposal to deal with the questions
of wages and hours. He urged the de-
STABILITY of setting these questions
before the miners meeting on Wednes-
day.
Mr.. Adamson also asked the Premier
to agree to the principle of nationaliza-
ton, leaving it to the commission to
20 into the necessary inquiries which
were bound to be made prior to such
big Undertaking by the government.
The total figures of the vote taken
by the miners, Mr.. Adamson said, was
in favor Of strike by 611,998 against
104 ,997.
II the government desires to avert a
national disaster it must understand
that report on the wages and hours
OF miners must be forthcoming before
March ID. declared Frank Hodges. Soc
retary Of the Miners Federation. in a
speech at meeting of miners of Not
tlnghamshirc at Mansfield yesterday
He said that the principle of nationali
zation must be established Hodges
added that the railway men and the
transport workers were with the min
crs.