New-York tribune., 1919-07-23
Walkout of 25O,OOO Miners
Termed Everything From
a Suicidal Blunder to
II e c kless Bolshevism
Geddes Negotiations Fail
Flooding of Mines Contin-
ues; Government Control
: Solution, Henderson Says

1O~~DO-N' VoiS SS Wy AHc AoSOCA-
ated Press).-On the morrow of the
peace celebration, with the newspaper
columns still paying plentiful. tribute
to the great demonstration and urging
that the nation now settle down to
work, Great Britain finds herself con-
fronted with one of the most serious
economic crises in her history.
Alarm is everywhere felt at the &c
ton of the coal miners in putting a
stop to the output in a large area of
the coal fields, and especially at their
risking the permanent destruction of
some Of the mines by preventing the
pumps from operating. The London
press voices this alarm in unmeasured
terms, seeing the nation faced with
unparalleled calamity, which is pointed
to as threatening national bankruptcy.
Except in Socialist quarters the con-
duct of the miners is condemned with
varying degrees of vehemence, and
characterized as something from de-
plorable, suicidal blunder to wicked
reckless BolshrviSm-
Use of Sailors Approved
The decision of the government to
employ navy men to pump the mines in
the terrific dilemma" as one char
Acterization has it, and thus to save a
national asset, is approved by newspa-
pers of widely differing views, but in
some quarters the government is sharp
ly criticised as having blundered in
handling the situation and allowing it
TO drift without fulfilling the promise
given the miners to carry out the find
ings Of the commission which were en-
bodied in the Sankey report on the
mining industry. =
For the moment the situation shows
no hope of improvement. The Miners
Federation to-day had not replied to
the governments appeal that the fed
Grafton communicate is views, in the
face of the disastrous flooding of the
mines, and in the end 1t seems uncer-
tain whether the federation will be
able to take effective action The men
are represented as acting in defiance
Of the federation leaders. Labor ex-
perts declare the workers are out Of
hand, that they had been led to expect
new order of things and believed that
the way to the promised land is being
blocked by the greed of capitalists and
profteers-
Sir Eric Geddes, minister without
portfolio, named as government com
missioner to try to settle the strike
of more than 100000 miners in the
Yorkshire district, conferred with m;ne
inspectors there to-day, but at last re-
ports not one of the mines in either the
west or south of Yorkshire coal fields
was operating.
Water continues to rise in the mines.
rs none Of the naval pump men ordered
here by the government has arrived.
Men at Devonport and other naval sta
tions, however have been told to hold
themselves in readiness to move al
once.
The striking miners will fight 20 a
finish" Herbert Smith, president of the
clared. He advised the men, however i
not to interfere with any bumpers
who might be sent to the mines. He
said the Miners Federation had moth
. ing to do with the disputes in the York
shire district and that the strike vii
go on until the men get their right.
under the Sankey report"
A dispatch to The Evening News
from Bradford Yorkshire, to-day an
nounced that pumping would cease il
the rest Of the Yorkshire coal mine
this afternoon. This would be the frs
time in fortyfve years that ventilation
IN the mines had been stopped.
Long Struggle Feared
The correspondent adds that tn
defiance Of the Miners Federation b,
President Smith created a aensation il
Bradford. The dispatch adds that
long struggle is feared.
The Welsh miners at conference to
day decided TO continCe at work, pend
ing the settlement of the question o
piece rates between the govcrnmen n
and the miners federation
A local strike Of 5000 miners q
Leigh, Lancashire, has been called OF
the settlement being intrusted to tn
Miners Federation.
II is understood that the governmen
will warn towns drawing supplies fror
the strike district that they must cu1
tail their consumption Of gas, electric
aty and water. Train services Wi.
also be reduced. Paralysis Of tn
northern industries is slowly ncreas
Ing. Thirty thousand workers at Iced
and Sheffield are already idle throug
the compulsory closing Of variou
works
Some Of the commentators here prt
dict that the employers are not goin
20 offer any help; that they are cor
Slnced there is going TO be fight an
are preparing for it, while many lea,
sss OF industry appeared dismayed Z,
she outlook and seem 70 fear that
Storm is about to break.
!. Arthur Henderson, the labor leade
declares the only way out of the pre-
ent difficulty is acceptance by u
government Of the principle Of publ
ownership and partial control Of d
~mines The governments failure
declare itself for or against national
xation. however, and the strong opp
sition majority in the present parIi
ment 20 naturalization are conn
eating the situation.