The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1919-02-08
BRITISH ISLES IN THROES OF LABOR
UPHEAVAL

UPHEAVAL
Great Britain, which for more than four years
successfully withstood Prussian nlilitarism, is
now threatened by foe from within far more
menacing.
A general strike which originated among the
shipbuilders more than week ago at Belfast
Ireland and Glasgow, Scotland, has now spread
to London and is involving the coal mines of
Wales 1t is impossible to estimate the number
of persons involved as the strikes are spreading
and growing daily; but hundreds of thousands
of men have left their places of employment and
presented demands for shorter hours.
The most serious aspect of the situation is the
fact that the general strikes throughout England,
Ireland Scotland and Wales are not ordinary
labor r>'eavas, but Bolshevistc in nature, the
strik - penly opposing the authorized labor
chiefs of the national federation of trades unions
and being under the direction of local boards or
ganized like soviets. In both Glasgow and Bel
fast, thousands of troops have been placed by the
government for preserving order, and this is said
to have been met by the strikers with defiance
The motormen the great underground rail
ways of London went on strike on the morning
of February g. These had been granted an 6
hour work day only a week before, but they are
striking because they are not paid for the
half hour out of the eight which is devoted to
luncheon.
~ @1aE; the strike situation was inten-
oy cne hotel workers gong on Strike, affect
ing The big hosteries of the metropolis.
The question on every lip is this: Will the
Lloyd George government, reelected by over
whelming, majority only few weeks ago, be able
to cope with the situation and effect settlement
Henry M. Hyde, writing for the Chicago Tyib-
me from London on last Sunday, February 2,
summed up the situation thus:
This is a fatefu week for Great Britain Be
fore next Sunday the tidal wave of labor strikes
and bolshevist demonstrations which has swept
over Belfast and Glasgow is expected to reach
London" (Ths occurred the following day.
Con what happens here in the metropolis may
depend, if not the security of the empire at least
the fate of the Lloyd George government. 1t
would be difficult to eXaggerate the importance of
the crisis the country faces
If the single strike of the Amagamated So
ciety of Engineers, now definitely called for
thursday, is not prevented, more than 100000
wOrkrnen representing thirty distinct trades will
lay down their tools in London alone Since the
members of the great society are skilled mechan-
les and tradesmen, their strike would almost para
lyze the industry of the metropolis. These men
have just been granted forty-seven hour week
Now they demand that the hours be cut to forty
And that is only one Of the almost innumerable
strikes which Immediately threaten
THE electrical trades unions promise to cut
off the electrical light and power unless their
demands are granted. Tomorrow prudent house
holders will be buying up all the candles in Lon
don.
Con Monday the union of railway station mas
tiers and clerks meet to decide when they will
strike If they stop work the movement of trains
all over the islands would be seriously ncommo-
ded, if not prevented
This week also the government has promised
to answer the demand of the national union of
the coal miners that they be granted six hour
working day with IS per cent increase in wages
They also demand that full wages be paid to all
de1nobilized and unemployed miners, and that the
government proceed to nationalize all the coal
mines. What nationwide strike of coal miners
would mean to British industry needs no discus
sion.
Transport workers, ship builders, municipal
employees, railroad men, tramway workers. men
of a dozen other trades, all are preparing new
demands or pressing for immediate decision
on demands already made. Practically all the
working class of the islands is in state Of more
or less tumult and unrest
1T is impossible to keep track of them, for
most of them are acting without consent of their
trade union leaders. changing their demands al
most from day to day.
"That the government recognizes this to be the
critical week is clear Lloyd George will come
home from Paris before Saturday to take active
command of the situation.
"The governments policy in dealing with what