The Washington herald., 1920-10-17
PREMIER SEES
SERIOUS CRISIS
Tells Miners Government
Will Not Be Forced Into
Unfair Settlement.

British coal miners-the g-eatest
economic battle Of all umes-~sr
tonight an accomplished fact
Responding to the strike ors-s
which went 70 every district a a.
miners federation, the grim works .
ers started dropping their t5ols Il
noon today and now it is a c,srtainty
that more than one million talsr sn4
boys will be out by tomorr =.
The bright theater lights so6 -,
other lights that are not sbac1ste1z,
necessary are out tonight. ] or5cn i
dark. Almost as dark as wss fu
the days Of the raiding zenpeiinz-4
Motors are being mobfIIzef for tha<
transportation Of food shoaId a.
coal supply Of the railroad give oufs
or should the railway mel tosr she<
strike. British troops are sra tione<E
at stragetic points in the cosI L<sAs
and in the larger cities where there
might be danger Of the idle thous-
sands turning to mischief. The
troops, it is reliably understood, are
supported by 1000 tanks
Both Sides Determined.
The British nation has been made
TO realize the full seriousness OF
the situation by the statements
from Premier Lloyd George and
from the miners.
The premier said: The govern
ment has made every effort con-
sistent with its duty as trustee for
the people, to avert tnis calamity.
! The government offered TO submit
the miners claim for an increase
In wages TO an impartial tribunal
and to abide by the result This
offer was refused. The government
offered to give the increase asked
for. II the miners would restore the
present low production OF coal to
the figures Of the early part OF
the present year.
This, too, the miners refused
against the advice OF their most
experienced leaders. They are Al.
tempting now to gain their ends~ky
force The nation muSt and VIII re-
sist sucn an attack with all its
! strength and there can be no doubt
as 10 the issue.
J No one need underrste the dam
age which this strike will de. but
no one will be dismsyed- We have
been through much more difficult
Z with determination to do Justice.
the nation will overcome all or its
difficulties"
He asked for calmness and said
that no persons should be laid of
from work. until the laying of is
absolutely necessary.
Strike Forced, Say Worker.
( The miners statement reads:
After allowing ample time for
negotiations and modifying the
claims, and twice suspending the
strike, thus showing our anxiety 70
avoid the conflict. we were forced
To strike by the unyieldinE attitude
of the government in the face OF
reasonable claims warranted by the
cost Of living. We know the suf-
ferinE on ourselves. our families
and the public that the strike in
wolves. but the governments atti-
tude did not leave US an honorable
alternative"
The miners ask an increase OF 90
cents per day. It was demanded on
showing that the miners are worse
! OF, that their standard Of livfnEis
lower than before the war, beczBxs
! the increase in wages was not as
great as the increase in the cost OF
living.
Two Vital Points Raised
There are two outstanding ques-
tions now in the minds q the
people. These are, can the eovern-
ment stand up under the hDsncisi
punishment the strike will visit on
Great Britain beyond the poiut az
which the miners will be flrced -
return TO work through he ap-
proach OF starvation. and wiil Tire
railwaymen and the transport work
ers join the miners?
The last question is uppermos-
J. II. Thomas, leader Of the rail-
way men is tonight in conference
with Premier Lloyd George. The
government will bend every effort
toward preventing the railway men
from joining in the realization that
to beat such a strike would be a
gigantic task.
3 The more aggressive element Of
the railway men is bent on The
sympathetic strike. What the action
is TO be will he decided Wednesday
when the delegates meet. Today @.
7. Cramp, assistant secretary OF the
union. warned the branches that a
Serious situation for labor would
result n the strike is beaten. He
instructed the branches TO be ready
to follow the word that is given
them from Wednesdays meeting.
Some Miners Prepared.
Miners in some areas are well
fixed for funds and will be able TO
purchase food just as long as the
rest of ths community. But in
others, notably in Scotland, the
miners have not laid in a great
financial store and may feel the
pinch of actual want driving them
back to work within a short time.
But while this process is going on
Great Britain will see its real en-
pire-not the political one-the eco
nomic one OF the shipping and man
ufacturing, slipping away from IL.
Great Britain supplies about half
the continental coal and her facto-
ries, turning out everything from
toys to locomotives, supply q sub
stahtial portion for the world
With the coal supply halted those
factories will stop. Several blast
furnaces have quit already. Ship
ping has been hit and viii be hit
harder and harder as the strike goes
on. Men and women workers will
be laid CT. The problem Of feeding
will grow. There will be pressure
from the continental countries for
coal. And that pressure will be felt
because coal pays for a great deal
L H..