The Washington herald., 1920-10-24
RAILWAY MEN
WILL NOT JOIN
MlNESTRIKERS
More Than Half Of Them
Opposed to Sympathetic
Walkout.
PEACE DRAWS NEARER
Coal Workers Agree to Ac-
cept Lloyd Georges S Sug-
gestion of Conference.
PEACE DRAWS NEARER
b. CARL W. ACKERMAN.
CWRShia5ton HsraId-PubHc Ledger servic,
Special Cable Disp&ch.)

Special Gable Dispsch.)
Lon ION. Oct. 23.-Possibility of
settleI1ent in the great national coal
strike Is two steps nearer tonight,
although the industrial outlook in
England and Wales is still very
grave.
Too avs most significant develop
ment followed a long secret confer
ence between the miners and rail-
way leaders. As a result of this
meeting. the railway executives de-
cldet not to call a general, sympa-
theti railway strike tomorrow and
the miners sent word to Downing
stree that they would accept Lloyd
GeorEe.s suggestion of a conference.
The Prime Minister had motored
10 Tie country, but was reached by
long distance telephone. Whether
ne VIII come to his official residence
tom ROW has not yet been decided,
but !. the meeting between the Pre-
mler and the miners does not take
place tomorrow, there will be i'm
portant conversations in Downing
Street Monday. At that meeting it
Is Tcssible a basis for settlement
may be found.
Rebellion in Ranks.
WHAT transpircd behind the scenes
OF t"day's meeting of the miners and
raiIWaymen is by far, however. the
most important development during
the coal strike. Before J. H. Thomas,
the general secretary, c. T. Cramp
and other railroad leaders met Rob-
ert Smillie, the miners leader, and
MS colleagues they were informed in
the most direct manner by a large
body Of conservative rafIwaymen
that II a national railway strike
WFne called less than so per cent of
the iIz=n would respond to the call.
Thentss himself. who has been
NorHag privately and publicly for
pesFr openly welcomed this evil
afntFs p #GDpOrt from the rank and
Me, aEt ~ hen the miners leaders
Wsrs 1rcrETed point blank that the
-al'viayrnsn would not stop working
= gynEathy with the miners there
iTas 00triuE for the miners to do
. NJ 10 hcctpt the pronered olive
sfaz n q Or tain's prime minister.
oZrisIS Not EIated.
HiEn of'ieiaIs of the government
Witss whom I discussed the situation
tcnSTEt were not, however. either as
Cptifa-7tiC or as hopeful as one might
s'tspe"5 - result of the miners de-
cis.oE toT another meeting with the
E1ye 7ulel-
The reason IS not that they dis
count thts TsatiHg even before It
taSss place but the great danger
fvne mpioyment hangs over the ma
ioh tonight as heavy as the fog over
London, which for two days now has
been so dense rs to cause numerous
railway accidents not to mention
dislOcatiOns Of traffic and CONSEQUENT
delays in business
Ofhciais figures available today Of
the unemployed gave the figure Of
October goth in England and Wales
alone as 3O9,429, an increase Of 81. 700
since October Sth. not including the
Miners now on strike.
5000 PofterS Lose Out,
To this number was added TODAY
25.OOJ pOtters who were thrown out
Of work by the closing Of the pot
teries in North StanOrdshire. Every
day The strike lasts the number of
those losing the means of daily sus-
tenance is increased by tens of
thousands and no one knows how
the nation can stand the strain upon
its resources and preserve the vital
tty OF hundreds OF thousands Of men
and women out Of work, oht Of food
and out OF money.
1t is not the present asDact
Of unemployment, however, which
troubles the government for the
present. Both unemployed and striL-
ing miners are quiet. patient, calm
and possessed, but another two
weeks will see the striking miners
reduced to strike allowances of less
than IS per week.
Not Worried Now.
For the moment the miner. a-.
aOt worried. On the eve Of striking
they were given approximately SIS
each in wages due.
IOuay reports to the government
from Glasgow state that the minars
are really out on holiday, arrang-
ing football matches and iamboraes
These official reports state fnrtbsr
nat II is extremely unlikely wbetba-
the Scotch miners would bave rol
turned to work this week evan ir
ordered to do so by Mr.. SmiIIie and
have SUI hcient funds they are NOT not
talking settlement.
Because this situation exists in
other parts Of the nation there il a
strong feeling in government circles
tnat no EFFORT will be made really tn
vSettle the strike before the end Of
tnext week
Bank on Quick End.
Smillie must take into considers.
tlon the radicals within his ranks,
Out the men he can never ignore
are the great rank and fIa ~ ~
miners who are striking primariIy
for an Increase of two shilIngs a
week and who today still have sufFi-
cient money on hand to hold out
for ten days or a fortnight. The
mass OF the miners are banking on
quick settlement and do not an
ticipate a long struggle.
Copyright, 1890, By Public Isdr.r e.,