The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-10-20
Great Britain s Coal Strike Be-
comes More Serious To-day
as Trouble
Spreads.
CUT RAILWAY SERVICE
Three Meetings Today With Possible
Effect on Strike With Hopes
That Sympathetic Walk
outs are Not Coming.
[By Charles McCann, United Press
Staff Correspondent

! [By Charles McCann, United Press
/ Staff Correspondent
LONDON, Oct 20.-Great Britain's
coal strike became more serious today.
i Minor disturbances were reported
from different quarters; runaors OF
sympathetic strikes began to spread
/, and the nation gradually felt the eff
/; feet of a lessened supply of fuel.
There were three meetings today
with possible effect on the strike.
These were the meetings with the par
| Elementary committee of the trades
union congress, the railwaymen's dele
gates and the transport workers exc
cutives.
The railwaymen and transport
workers with the miners, form the
triple alliance. In parliament it was
limited the miners will be joined in
the strike by the other wings of the
alliance if the trouble is not adjusted
quickly. ,<owever, with the prospect
of resump1 Asn Of negotiations opened
by the depale in the house of COM
mons yesterday, 1T was beiived the
railway and transport workers will
postpone strike decisions.
Railway service will be cut begin
ming Monday, throwing large numbers
of workers out of employment.
A small band of rioters late last
night caused a disturbance in the
Strand, setting fire to an unoccupied
building. The fire was controlled
quickly. An unorganized procession
of unemployed men headed for the
iail to which Whitehall rioters had
been sentenced to sixty days, was dis
persed without difficulty.
Parliament In Session.
[By Webb Miller, United Press Staff
Correspondent
LONDON, Oct. 2o.-The coal
strike, a threatened strike OF trans
port workers and difficulties in Ire
land were before parliament today.
The government has accepted a
motion by Arthur Henderson, labor
its. censuring its attitude toward
police reprisals in Ireland. Premier
Iloyd-George expected substantial
vote Of confidence to result.
Lloyd-George in his speech in the
house Hof commons last night asked
that the nation trust the government
to handle the coal strike. He based
this on his offer to confer with the
miners at any time if they were ready
to talk of an impartial tribunal to
settle their wage demands or if they.
were ready to negotiate on the basis
of increased production.
The press commenting on parlia-
ment's handling of the strike, con
tinued optimistic today, but warned
that the break in the deadlock caused
by the offer Of "a way out by wiz
liam Brace, labor member. was only
Brace called for the I'M
mediate grant of two shfllings per
day increase. This was to be fol
lowed by conferences between miners
and owners for a permanent settle
ment and an agreement ON produc-
tion.
doyd-George's f1rmness In insist
ing on production basis for An IN
crease was a disappointment tc the
miners.
The problem was made moro com
plex by the threat of 10000 trans
port workers to strike Saturday If
wage increases are not granted at
once.
Marking Time.
LONDON, OCT ~. = transport
workers and railway men marked
time today, refusing to rush into a
strike in support Of the British
miners.
The parliamentary council Of the
transport workers and railway execu-
tives met briefly today, but adjourned
without action. The railway men
were said to be evenly divided on
: H.ontinnad on paxa "a