The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1921-04-22
POSTPONE Great
BRITISH STRIKE
Lloyd George Wins Victory in
Preventing Nations Tieup
to Aid Socialist Plan.
SPLIT IN LABOR'S RANKS
Unions Desert Mine Men, Who Aban-
don Wage Pool Demands-Rail,
Transport and Electric Walk
outs Halted Six Hours.

London.-The menace Of a general
strike in the British Isles was definite
ly removed when J. H. Thomas, gen.
eral secretary of the National Union
of Railway Men, announced that the
strike order by members of his union
and by the National Federation of
Transport Workers had been "can-
celled." The representatives of those
two organizations had voted on wheth-
er the strike should be postponed or
cancelled, and the latter alternative
won by a substantial majority of
transport workers and a small ma
jority of railway mems leaders. The
storm center now revolves around
Frank Hodges, the secretary of the
miners union, who advocated modera-
ton in dealing with the owners.
When the miners refused to follow his
lead their companions in the Triple
Alliance declined to strike.
The coal miners still remain on
strike, but the Triple Alliance is for
the moment shattered and the miners
are left to fight out alone their dis
pute with the mine owners and the
government. It is believed here that
they will agree to terms soon. The
mine owners issued statement in
which they reiterated their previous
statement that an adjustment should
be made of the lowest wage ratings.
and again declaring they were ready
to meet miners representatives to dis
cuss the question. Individual miners
leaders have expressed regret that the
mine owners offer had not been ac-
cepted.
The miners executive decided to call
a conference of representatives from
all the British coal mining districts.
The date of this conference will be
fixed later.
George Moore, acting head of the To-
connective engineers and firemen. said
fatty that the other unions in the
Triple Alliance thought the miners
were wrong in refusing to back up
Hodges. The miners even insisted that
Hodges sign the letter to the premier
declining to resume the conference
with the mine owners to which he had
agreed. The railway men and trans-
port workers at the meeting of theN
Triple Alliance declared the miners
should renew the Negotiations, and
when the miners refused the break
came.
These developments I'm the strike
crisis followed a forenoon of kaleldo-
scopic changes. There is immense re-
lief that the walkout of the railroad
men and the transport workers. with a
union membership of about
100000 men. has been called off, and
in all circles the hope was expressed
that the conferences between the mine
owners and the striking miners would
be resumed: that industrial peace
throughout Great Britain would come
after these days Of threats of great
labor war.
"He has done II again." are the
words on TIN lips of thousands Of per-
sons in London. The che" refers TO
the prime minister and to his def han
Hing of the strike situation While
giving Mr.. Lloyd George this credit,
he public here also attributes the we
tory to what they call British sanity"
As a matter Of fact, the settlement
was helped greatly by the shrewd
work by a young group Of Coalition
members i'm the house of commons.
They started an agitation which end
I'd with the miners being placed i'm a
position of demanding a general strike
10 enforce national wage pool
meaning SOcialistic control Of indus
try by the government-and the bulk
" British labor refused to fight for
that. So long as the struggle rested
on the basis of wages alone. repre-
sentatives of the railroad men and the
workers backed up the min
ers.