The New York herald., 1921-04-16
MINERS DESERTED;
MUST FIGHT ALONE
Lloyd George Wins Victory in
Preventing Nations Tieup
to Aid Socialist Plan.
HODGES A STORM CENTRE
Dramatic Scenes as Triple AL
lance Smashes. but Coal
Situation Is Serious.
HODGES A STORM CENTRE
BY j. McH. STUART

Special Gable to THE NEW YORK HERALD
Copyright, 1891. bU TIE NEW YORK HERALD
New York Herald Bureau
London. April 15
The menace of a general strike in
the British Isles was definitely re-
moved at 4 o'clock this afternoon. At
that hour J. H. Thomas, general sec
retary OF the National Union of Rail-
waymen, announced that the strike
order by members of his union and by
the National Federation of Transport
Workers, which was to have become
effective at 10 o'clock tonight. had
been cancelled" The representatives
of those two organizations had voted on
whether the strike should be postponed
won by a substantial majority of
transport workers and a small ma
jority of railwaymen's leaders. The
storm centre 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 AL
lance 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 dispute
with the mine owners and the Govern
ment. Ii is believed here that they
will agree to terms soon. The mine
owners issued statement tonight 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 to-day had not been
accepted.
New Conference of Miners.
The miners executive decided to-day
to call conference OF representatives
from all the British coal mining dis
tricts. The date of this conference will
be fixed tomorrow.
George Moore, acting head of the loco
motive engineers and firemen, said flat
~ 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 last
night The railway men and transport
workers at the meeting of the Triple
Alliance declared the miners should re-
rev the negotiations and when the
miners refused the break came.
These developments In the strike
crisis followed a forenoon Of kaieido-
scopic changes. There is immense re-
lief that the walkout OF the railroad
men and the transport workers with
combined 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
pe resumed; that industrial peace
throughout Great Britain would come
after these days of threats Of a great
labor war.
He has done II again. are the words
on the lips of thousands of persons In
London tonight. The ''he" refers TO the
OF the strike situation. While giving
Mr.. Lloyd George this credit. the public
here tonight also attributes the victory
to what they call British sanity"
As matter OF fact the settlement
was helped greatly by the shrewd work
by young group of Coalition members
in the House OF Commons last night
Then they started an agitation which
ended to-day with the miners being
placed in position OF demanding a
general strike to enforce national wage
pool-meaning Socialistic control OF in
dustry by the Government--and the bulk
OF British labor refused to fight for that
So long as the struggle rested on the
basis of wages alone. representatives Of
the railroad men and the transport
workers backed up the Miners.
Union Repudiatcs Its Leader.
Three members OF the House OF Com
mons last night induced MIR. Hodges to
say that his organization was prepared
70 consider the question of wages. pro-
vided they were not regarded as per-
manently settled on district basis. but
only OF temporary character"
This was Interpreted to mean that the
miners would temporarily forego their
demand tor n national wage pool and a
division OF mine profits, the chief points
against which the Government has
fought and for which the miners fought
TO deadlock Of the three sided con-
ference.
To-day Mr.. Hodges's executive com,
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