Evening star., 1921-04-18
ENGLAND ANXIOUS
TO SETTLE STRIKE
Government Hopes for Early
Renewal of Negotiations
With Miners.
BY the Associated Press

LONDON. April lS-Governmental
authorities were anxious today to re-
open negotiations between the miners
and the owners of collieries through
out the United Kingdom with the hope
OF bringing about a permanent set
! tlement of the wage question. which
caused the strike of miners on April
i. and came near involving Great
Britain last week in an epochal in
dustrial crisis. There seemed little
probability, however, that members of
the miners federation Of Great Brit
ain would take any steps to meet gov
ernment officials or mine owners be-
fore next Friday. when representa-
tives of British miners will confer on
the situation in this city.
In the meantime Great Britain is
facing q serious coal shortage. and
every effort is being made to exc out
! present stocks until some adjustment
nlns today. train services were cur
tailed and steps taken to bring to the
people a realization that the coal
shortage was really serious.
Refuse to Bunker Coal.
A mass meeting Of the members Of
the Coal Portors' Union was held in
Canning Town. a suburb of London,
yesterday, and resolutions were
adopted stating that in view of the
importation of American and Ger
man coal the union would refuse.
from tomorrow. to bunker any full
loads. and also would decline to tran
ship imported COAL
The meeting adopted resolutions of
sympathy for tho miners. but il is
noteworthy. In this connection. that
the coal porters belong to the Ma
tional Union of Dock Laborers., the
member of parliament. ridiculed. in
an interview yesterday. talk about
the miners. having been betrayed"
He declared the dock laborers had
been ready to support the miners,
accepted tn suggestions of Frank
Hodges. secretary of the miners
union, which the miners delegates
later rejected. there was no longer
any basis upon which the dock work
ers could continue their support
Important Meeting Scheduled.
4 meeting of the parliamentary
labor committee and the trades
union congress will be held on
Wednesday. and it is believed that
at this gathering some program may
next Fridays conference of miners
Meanwhile the Daily Herald, or
gan of labor. Is furthering a cam
paign to provide the miners with
tary contributions from all union
men Of shilling a week. thus en-
abling the miners to carry on what
the Herald insists is their fight for
the whole Of trades unionism."
Three weeks without wages have
1nR% IL
pleted from the payment of lockout
grants.' and the severe weather now
prevailing 10 bringing distress to
the homes Of thousands Of miners
and those in other employments who
are idle through the coal tie-up.
days in the coal pits have deprived
the nation Of 100000 tons Of fuel,
with serious reaction on various in
dustrial interests. recovery from
which is daily growing more difficult.
Triple Alliance Criticised.
There are no means Of determining
with any definiteness the attitude Of
ganized workers as to last Fridays
triple alliance split.
In some parts Of Wales and Scot
land. noted as hotbeds Of labor disaf-
fection. the railwaymen and the trans
port workers are denouncing what is
termed the treason" Of their exec
utives in calling of the strike set for
Friday night.
In other centers. where the moder-
ates dominate. the triple alliance de-
cision was accepted without comment,
which Is variously interpreted as in
dicating approval or indifference.
There is also a sprinkling Of those
who have always doubted the poten-
tialities Of the triple alliance and are
now deriding the long-feared organ
ixation as the Crippled alliance"
Prime Minister Lloyd George in an
swering questions in the house Of
commons today declined to introduce
legislation affecting the privilege of
trades unions.
Samuel Samuel. unionist, had asked
whether 'in view Of the threatened
political strike" OF the railroad men
and transport workers the prime min
lister would introduce bill making it
"a criminal offense to interfere with
the men in the execution Of their
work, seeing that there is no dispute
or question between the employers and
employees in those trades"