The New York herald., 1921-04-15
APPEAL TO BALLOT
URGED BY PREMIER
Lloyd George Confers With
Railwaymen and Transport
Workers on Strike.
UNYIELDING on POOL
Asserts That Measure Offered
by Miners Should Be Passed
Upon by Voters.
Bu nc Associated Press.

LONDON, Aplil I4.--At tne conference
held this morning between Mr.. Lloyd
George, the Prime Minister. and dele
CATION of officials Of the Triple Alliance
the Premier made long statement APP
pealing strongly to the railway men and
transport workers, who with the miners
make up the Triple Alliance. asking
them to exercise restraint and rot pre-
cipitate crisis
Mr.. Lloyd George made a plea 10 the
labor men that they resort TO the ball
lot, suggesting that they put their cage
to the nation. and saying that the Gov
ernment would do likewise with its case.
and let the nation decide the Issue.
When Harry Goslin. for the transport
workers. and Mr.. Thomas, for the railway
men, had finished their presentations OF
the miners case and had outlined their
reasons for deciding to support it by
sympathetic strikes, il necessary, Mr..
Lloyd George appealed to them to con-
slider whether reason was on their side.
II so. he asked why they had not awaited
themselves of the ballot box.
Urges Recourse to Ballot.
starvation is not your only weapon"
said the Prime Minister. "You have
exactly the weapons you had before the
weapons of civilizatIon-persuasio ar
Eurnent ana reason. Lou CSiIl lehNc ~ "
the nation to decide. You have your
plan we have ours. Put it TO the nation
and we will put ours to the nation. II
the nation decides that your plan is the
right one why should you starve your
people in order to achieve something
which you can achieve by reason. If
reason Is on your side.
IF reason is not on voir side why
should you force the nation. ~ starv-
ing 1t, to surrender to unreason?" asked
the Prime Minister. They are not an
unreasonable people. The vast majority
of the people you appeal 70 arc work
men, If the worimen are against us
we have no chance"
These declarations were made ny the
Prime Minister when he was pointing
out the impossibility Of the Government
accepting the miners demand foF ma
tional pooling of profits, which he de-
fined as "nationa'ization ur TO the point
of meddling and not Of mdragins. ". ich
is worse form Of NATURALIZATION"
In furtherance Of his argument
Lloyd George said the miners scheme
for pool in order to equalize wages
represented neither private ownership
nor naturalization but had the defects
of both He continued:
"Nationali lization is an idea and private
enterprise is an idea. but never heard
anybody advancing such a proposition as
this except as a sort of makeshift in
order to get over temporary difficulty.
and while attempting to get over our
temporary difficulties we would be land
ing the nation the mine owners and the
miners in infinitely worse difficulties than
they ever were in before.
Question OF Naturalization.
IF we had not had nearly seven years
experience of that system It night be
argued, but having seen it actually
operating cannot understand Mr..
Hodges tsecretary of the miners urion)
recommending it again. He is a
nationaIizer-very well, let him put his
case for naturalization. But that he
should recommend this sort of mongrel
scheme is a thing I cannot understand
man of his intelligence putting forward"
.Nfr. Thomas ended his final appeal
by asking us to realize the economic
situation. That is exactly what I ask
you to do. Supposing you succeeded,
could you sell coal at higher price?
Not a penny Could you sell steel at a
higher price-could you find markets
In any part OF the world II you sue
ceeded? You say you could national
ize. There is only one way you could
nationalize. You can put IL TO the
nation"
Mr.. Lloyd George concluded by say
ing:
There are three points at issue; =
rational pool. involving a great scheme
for control OF the mines and for med
ding in the mines management-and
that we cannot have. We will take the
fight on that There is only one way
you can carry that. and that is not by
starving the nation. 1t is by persuad-
ing the nation-that Is open TO you.
ssThe second Is a national settlement