Pueblo chieftain., 1921-04-09

on the part of the employers to en-
force a general reduction in wages,
This is the central fact of the labor
situation as it developed today in
, breakdown in the miners conference
and consequent decision by the triple
|alliance-made up of miners and rail-
road and transport workers-for
the first time since it was ORGANIZED
that its entire membership roughly es
timated at 1000, 900 miners and 100000
each from the railway and transport
workers organizations should duit
work in support of the strike Of the
miners. The governments standpoint.
as voiced by Premier Lloyd-GeorSc in
a brief speech in the house of COM
mons this afternoon is that the action
of the miners and the other members
of the Triple Alliance is an attempt
by direct action to intimidatc parlia-
ment and the nation The premier
announced the military and other
measures which the government In
tended to take to defeat this attcmot
The standpoint ~ the miners is that
the sudden removal Of control of the
coal mines is the result of pact be-
tween the government and the mine
owners to enable the owners to enforce
an unjustifiablc reduction in wages.
The attitude of the railway men Is
that unless there is' support for the
miners at the present time a similar
dilemma will happen to the railway
mon on some future occasion when the
railways are released from govern
ment control.
The refusal OF the miners to yield on
the question of permitting pumpmen
to return to the mines had as its mo-
tive a conviction that the withdrawal
OF the pumpmen is the only weapon
! in their hands They argue that few
weeks cessation OF work will not really
injure the mine owners who, consider
ing the depressed condition of industry
have ample stocks of coal on the sur
face. They declare that the mine
owners have brought this fate upon
Themselves by including the pumpmen
among those whose contracts will be
cancelled unless they accept new wage
terms made not thru joint discussion
but by the mine owners themselves
The arguments OF the miners find
absolutely no support except on the
part of tho extreme Socialist news
papers. All the other newspapers
condemn them strongly ana general
lrcgret is expressed that tho miners
refused to listen to the advice of men
like Herbert Asuuith, John Il ciyncs
and Arthur Henderson.
/ In this connection Mr.. Clyncs. who is
chairman OF the parliamentary Iahor
party made an interesting statement
on tho adjournment OF the house OF
commons this afternoon. While cS.
pressing regret over tho decision OF
1
crr.tcd that Premier I.loyd-GeorSc
had thought 1t proper to mako impu-
tations against thr motives OF inc
leaders of tho miners. He said that
the actual damage done to the mines.
up to the present had been so small.
that IL did not Justify this fact peinS
made the cause FOR interfering with
regotiatio which might lead TO a
settlement of the dispute. He con-
cludcd by declaring that the cost 10
tho country thru tho strike likely
would be far greater than would have
been the case IL tho government mad
continued to control the mines little
while longer until the wage question
was settled.
The momcntous proclamation by the
premier Of state Of Industrial war
was made In the house of commons in
quiet but serious tones,
| Mr.. Lloyd George read 1t from rre-
pared document. A similar proclana-
ton was made In the house of lords
nv Ear, rurzon. A dcputation of the
railway men and the transport work