Evening star., 1921-04-24
BY HENRY w. BUNN.

Copyright. 1921, BY The Washington star.)
T HE following is brief summary of the
news of the world for the seven days
ending April %:
GREAT BRITAIN.-The strike situa-
tion has not materially changed since last week.
The miners chiefs have not budged their
main issue. thes national pool of profits. Dur
ing the week they have been down among the
miners they found then less than them
selves disposed to yield on the main issue. A
congress of miners delegates convened in
London on Friday. They instructed their
executive committee to meet the owners and
government again, but to stand firm on the
pool of profits; to report the result to them.
meeting took place on Friday. Little prog
was made. and an adjournment was taken
to Monday. Possibly some kind of temporary
agreement will be patched up; il for no other
reason, because the miners strike funds are
running low.
X X X X
What the mining industry, what all British
industry. the empire. crying out for, is
lasting solution Discussion of the situation
by the press and by independent members of
parliament is taking line disconcerting to the
government. 1t does not pa1liate the tactics of
the miners chiefs, which in the matter of salv-
age operations at the mines are admitted to
have been vicious and, in effect revolutionary
it allows that the miners chiefs have shown
themselves throughout, to state it gently.
stupidity obstinate. 1t goes with the govern
ment in rejecting naturalization ethal to
incentive to individual effort; it is disposed to
reject the pool of profits plan (though not with
out due consideration tainted with the
worst vice of naturalization and leaning to the
real thing.
X X X X
But it finds still more seriously against the
government. 1t finds that prior to the strike, Mr..
Lloyd George exaggerated the temper of labor by
the reiterated and perfectly unfair charge that the
mass Of worknen revolutionary. It finds that
the government, by contemptuously fouting the
pool Of profits plan, greatly increased the obsti-
nancy Of the miners that article. It finds that
the government is quite too eager to make politi-
cal capital out Of the strike "a weapon to its
hand against the pretensions of the labor party).
But these criticisms Of tactics after all.
minor matters. The criticism goes much farther
and deeper; to matters Of strategy; not to errors
merely, but to neglect It finds that the govern
ment has side-stepped the most important prob
lem with which it has been confronted; and that
is lis primarily responsible for the present strike.
An astonishing charge; but this criticism re-
calls the royal commission which in 1919 inves-
tigated- the mining industry. That commission
reported for naturalization Naturalization is
not the ticket But $50 goes the comment) that
report clearly exposed the utter inefficiency of
the old system and should have put the govern
ment to recognising the mining industry on
broad economic lines. The thing is perfectly
feasible. Such organization should establish the
mines on a generous paying basis should provide
a liberal standard of living and a guarantee of
its continuance to the miners (the very thing for
which the average miner is really strikins).
More important still, it should insure cheap
coal, necessary to British industry abso-
lutely essential to British commerce. Thus have
attempted "a difficult matter) to interpret what
seems to the majority British sentiment on
this situation of transcedent importance I be-
lieve that British public opinion will insist that
the government (this or a successor) address
itself at once to the great neglected problem
\ X
GERMANY.-Dr Simons, 1t seems. has been
feeling" around; Switzerland, Czechoslovakia