Evening star., 1924-06-15
WEATHER AND STRIKE
MAKE LONDON MORBID
Sunless Spring, Replete With Tor
rental Rains. Drives Out Thought
of Continental Ills.
BY A. G. GARDINER.

LONDON. June 14.-The overshad-
owing subject OF discussion in Lon
don at the present time is the
weather. England has experienced
the worst spring in living memory,
almost entirely sunless, with almost
ceaseless torrential rains.
All open-air pursuits have been
submerged, and the cricket season, the
main sporting interest of the English
spring and summer, has been COM
pletely washed out.
The effect is felt most disastrously
in connection with the great Wom-
bley exhibition, which has attracted
to London unprecedented crowds.
The streets present the daily specta-
Gle of regimented battalions from the
provinces and foreign lands. London
today is almost as polyglot as New
York, and the genus ruoberneck'
piled in charabancs under umbrellas
surge through all the main thorousn-
fares morning, noon and night. In
spite of the weather, the attendances
at Wembley have been enormous
Whit Monday creating a record with
10000 admissions.
Strike Also DfSturbs.
Not only the weather is making the
life of the Londoner trying these
days. He has had another weeks
experience with no familiar discom-
system. The trouble began with the
unofficial and unauthorized strike of
the men in power houses of the un-
derground railway systems. They
came out in defiance of the execu-
tiyes of the trade union. Their &C
io
the communist element, who hoped
to force universal stoppage and a
stampede of the trade union. But
union leaders declared this was an
of mob law, and they publicly de-
nounced the strikers as blacklegs.
Concurrenuy the railways an
nounced that If the strikers did not
return to work Immediately they
would be dismissed and prosecuted
on both TANKS, the strikers at mid
night Thursday decided to sure nder
and on Friday the siege of London
was raised and millions of workers
once more were able to go about
their business.
New STRIKE Impends.
But the situation is stiH menacins.
for a regularized strike of electricians
connected with the railways is not
settled and threatens renewal of
the breakdown. The expectation that
the advent of labor government
would tend to allay tension in the
industrial world was wholly falla-
cious. Things are worse rather than
better
Political circles here have been
watching with acute interest the
great presidential drama in France.
On the result depends the prospects
of the European situation. The fall
of President Millerand is regarded
as a proper sequel TO the fall of pre-
mier Poincare and as a preliminary
the influence of reactionaries and
Clericals is still recognized as pow
erful If Edouard Herriot forms a
government, it is expected that he
will visit Prime Minister Macdonald
next week. The English government
has sent a provisional invitation to
him and it has been professionally
accepted.
The writer understands that the
main considerations NJ. Herriot will
put forward as the basis of accept
ance of the Dawes sch eme will relate
to terms of economic and military
withdrawal from the Ruhr. He will
ask for establishment of the al
ments in Germany and for neutrali-
zation of the Rhine frontier fifty
kilometers deep. after occupation has
ceased.
Soviet Pariey Continues.
The prolonged Anglo-Russian ne
gotiations continue. Last week the
prospect of arriving at an agree
ment on pre-war debts seemed hope
less, but on Thursday events took a
turn for the better, the Russian dele
gates agreeing in principle on part
payment, according to capacity to
pay, on condition financial assistance
should be given to Russia. There is
no evidence of enthusiasm in London
for the idea of a Russian loan, but tn
writer understands that the applica-
tion of the trade-facilities act and
export credit to Russia would go far
toward meeting the needs of the
situation.
In any case the prospect OF some
working arrangement being reached
between the two countries is sub
stantially improved, though in off,
cial circles confidence in the good
intention of the soviet government
is not strong.
Copyright, 1s14.)