Evening star., 1924-02-16
12O,OODOCKMEN
STRIKE in BRITAIN
Walkout Feared Will Check
Seriously Food Supply for
United Kingdom.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LONDON, February 16.-The strike
of dock workers, affecting 10000
men, became effective at noon today
in all ports of the United Kingdom.
The strike cannot become fully ef-
fective before Monday, and meanwhile
peacemakers will be busy, but should
their efforts fail the country next
week Will have to prepare to tighten
it's belt Not only will all the ports
be closed, but railroad traffic from
them will cease, the National Union
of Hallway Men having promised TO
call out its men, while all other trans
port employees handling business to
and from the docks will also quit.
Will Hurt Food supply.
Such action will have a serious ef-
feet on the counfy's food supply un-
less the government makes alterna-
tive arrangements. Those industries
depending upon importations Of raw
materials also will be hampered and
numbers of their employees thrown
into idleness
DOckers Immediately involved in
the strike number about 12O, 900 but
the Transport and General WorEers'
Union TO which they bleong is aifli-
ated with half a dozen other unions
which may make common cause and
thus involve sailors and watermen
warehousemen, ship stewards, ship
flremen, stevedores, carmen and 9TH
erS.
Among the first results predicted is
rise in food prices which will hit
the strikers as hard as anybody. 1t
with funds, however, and will be able
to hold out long enough to cause
great damage.
Peace Negotiations Fail.
Negotiations between employers and
men collapsed upon refusal of the
former to make any advance over
terms offered last Monday giving
lockers an increase of one shilling a
day i'll wages and promising an in
qu!ry into the question of casual
labor. The dockmen insist upon an
advance Of shillings and abolish
mtnt OF casual labor, so as to guar
antee all dock workers a certain
weekly wage.
Steamship operators said today they
expected to be able TO maintain their
schedules with the ctan-going pas
Senger ships, but feared that the vast
Water-bprne freight traffic TO and
from ports in the United Kingdom
would be greatly Slackened. entailing
inestimable losses to themselves and
shippers in general.
Should the tuGboat men in the vari-
Gus ports quit entirely out of SYM
pathy with the docknen, it will be
impossible to bring ocean going yes
sells to their docks, and all of them
Will have to anchor off shore, or in
such streams as the Thames, the
Clyde and the Mersey. BY the use of
tenders the passengers, mail and
baggage could be carried to and from
these anchored liners, but this sys-
tenn could never be used to load and
unload the tremendous carGoes of
commodities of every kind brought
to and carried from the British Isles.
Turboat Men May Follow.
The United States lines, fearing thv
Plymouth tugboat men would follow
the lead of those at Liverpool and
bank the fires under their boilers,
sent wireless messages to the captain
of the steamship America, due i'll
Plymouth at 10 o'clock tonight, in
forming him that his own crew
would have to handle the mails. The
lines Offices II Plymouth Immediately
asked the government 10 supply
sailors and marines to help bring the
American mail bags ashore.
Workers from the London offices
We're rushed to Plymouth to handle
the passengers baggage, which will
be put on tenders when the liner ar
rives tonight.
The White star line announced that
it expected to get the big Olmmpic
away on schedule Wednesday.