Evening star., 1924-03-30
LONDON HELPLESS
BEFORE STRIKERS
City's Week Recalls Anxious Days
of the War-Thousands
Forced to Walk.
SHOWS POWER OF LABOR
Macdonald Facing Difficult Posi-
tion in Settlement.
SHOWS POWER OF LABOR
BY A. G.. GARDINER.

IS fsAdfo TO The Star.
LONDON, March 29.-The public
mind has never been so alarmed at
the insecurity of the structure of So
ciety as it has been this week by the
domestic war that has ragged in the
metropolis between the transport
services and the people.
If a trumpery dispute can paralyze
London as it did for five days this
week, then it would seem that the
real power of the country has passed
TO a dictatorship outside of parlia-
ment.
Bevin, leader of the striking trans
port workers, talked about bring
ing up reserves" exactly as il he were
engaged in civil war. Indeed, it has
been civil war, and unless the pub
Tic can remove essential services from
the zone of industrial conflict, the
life of the state is at the mercy of
any Mussolini who, through trade
unions, can hold up society.
Friday Anxious Day.
Friday, up to the time that Prime
Minister Macdonald succeeded in
bringing the employers and the work
ers together, was the most anxious
day in the recent experience OF Lon
don. 1t recalled memoirs of the
critical days of the war when the
issue hung in the balance.
There was abundant reason for
anxiety. London had had the most
depressing week in living memory.
All trans and bus services in the
metropolis were suspended, and the
public was reduced to underground
travel and walking. And, if the con-
ference had failed, all underground
services would have ceased at Fri
day midnight, and the whole traffic
of London would have been brought
TO absolute standstill. Other pres
sure on the public was threatened,
including putting out the lights by
the electricians.
Was Desperate Attack.
This was the most desperate at
tack that was ever made on the
existence of the community, and all
about three shillingS weekt The
tram conductors demanded an in
crease of eight shillings a week, and
the companies and municipalities of
fered five shillings with arbitration
on the remainder
The root of the trouble is that no
tram system pays, and that bus sys-
TENS fare little better. This fact
IS due to wasteful competition be-
tween the companies and the munich
palities Any extra wage has to
come out of rates, or Increased fares.
Tho official view is that increased
fares do not produce higher income,
but the men took the bit in their
teeth and insisted on full terms at
the point of the bayonet. Hence the
catastrophe which paralyzed the
whole commerce of the metropolis
and reduced seven million people TO
a foot race
The position was critical for Mr..
Macdonald and the labor govern
ment. 1t was supposed that with
labor in power the liability to strike
would be diminished. Instead, there
has been a succession of smashing
blows at the public existence.
If the underground systems had
stopped Mr.. Macdonald would have
been confronted with the issue of
whether he was fighting for exist
ence of the public or for the triumph
of the unions. If he had decided he
was fighting for the public he would
have been crushed by his own fol-
lowers. If he had decided he was
fighting for the unions he would
have been smashed by the public. If
the strike had been extended it is
a grave question whether Mr.. Mac
Donald would have been able to COM
mand sufficient support from his col
leagues to fight the strikers.
Mr.. Macdonald was sharply crit