Evening star., 1926-05-04

The greatest strike in the history
of organized labor has been declared
in England 1t involves 1,04S2tO coal
miners in England. Wales and scot
land. 1t includes all iron and STATE
miners. the pig iron industry. the TN
plate and steel sheet trades. the iron
and steel trades. all railroads ana
electricians. ship building and repair.
ing. sea men. bricklayers. dock ana
riverside labor. all newspapers ana
other printing trades. That amounts
to a total of 1,475.149 directly involved,
and last night. according TO program
more than 3,5O0,O0O other wage earn
ers struck in sympathy. Thus 4.oOo',
600 to 5,000.0oG engaged In Salniui
occupation" have ceased production.
All wheels in England. Scotland ana
wales are still. There Is neither teIe'
era ph nor mail nor publication of any
kind except one paper by the govern
ment and one by the unions. Since
the strikers represent their families,
il js estimated that not fewer than
Is 600 900 OF the A, 900 900 population
have been cut off from any income. a
third Of the population is In open
rebellion against the established gov
ernment, and. rs one of the highest
officials in our own Government ex-
presses 1t, that is revolution.
Mr.. Ernest Revin. representing the
General Council Of Trades Unions OF
England. is quoted as saying: we
have no quarrel with the people. We
are not declaring war on the people.
War is being made by the govern
ment. pushed on by sordid capitalists.
Sometimes those who draw the sword
perish by the sword
The crisis has been developing for
some wears, particularly during the
past year. pending the one-year ex-
tension of the subsidy to aid wage
earners, which extension has now
reached its time limit.
The London Times says: What II
comes to is this. that the miners are
not fighting the owners: they are
fighting the nation"
The Observer says: eff the subsidy
to the coal industry. which the gov
ernment has rightly refused. we're
again to be surrendered to the pres
sure Of force. the days of majority
rule in Britain would he numbered.
Ihefc are TWO HcN opC'
ating which tend to modify the Sc
robustness of the effect of the strike
upon the public.
First. the Spring weather makes it
less of a hardship upon the house
holder, for in the United Kingdom the
ueopIe are accustomed to less heat In
thei,. homes than are Americans.
Second, the tight little island" Is
oh tho Sizn nf NaW YORK
State-and the availability of trucks
;s So great that. with the thousands
of volunteer drivers. in addition to
the regular military rganization.
ira rsnsportation of food and other
necessities may be found practically
independent of the railroads.
With labor distress and unrest
prevalent, not only in Great Britain
but in most of the European coun-
tries, it is very different In labor
circles In the United States. accord
ing to the reports of the Department
of Labor. There are a few minor
strikes, even in the midst of our gen
eral prosperity and industrial activ-
ity-at present IS strikes. ranging
from a score or so of workers TO the
textlie stFlke III view jersey. i"N"i.
ing some 5000 or 10000. There is
never time when absolute peace
prevails between all labor and en-
ployers. though nearly all such differ
ences are soon adjusted within the
industry. In contrast with the 15
cases now pending in the United
States the Mexican government with
a population of one-sixth of Ours) to-
day has more than 1000 labor cases
pending for settlement.
In the latest publication of the
Industrial Employment Information
Bulletin of our Department of Labor
the situation Is summed up in a
synopsis:
'.EmpIoyment in the major indus
tries has been compare lively steady
during the rast 30 days. A majority