The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-05-04
MILLIONS OF
WORKERS ARE
IDLE TODAY
Members of Trades Union
Congress Strike in Sym
pathy With Miners
INDUSTRIES ARE CLOSED
Thousands Of Idlers Jam
Streets of LOndOn-Trans-
portation Paralyzed

am today felt the grip of the labor's
| might. At midnight the millions Of
workers under the acgis Of the trades
union congress quit their labors in a
struggle to enforce the coal miners
stand against lower wages and in.
| creased hours.
BY noon the streets Of the capital
were maclstrom Of milling pcdcs-
'trians and crawling motor vehicles.
! with the unaffected workers striving
to get to their places Of business.
while in some places radical strike
sympathizers sought to turn them
back.
The beginning Of the strike had "a
dramatic setting in London. Large
crowds had gathered about the parlia
ment houses and in White Hall.
where they whiled away their time
singing the "Red Flag"
Big Ben doomed out r.
A man clinging to the railing Of tho
house Of paliamcnt yelled hoarsely:
Comrades. the hour has struck"
Procession Starts
Then the great mass Of people be-
gan to swerve and eddy into process
sion which started toward the west
end.
Near the treasury the police seized
red flag and there was brief un-
successful struggle to recapture it.
Then the narchers passed through
Trafalgar Square. to Regent Street
and Picadily to the Hyde Park cor
ner.
Finding the great park closed. they
continued through the quiet back
streets.
Suddenly in Eaton Square the police
escort turned and scattered the
marchers. Some Of the men fell in
their flight, others were chased by
the hobbies and then the demonstra-
tion broke up.
While the tieup Of traffice con.in.
ued throughout the city and many ex-
pressed apprehensions as to the out
come Of the great struggle. efforts
were continuing toward settlement
Virtually all forms Of industry were
at standstill today. Millions Of
workers had their first day without
wages. Just how many it was impos-
sible to estimate. for besides the ac-
tural strikers called out, thousands uf
non strikers were thrown out Of work
through the inability oftheir concerns
TO function.
partly because of the provisions made
by the trades union congress and
partly through the great government
organization. formed for the transpor-
tation for food stuffs and other ncccs-
saries of life so that there might be
minimum of suffering.
Railways at StandstilI
Apart from emergency trains,
scarcely wheel turned on the great
network Of railways. Tramways,
busses and other normal forms Of
transport ceased operations. Coal.
iron and allied industries closed
down. Workers supplying gas and
electricity for power purposes were
idle. All building, other than for
housing and hospital work, stopped.
Even the newspapers as whole
were silent this morning, and the
country therefore was dependent OH
the radio for news. if the strikers do
not carry out their threat to block
and the various professions were con-
tinuing business as we'll as was pos
sible under the circumstances.
When London awokc this morning
it found itself faced with an anomaly.
1t had been expected that, with the
cessation of traffic. the metropolis
would be fairly quiet. But not IN
years was there such congestion Of
vehicles, for not only thousands OF
strikers were aboard, but non-striking
workers came pouring into the city
in every available conveyance and
many on foot.
AL the roals leading into London
were filled with solid streams Of
motor cars of every description and
Of every vintage. Thousands Of per-
sons pcdaled along amid traffic on
bicycles and tandenrs. Motor lorrics
Joined the procession. and with all
came a great army of workers getting
to their jobs on shanks' mare.
Traffic Barely Crawls
Old and young, many Of them wOm-
fices and shops. Some Of the pedes
trains had covered many miles. The
star turn in this medley was taken
by an energetic man, who made his
way through one of the main thor
oughfares on roller saktes amid
cheering from the onlookers. The re-
inforced police squads worked as they
rarely had worked before to keep traf-
fic untangled and crawling. And
crawl was the best it could do.
Scores of thousands Of idiers lined
the streets watching traffic jams OF
gathered in groups to discuss the
srike situation. Any sort of activity
provided q show for them. One sight
of especial interest was soldiers pa
rading at Wellington Barracks near
Buckingham Palace. Long lines OF
people stood with their noses between
the iron ratings of the fence watch
ing the maneuvers. Strike pickcts
began to operate in various sections
Of London during the morning.
Ammunition Plant Guarded
The largest government ammunition
factory in Crest Britain. Woolwich
arsenal. became involved in the strike
when the workers failed to report for
duty. Pickets were thrown about the
arsenal and as preczution the gov
ernment placed troops inside it.
A few non-union busses, known -
lContinusd on page three.