Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-26
British Navy Strike Stirs
Sympathy for Both Sides

Reverberations Of the bombshell cast
into the British budget plans by the
more or less passive-resistance strike of
a portion of the English Navy are still
echoing around the world. Sympathy
seems torn between the plight of the
government which necessitated the
drastic cuts that brought on the up
rising and the present and prospective
hardships Of the seamen.
Seeking causes, the Springfield (Mass)
Union says: THE men, poorly paid at
best, according to American standards,
saw they are fighting. not for them
selves, but for their wives and children
ashore. who, it is represented, would De
unable IN s,lbsist on the pay remaining
after the cut went into effect. Their
| case il one to excite sympathy" con-
| tinres this paper, as 1t remarks elso
! that "to saw that the incident mas
| shaken England out Of a good zeal OF
| is SNUG complacency Is TO express IL
| mildly" The Asbury Park Evening
press finds it "disquieting TO learn tnst
Great Britain's financial dlfncuities nave
threatened its prestige 10 the point
| UhpTP
| eigoe If discontent." while the Cincin-
natl Times star thinks that the en-
| co,Irapinp thing about the British naval
| etrike is that Great Britain is de-
mocracy. There is no autocrat Tor the
nutineers to shoot at, since the en-
nlovment of sailors and their pay is
| public business.
AS indicative of changes IN the times,
the Pittsburgh Post Gazette notes tnat
| Loxy that
| harsher term 'mutiny' would have been
employed. and the responsible officers
| world have endeavored to carry out
| their orders no matter what the attend
ant risks might have been, or have
| eynected tn face a court-martial on
/ their return" Because Of the sanity
and natience with which the govern
rnent has met the situation, the New
! london Day thinks there Is no need
general uprising" AS the Buffalo Eve
Ming News views the matter: THE men
make it clear that they sti1 are loyal
subjects II they offend British tradi-
| tion in one respect they are true to it in
the respect that they have kept their
noise-they do not resort to disorder
| to enforce their demands
Nevertheless, even though the sailors
have a just grievance, the world does
l not eXDecI HlCIl WAIll VI dhAbIOHo Va
the British Navy behind them, with its
fine discipline and authority, to take a
means of protest that would not seem
strange In a backward or undeveloped
country" says the Providence Evening
bulletin. Referring to the British Navy,
| the Goshen News-Times says: For the
british Navy to revolt was unthinkable
n is by far the greatest navy in the
| world. for generations looked upon with
envy and copied after by other nations.
II has been the pride and bulwark of
| the empire, and its loyalty and trust
worthiness has never been questioned.
News that the American Navy had re-
VOTED could scarcely have been more
astounding.
Even in a thoroughly disciplined
navy and army, government, it seems,
may go too far" notes the Savannah
Morning News, and the Cleveland News
suggests that though the world does
not believe that the Macdonald economy
program is in any danger, outside opin-
| ion cannot but incline to the view that
| IN the case of the sailors, at least, the
| proposed wage cuts have been too dras-
| tic" Pointing TO certain discrepancies,
which are to the effect that 1.-THE pay of
midShipmen most of whom come from
| families Of means, was cut hardly at
ALL" while the pay OF able seamen was
reduced from 81 to IS cents day." the
! Rochester Times Union AYERS: THAT
there should be some protest at sucn
action was TO be expected, and con-
tends that there = no efaasnre that