Emergency Press > Emergency Press, Special Edition

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COMBINING THE • ISSUES OF .
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WEDNESDAY, MAY 12,
1926
ONE PENNY
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MEETING AT DOWNING- STREET
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Vhe General Council of the Trades Union Congress met the Prime Minister at 10
Downing Street to-day at noon.
it was announced at 1.15 the General Strike had been called off.
Later the T.U.C. made the following statement :—In order to resume negotiations
the General Council of the T.U.C.. has decided to terminate the General Strike to-day.
and telegrams of instructions are being sent to the General Secretaries of all affiliated
unions. Members before acting must await the definite instructions from their own
Lxectitive Councils.
(Signed) CHAIRMAN and SECRETARY, T.U.C.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT.
The following was the Official Statement evade from Downing Street
,
.
—
The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by the Minister of Labour, the Secretary
for India, the Minister of Health, the Secretary for War, the First Lord of the Admiralty,
and the Secretary for Mines, received the members of the General
Council
of the T.U.C.
at 12.20 to-day at 10 Downing Street.
Mr Pugh announced on behalf of the General Council of the
T.U.C,
that the
General
Stn.�:e is oeing terminated to-day,
Mr Citrine, acting secretary of the T.U.C. General Council, afterwards made the
-Hollowing statement:—
In order to resume negotiations the General Council of the T.U.C. has decided
to terminate the General Strike today, and telegrams of the instruction are being
sent to the secretaries pf all affiliated unions,
"Members before acting must await the definite instructions from their own
executive councils."
This was signed by Mr Pugh, Mr Bromley, and Mr Citrine,
PREMIER TO MAKE STATEMENT.
A statement on the unconditional withdrawal of the General Strike will be made in
the House of Commons this afternoon by the Prime Minister.
OFFICIAL NEWS.
so.
Further Improvement in
Situation.
4590 TRAINS YESTERDAY
The following official communique was
issued by the Government last night :—
WHITEHALL.
The situation throughout the country
shows a further improvement. The distribu-
tion of food supplies gives no cause what-
ever for apprehension
There have been a few reports of tem-
Aorary local shortages in particular com-
lilodities, but on investigation it has been
found that m the majority of these the re-
ports are inaccurate, and in the remaining
cases the necessary steps have been at once
taken to make the position secure. Especi-
ally large supplies of sugar were distributed
Yesterday.
The situation at the ports is entirely satis.
factory, s,ad there is a growing confidence
among traders e,s to their ability to move
goods consigned to them without the direct
assistance )f the Government.
The distribution of petrol is proceeding
more rapidly- than at any previous period
of the general strike. There has been no
interruption of the power services, and
traffic on the railways is 'continuously in-
creasing. Apart from the surprisingly good
service on the London underground rail-
wayQ, over 4000 trains were run on the four
main systems yesterday, and more than 9500
Will be run to-day.
A great increase in the number of goods
trains is reported, and the. railway com-
panies are concentrating on a further im-
provement in this class of traffic,
�evPn uundred omnibuses were working
in London yesterday, and this number will
be increased to-day to 850. The public are
ursed to avail themselves freely of the traffic
facilities,
SHARP SENTENCES.
Order and "quiet reign throughout the
whole island, and practically no attempts at
sabotage have been brought to the notice of
the authorities. Sharp sentences have been
imposed by the loom magistrates on a num-
her of persons who were arrested last week
for disorder and intimidation.
The recruitment of special constables pro-
ceeds apace. The numhers enrolled are
ai••egny 2u0000 in the provinces, and over
40.000 in London. in addition to a very satis-
factory intake as a result of the first-day's
enlistment for the new Civil Onnstahulary
Reserve.
t s regards the strike position generally, it
can be
said
that the number of individuals
rebirnimr to work is increasing, and in some
eases considerable booties of strikers have
apnlied for reinstatement.
On the oti`er hand, there is as yet little
sign )f a general onllapse of the strike, and
the Trade Union Committee is believed to
be making efforts to call nut certain trades
still at wirk. It can he, however, definitely
stated that there is a growing dins-tiCfaction
amtnng
the strikers with the policy ' of a
general strike and considerable uneasiness
as to its ultimate results,
FLIGHT
TO
THE POLE.
Amt»dgenn's Airship Starts.
Oslo, Tuesday.—A message from Kingrbay
Spitzbergen, states that the airship Norge
started for the North Pole at 10.10 this
morning.
It is officially announced that Captain
Amundsen will tape possession on behalf of
the Ling of Norway of an yy - land that may
be found during the expedition,—Reuter
TERMS FOR TRE COAL
PEACE.
Sir Herbert Samuel's
Recommendations,
ACCEPTED BY THE TeU.C.
The T.U.C. General Council issued im-
mediately after
'
Street con-
ference to-day copies of correspondence that
have passed between themselves and Sir
Herbert Samuci, chairman of the Royal
Commission.
Sir Herbert attached to his letter of May
12 a memorandum embodying proposals
likely to promote a settlement.
Mr A. Pugh, chairman of the T.U.C.
General Council, replied to Sir Herbert's
letter to-day,' stating that the General Coun-
cil consider that the memorandum offers a
basis on which the negotiations upon the
conditions in the coal industry can be re-
newed,
" They are taking the iecessary measures,"
the letter proceeds, to terminate the Gene-
ral Strike, relying upon the published
assurances of the Premier as to the steps
that would follow.
" They assume that during the resumed
negotiations the subsidy will be renewed,
and that the leek-out n
o
t to the miners
will be immediately withdrawn."
Sir Herbert Samuel's memorandum states,
in brief (1) that the subsidy should be re-
nowed for a reasonable period ; (2) that
a National Wages Board should be estab-
lished in the coal industry, with a neutral
element and an independent chairman; (3)
there shoul-i be no revision of the present
wage rates unless reorganisation measures
can be effectively adopWd.
THE MINERS' • NEXT MOVE.
The Press Association understands that
the next step wil be` that Sir Herbert
Samuel's formula will be considered by the
Executive Committee of the Miners' Fede-
ration, who will afterwards submit it, with
or without a recommendation, to the full
delegate conference, which is to be sum-
moned in London for Friday. If the sub-
sidy which is part of the schem
e
i
s
f
or
th-
coming there is hope that the scheme will
find favouz with the miners' representatives.
HOW THE NEWS WAS
RECEIVED,
Joyful Scenes in
Glasgow,
The glad news was received at the offices
of " The Ernorgency Press " about ten
minutes after one o'clock, and no time was
lost in maki-q& it known to the public by
mean's of a special edition of the paper.
The report that a peace move wa
s
in pro-
gress had prepared the way for an impor-
tant development, and large crowds lingered
in the centre of the city in expectation of
an official announcement.
As soon as " The Emergency Press "
reached the street, the vendors beseiged the
ertrance rf the office in Buchanan Street,
and the police aver: obliged to form them
into . a double queue. The bundles of
papers were eagerly seized and disposed of
to purchasers who hailed the news with
evident delight.
Further details of the terms on which the
General Strike had been called off were
patiently awaited. Meanwhile the assur-
ance that the major difficulty had been
overcome brought a feeling of relief into
every quarter.
Not since Armistice Day has the city heard
any news which has given greater satis-
faction.
IN LONDON.
Remarkable scenes were witnessed in
London, when the decision was announced.
Judges read the official statement in the
Law C6≥ rt§;'- aild no attempt was made to
r'ebu1�
°
e
tile` '
�
Iaudits from the Court.
TODAY'S STRIKE
ENSI®N,
EXT
Shipyard Complications.
ATTITUDE OF CLYDE MEd.
There are likely to be complications in
the - extension of the strike this morning
to the shipyards and marine engineering
shops all over the country. The trade
unions state that they have received the in-
structions from the General Council of the
Trades Union Congress but. in at least one
case difficulties .are being experienced in
putting these instructions into effect. The
Executive Council of the Boilermakers' and
Iron and Steel Shipbuilders' Society have
informed their district of&cials that they
have no pobver under their rules for
inaugurating without a ballot a strike
such as that called for by the Trades
Union Congress, an that, £kierefore,
they cannot transmit the instructions
t,j their members. They add, however, that
they leave the question of stopping work in
th � hands of the local officials and men in
the respective districts, and give 'them
liberty to act as they may think best.
It is understood that in sour � of the North-
East Coast districts the men are not in
favour of '"stopping work; but that on the
Clyde the officials have decided in favour
of calling out their members. There is in
the area a "Co-ordinating Committee" re-
presenting all the trades, and this committee
(on which the boilermakers are represented)
have issued a circular directing the: mem-
bers of ah the societies to stop work.
The headquarters officials 'in Glasgow of
the Associated` Blacksmiths' and Iron
Workers' Society have transmitted to their
members all over Great Britain the instrue-
tinns of the Trades Union Congress. In
the ease of the engineers and. the ship-
wriehts, the instructions have heon issued
from hPwinuartprs in Lnnd in and Newcastle
resneotiveiv. and transmitted to the Clyde
*nembers from the respective local offices.
National Demsnded at
M'Odlecbrough.
A mass meeting representing 2000
members of the A.E.A at Hull last night.
decided upon an immediate strike.
With the exception of a few fitters and
plumbers, the shipyard workers employed at
Smith's Dock, Middlesbrough, last night'
declined to cease work although ordered to
do so by their exec•
-
" m About 2000 men
are employed at the shipyard, and at a mass
meeting a resolution was passed declaring
t'
-
t the methods of the T.U.C. were uncon-
stitutional. The then added that they
would not come out on strike until a national
ballot was taken.
s
Tyne Men to Carry On.
All the trades employed in the Tyne ship-
yards have received instructions from the
Trades Union Grngress to cease work. Sec-
tional meetings were held yesterday, and
some trades decided to cease work, hut!
others, in^hiding the boilermakers and
thel
shipwrights, refusect The engineers at
Jarrow decidea. without holding a meeting,
to obey the instructions to cease work,
Meetings -of men in; the principal ship-
yards and foundries in North and South
Shields have passed resolutions .refusing
to comply wit the strike call from their
respective unions.
ARSENAL WORKERS.
Told by Their Union to Return
s
.
The following notice has been posted out-
si the offices of the Workers' Union at
Woolwich headed " Trades Union Congress
General Cbuneil, May 11
" To the Chairman of the Electricity
Advisory Committee regarding Woolwich
Arsenal and Enfield.
" The committee have resolved that, as
the men do not come within the category
of the first order issued on May 1, and took
the step without consultation with their
unions, any resumption must rest with the
trades unions to which they belong.—
(Signed) Walter M. Citrine.
"
In accordance with the above instruc-
tions, all workers are to resume work to-
morrow morning May 12. — (Signed) A,
Pilbrow, local organiser of the Worker
s
'
Union,"
THE OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS.
The statement that the shipbuilding and
engineering trade unionists are
n
,
-Ing to
come out voluntarily is not borne out by
the following telegram which was sent out
on Sanday I­ Mr Citrine, the acting secre-
tary of the Trades .Union Congress General
Council
" nreision re ',=
,
4
!ding
and engineer
ing trades,—Engineering and .shipbuilding
trades shall; unless otherwise ordered, re-
frain fro4i starting work on Wednesday,
May t2. Chis applieP to all unions. This
order ,doe: not apply to men enga
i
:
c&
A
in
HisMa iesty,'s rl,ockvards, Admiralty estab-
' 115'ii
,
n�s, boil Government enin�e'ering
H � _ �►
a tb,.
i-1 .- - r • i , �
f
Y '! a :'
TRADE UNIONS AND
THE STRIKE.
Their Legal Position
BENEFITS AND STRIKE
PAY.
Air Justice Astbury, in the Chancery Divl-
sion, London, yesterday, again had t efore
him the motion by the National S
a
il
ors
'
an
d
,
Firemen's Union of Great Britain and Ire-
land for an injunction against the secre-
taries and other officials of certain branches
of the union to restrain them sailing on
their members to strike or to leave their
employment without the authority of the
Executive Council and contrary to the rules
of the union.
INJUNCTIbN GRANTED,
His Lordship, giving his decision, said a
serious crisis had arisen in the country in
regard to the dispute in the mining indus-
try, and the General Council of the Trades
Union Congress had assumed control of the
dispute and had called on their affiliated
unions to cease work if required by the
General Council.. It was evident from the
facts which had been stated that members
of the plaintiff union had been placed in a
position of doubt and danger, and it was
his duty to state their rights and those of
their union. The defendants had very fairly
admitted that they desired that the mem-
bers of their union should be told their
rights in the unfortunate circu
mstances
that had arisen.
The so-called general strike called by the
Trades- Union Congress Council was illegal,
and contrary to law, and tho
se
persons in.
citing or taken& part in it were not pro-
tected by the -Trades Dispute
s
A
c
t of 1906.
No trade dispute had been alleged or
shown to exist in .any of the unions affected
except in the miners case, and no trade
dispute did or could exist between the
Trades Union Congress on the one hand
and the Crovernment and the nation on the
other. The orders of the Trades Union Con.
gross were therefore unlawful, and the de-
fendants were at law sting illegally in
obeying them, and could be restrained by
their union froili. doing so. The plaintiffs'
counsel h'ml contended that if the
members
of the plaintiff union st:tiying in their jobs
refu8M to strike they could not be deprived
of their union benefits, and the defendants
had stated very properly that it was im-
portant to them that the members should
know their rights in
--
this respect. The law
upon that matter was as follov
,
s:—
No member of the plaintiff union or any
other trade
.
union in this country c-an lose
his trade union benefits by refusing to
obey ,unlawful orders, and the orders of
the Trades Union Council and the unions
who are acting in obedience thereto, in
bringing about the so-called , eenerm
strie-e, are unlawful order
,
-. - and the
plaintiff union is entitled to have this fact
made clear, and brought to the attention
of its members. Trade union funds in
this country are held in a fiduciary
,
•capa-
city, and cannot legally be used for or
! depleted by paving strike pay to anv mem-
ber who illegally ceases to work and
breaks his contract without justification
in pursuance of orders which are unlaw-
ful, and this fact also is one that
-
the
plaintiff union is entitled ' and hound to
make clear to its members in the difficult
position in which thev have been olaced.
With regard to the second ground upon
which the plaintiff union sought to obtain
this ititunction, the matter was beyond
question. The defendants, in addition to
acting in defiance of the law, had acted
oontrary to tht. miles and orders of their
own union and were also liable on this
-round at the suit of that union to be re-
strained by
intunction
from continuing to
do so. The result was that there must be
an injunction in terms of the notice of
motion. -
11Ir Reid, secretary of the Tower Hill.
Branch, after consultation with the other
defendants. said they preferred to he re-
strained by injunction rather than
give
an
undertaking.
His Lordship—Then the injunction will
nin until
j
ivia mit or ftirthPr
or
der.
LANARKSHIRE TRAMWAYS PAY
RATES.
At the monthly meeting of the DalzieI
Parish Council last night it was eported
that the Collector had received payment
of the sum of £594 16s 5d, being half of the
current year's rates due by the Lanark-
shire Tramway Company, and an under-
taking to make payment of the balance
on or before October 31 next,
Waterford dockers ceased work
-
yesterday,
refusing to handle foodstuffs and live stock
for Liverpooj per s.s. Tuskar of the CVdsl
-Shipping Company.