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Show BRITISH RAIL CRISIS KltlS j Transport Workers Reported Report-ed to Be Preparing to Join Strikers. By "Universal Service. LONDON, Sept. 30. As tlio crisis in the great railway strike approaches the fortunes of battle appear to be still swinging toward the strikers. Late tlus evening it was uuthori La- lively learned that the transport v."ork-ers v."ork-ers are about to declare for a general strike. If this conies, ouly the third member of the triple alliance the miners' organization remains outside the great industrial tie-up, but only partly and temporarily, for, with tho rail and transport workers out, tho bulk of the mines would havi3 to shut down automatically. News of the imminent transport paralysis pa-ralysis comes in Ihe face of optimistic' optimis-tic' official statements issued by the government from time to time today. As was foreshadowed, the government's govern-ment's widespread use of troops was the signal for the rail men's leaders to look around for help from other trades. Up to last night they were against general sympathetic strikes for fear this might bring on aa upheaval beyond I heir own control. But when today tiie railway meu found themselves confronted with troops running the few trains still in operation, with troops prelecting tho thousands of volunteers and with troops stationed at every powerhouse and railway rail-way station ready to start operation, they decided to take tiie fateful risk though somo of tiie leaders admittedly did so "with fear and trembling.7' J. H. Thomas, secretary of the National Na-tional Union of Kail way ifen announced an-nounced late today that his organization organiza-tion wouid not try to encourage, instead in-stead of discouraging, sympathetic -trues, and tonight's report of tie nsport wo, Iters' threatened action seems the result. While Die government claimed th-a numerous strikers had been returning to work, this is emphatically denied by the strtke lenders. They point to the (Continued on Page 2, Column 0.) BRlfi If CRISIS MING (Continued From Pago One.) fuel, that I he rail tic-ut? i3 a3 complete as it was two days :ig"". I'lirtliormore, thfy are pointing' to the byjy autonia ' i- crippling of other in-du"jl in-du"jl rio, cspf.'i: hilly t Iv: mines. In t?outli Wales alone a quarter of a million workers are idle today exclusive exclu-sive of railway mm. La wlosness r.iid its Itend in a few places. The ;jn crnniunt referred to it in an early cuniuuni'iuG a a "tomo miliar mi-liar ac t s O f a hot;i ye. ' ' Attempts w i.-re made, it is said, to wreck trains lv chanin liht signals. Thfy were frustrated and so far the gre:it islrike has br,-n devoid of loss of life- or open disorders. The strike leaders disavow with indignation in-dignation and cm ha sis all such attempts, at-tempts, blaming recklessness of individuals indi-viduals and pointing out t hat nothing would l.e more (lei ri mental to their cau? than having the public aroused I o fury b' a deliberately engineered tragedy. Discharged soldiers and sailors, an element concerning1 which tlmre has been much .speculation, announced th.eir ' ' policy ' ' 1 eday t h rough their federation. federa-tion. It will lie one of neutrality "with the reservation, naturally welcomed by the strikers, that they do not feel tboy should bo called upon to return to the colors to take a hand in industrial strife. The "next twenty-four hours are expected ex-pected to develop tlw great ' ' showdown" show-down" in the strike. L,EITH, Sept. 30. The Caledonian railway rail-way has posted notices offering men returning re-turning to work 23 per cent above the present wage and also precedence for future fu-ture promotion. Protection Is assured. |
