Salt Lake Telegram | 1928-06-04 | Page 13 | British Labor Conditions Improved since General Strike 2 Years Ago

British Labor Conditions Improved S Since nce General Strike 2 Years Ago Ag By ROBERT RODERT C. C DOWSON United Press Pres Staff Correspondent LONDON United Press Press Tw Two years ago May 4 Great Gleat Britain was vas plunged Into a state of chaos from which nobody knew Just how she would emerge At midnight May 4 3 1926 after several fruitless fruitless fruit- fruit less ess hour eleventh-hour efforts by both the he government and the labor leaders leaders leaders lead lead- ers to prevent the disaster it was announced that a a. general strike had commenced This drastic step by the Trades Union congress was the result of the refusal of the government to submit to the demands of the coal miners who were already idle Four million workers members of unions affiliated to the congress including railroad bus auto-bus street streetcar car general transport building electrical printing and virtually all aU manual labor ceased work Worl Business men stenographers and office workers were compelled compelI d to walk to 10 their places of oJ employ employment ment mont or stay In town The majority of private automobiles were temporarily temporarily tem tern converted into food lood and milk transports GOVERNMENT PREPARED Minor disorders rs and clashes dashes rith T-Hh the he police were numerous throughout through through- out th the country but before the turmoil turmoil turmoil tur tur- moil had haa lasted many days it was plainly evident that the government had iad been prepared for it Troops were employed to transport food to and from vast distributing centers volunteers ran skeleton services ot of trains and auto busses newspapers succeeded In publishing tabloid sheets and numbers of workers realizing that the strike was broken began iegan to defy the orders of the T. T U U. C. C and return to their Jobs Ina In Ina a week the strike was called caned off Neither Keither the government nor the workers had gained anything On the contrary there were heavy losses on both sides British in industry industry industry in- in and trade had suffered a tremendous blow from which it would take much time had hard work to recover Orders which were intended for British firms were diverted and given to foreign contractors Thousands of ot workers returning to their Jobs after the official all clear had been given found that their employers had lost so many contracts as a a. result of the strike that th they y could not afford to employ employ employ em em- ploy them Consequently the unemployment Unemployment unemployment un un- employment problem became more acute than ever This situation continued for many months while the trade of other European countries Increased and their unemployment difficulties were considerably reduced FROM EBB TO FLOOD The same situation does not exist exist ex ex- 1st today however for Cor as the Prince of Wales forecast in a re recent ro- ro cent speech The tide of British trade has ceased to ebb and is now on the flood The change has not come about suddenly but as a re result result re- re sult suit of continued efforts and patience patience patience pa pa- tience on the part of oJ both employers employ employ- ers and workers The export figures f for r 1927 are I compared with I during the troublous year in 1926 These figures are considerably considerably consid consid- below the worth warth of produce and manufactures exported ex cx- ported in 1925 1525 but they are at least encouraging and show that recovery recovery ery cry is being made During 1926 the the- average monthly output of coal from British mines mines' was tons while the figures fig urea ures for the present year range around tons monthly Though there are still over a million unemployed people In Great Britain recent returns show a decrease decrease de do- crease of some compared with the number of receivers of the tile dole in the previous year earThe ear The peace Deace conference held last year between the labor leaders and anda a group of prominent Industrialists though accomplishing nothing definite definite nite certainly clipped cUpped several inches off the top of or the h hedge dge which lies between the two classes and may prove to be the forerunner of permanent permanent per- per manent peace