British Commonwealth of Nations: Coal Strike Deadlocked

Throughout the week the British coal strike (TIME, May 10, et, seq.) continued so completely deadlocked that representatives of the Government, the Miners’ Federation and the Owners’ Association never so much as conferred.

Not only did Premier Baldwin’s plan of conciliation (TIME, May 24) go begging, but his time-limited offer to extend the coal subsidy was ignored by both embattled groups.

With 1,000,000 miners idle and seemingly intent upon continuing so, the Government by an elaborate system of coal rationing cut normal consumption 50%. The King, after planning a holiday at Aldershot and Sandringham, canceled the special train which would have conveyed him thither in order to save coal. The normal railway service was cut 40%. The channel boats coaled exclusively abroad, and large shipments of foreign coal arrived on every steamer.

Britons faced with resolution the prospect of what would have seemed a great industrial war had not the stupendous “general strike” preceded it and been safely weathered.