S26 ENGLISH COAL STRIKE 



For some little while the Miners' Federation had been putting a claim before the 

 owners in the Federated area for the fixing of definite rates of payment in the case of 

 " abnormal places " where the men were unable to earn an average day's wage for no 

 fault of their own. The reasonableness of some such step could not be altogether 

 denied, but the difficulty was to agree on satisfactory terms, and no conclusion had 

 been arrived at. At the Southport Conference of Miners' Delegates in October 1911 

 the demand that, in abnormal places, a miner's remuneration should be made up to the 

 district rate was given a different form, a claim now being made for an all-round mini- 

 mum. The following resolution, proposed by the executive, was unanimously passed: 



That the Federation take immediate steps to secure an individual minimum wage for 

 all men and boys working in mines in the area of the Federation, without any reference to 

 the working places being abnormal. In the event of the employers refusing to agree to this, 

 the 2 1st rule to be put into operation to demand assent. 



The delegates were instructed to report the result of their negotiations with the em- 

 ployers at a second Conference on November i4th. At this conference, at which they 

 reported their failure to obtain the minimum wage, an adjournment was resolved on 

 (by 336,000 votes to 238,000) for future negotiations; and on December 2ist, the situation 

 remaining the same, it was resolved that a ballot should be taken on January ioth-i2th, 

 1912, on the question " Are you in favour of giving notice to establish the principle of 

 a minimum wage for every man and boy working in the mines of Great Britain?" A 

 resolution was also passed " that each district send to Mr. Ashton [General Secretary 

 of the Miners' Federation] a tabulated statement of what it desires to be its minimum 

 wage, and that the Executive Committee of the Federation meet to consider the state- 

 ments and report to a National Conference in Birmingham on January 18, 1912." 



The result of the ballot, as declared at the Birmingham Conference, showed 445,801 

 votes for giving notice, 115,721 against, majority 330,080, South Wales alone giving 

 a majority of 85,107 for stopping work. And on February 2, 1912, after considerable 

 discussion of the minimum rates asked for, the following schedule was approved: 



District Rate District Rate 



Demand Approved Demand Approved 



s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. - 



Yorkshire . . 7/6 Bristol .... 6 411 



Lancashire 

 Midlands . ... . 

 Derbyshire 

 Nottinghamshire 

 North Wales . 

 Leicestershire 

 South Derbyshire 

 Somersetshire 



7 7 Cumberland . . .66 66 



5/6-7/1 2 6-7 Scotland .... 6 6 



7/1 \ -7/6 South Wales . . . 8 7/ij-7/6 



7/6 Northumberland . 6 -6/9 6 -7/2 



6 Durham . . . . 6 \\ 6 



;r 



7/2: Forest of Dean . . 6 5 10 



6 -7/6 6/6 Cleveland . . 6 5 10 



6 4/U 



The coal-owners met on February 7th, and the Welsh owners then refused to discuss 

 the minimum wage and retired from the conference. This made a strike inevitable, 

 since the miners were not prepared to settle with any but the whole Federated area, and 

 notices were given accordingly, the public being faced with a prospect of a complete 

 cessation of coal supplies. The Prime Minister on February 2oth invited both sides 

 to meet him to discuss means of averting a national stoppage, and their representatives 

 met him on February 22nd, but to no purpose; and on February 26th the first miners 

 went on strike at Alfreton. the rest soon following; in spite of the announcement that 

 the principle of a minimum wage was now adopted by the Government and that they 

 would take steps to give it Parliamentary sanction unless an agreement were arrived 

 at. On this point a split occurred between the coal-owners, those of Durham and the; 

 Federated districts being prepared to fall in with the proposal of the Government, and 

 the others refusing. On March ist over a million coal-miners were out (Yorks and 

 N. Midlands, 235,000; S. Wales 220,000; Scotland 130,000; Northumberland, 120,000; 

 Durham, no.ooo; Midlands and South, 105,000; N. Wales, 70,000; N. and E. Lanes. 

 45,000), and during the whole month the country was convulsed by the calamity. 



