Joynson-Hicks, speaking at Barns-Staple to-day, said that the coal stoppage had' nearly ruined the country and involved loss of over +£400,000,000, or more than the cost the South-African He expressed the opinion that over 250,000 miners had permanently Tost employment through the strike:
The Homo Secretary declared that} the men were returning to work It is anticipated that when the! coal stoppage is over, as it is con-dently expected to be when the. miners in the coalfields give their decisions on the Government's proposals there will be an immediate and strong revival of trade, which the strike has rendered more' oF ess idle during the past six mont!
'A big firm at Newport has secured contract to supply 22,000 tons of pipeline.
Steel and iron works in South Wales have large orders in hand and many thousands of men will find employment when there is tel for the furnaces, In Sheffield contracts for all classes of steel products have accumulated at a steadily increasing rate during the past three months, In shipbuilding also arrears of work have accumulated and the overtaking of this work in self will create a busy period.
Nineteen new ships and equipment for three more have been ordered in the last fow days from the various firms of interest in this connexion, according to a statement made by Mr. Franklin, President of, the International Mercantile Marine Ca, who arrived at Southampton yesterday from New York. He! Said that the White Star lina were king arrangements to proceed with a big ship, the exact size of which he would not give, beyond stating that it would be larger than the Olympic.
The Olympic's tonnage is 46,439.
The new liner will be built by Messzs, Hatland and Wolff at Belfast and it is probable that—the order will be placed in the near future,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.