Busmen's Strike Begins in Heart of Busy Metropolis. Coronation Visitors Join Throng on Pavements London, May 1. ONDON'S busman's strike, confined to the central area and involving 25,000-men, began quietly last night at midnight, negotiations having failed.
At Chelmsford last night the executive committee of delegates representing 120,000 busman in the provinces called their men to-join in an unofficial strike from midnight and endorsed the resolution passed by the busman's conference at Chelmsford on Wednesday supporting the unofficial bus strike in the ten Home counties, Before the London strike went into effect. Mr, Ernest Brown, the Minister of Labour, appointed a court of enquiry to investigate the busman's grievances.
'Mr. Ernest Bevin, of the Transport Workers' Union, leader of the busman, refused postponement of the strike but promised facilities to convey sick persons to hospital and for other emergencies, for which purposes he said he hoped to organize a fleet: of private cars.
Accentuating the seriousness of the industrial outlook, the Mine-Workers' Federation decided last night to call a national strike on May 22 to secure recognition of the Federation in Nottinghamshire and freedom of choice by workers at Harworth colliery and. elsewhere to join the Federation.
Londoners felt the full effect of th strike when they ceased work tween noon and 1 pam. At the Aldgate tram= terminus when the homeward rush began the street we a solld mass of struggling. peop! trying to board trams. Police had to be stationed at tram platforms to Underground carriages were also packed to capacity, and many people were overcome by the het At the Piccadily Circus underground station, unprecedented scenes Were seen during the rush hour, Cup Final visitors swelled the crowds of Londoners proceeding home, Oxtora Men Join Strike In the provinces, Oxford busman are the Intest to join in the unoMelal strike against the advice of the or~ ianisers, Mr, Bevin wrote to the Oxford branch union to-day stating that, In take Ing strike action without the support of the Union, it was observing the principles not of trade unionism but of anarchy whereby the men were playing right Into the hands of the: employers. Such action was sheer mad. ess, and the Union would do nothing. until the men returned to worl maintained that the men ther were holding up negotiations for a national agreement, Coronation visitors who have already flocked in thousands to swell London's population, will be among throngs crowding "the—pavements while the busy heart of the British Metropolis is left without bus trans~ port, How great the confusion and Selay caused by the stoppage can be gauged by the fact that a normal 30,000 persons use the Board's 5,000 buses operating the 200 routes of the central district at preslely affected by the London Services on the city's country routes from London will continue to Fun until further notice. Nonetheless the difficulties already' created will most effectively stress the awkward Angle of the busman's holiday.
London buses on evening services last night completed their "normal duties but vehicles timed to leave their garages at 11 p.m, did not start. When bures reached their garages, they were washed as usual and parked in long lines, apparently for fan indefinite period. ° After midnight the strikers held meetings in cafes near their garages, these being well attended and very orderly. Police: are on patrol at the entrances to each forage but so far there has been no cause the London Passenger Tra port Board refuses to grant the TH-hour working day arrived at by con-' ceding the Iunch-time half-hour. The provincial strike arises over demands: for wage inereases—Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.