Page:Cook (1927) The Nine Days.djvu/12

 was not jealousy that prompted my suspicions, but my responsibility to my President, Herbert Smith, and to my colleagues, and to the million men in the British coalfields.

I learnt at about 2-30 a.m. on Sunday morning, from a telephone conversation with Mr. Citrine, some little of what had taken place, and later, on May 2nd, I attended at Eccleston Square, to discover further the real facts concerning the meeting. I was then asked by the T.U.C. to call my Committee immediately to London—which I did.

That day I shall never forget. The Negotiating Committee called me before them, and informed me that they had been discussing a formula which they had accepted, as follows:—

"The Prime Minister has satisfied himself as a result of the conversations he has had with the representatives of the Trades Union Congress, that if negotiations are continued (it being understood that the notices cease to be operative), the representatives of the Trades Union Congress are confident that a settlement could be reached on the lines of the Report within a fortnight."

It must be clearly understood that this formula meant a reduction of wages and district agreements—conditions against which the T.U.C. had themselves declared.

I vehemently protested first against the Negotiating Committee of the T.U.C. having discussions with the Prime Minister in the absence of the miners' representatives, and secondly against the acceptance of a formula which was contrary to the declared policy of the miners, contrary to the policy of the T.U.C. as expressed in their declarations of February 26th, and after, and contrary to the instructions given to the T.U.C. by the Union Conference of May 1st. With the Negotiating Committee I met the General Council. I learnt that arrangements had been made to meet the Prime Minister again during the day. When before the General Council I again made my protest on behalf of my colleagues and myself, pleading with them not to commit us to a policy in contradiction to the one agreed upon.

For the moment I will not write all that is so vivid in my mind of what took place, but the statements of Bromley and Thomas I shall never forget.

One of these statements demanded clearly and definitely that the miners accept the Commission's report with full