Page:Engines and men- the history of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. A survey of organisation of railways and railway locomotive men (IA enginesmenhistor00rayniala).pdf/286

 arrange for, a basis for a sliding scale, such as was offered by the Society to the Railway Executive in September, 1916, and which has now, after all this time, been accepted. We feel that the offer of the Government does not cover the increased cost of living peculiar to our members. We, however, advise our members to accept it, along with a suitable sliding scale, if such can be mutually agreed upon, and to conserve their strength for that fight with the Government and the profiteering classes which will take place in the near future."

The settlement gave little satisfaction, and indeed was scarcely announced when trouble of a serious character began. The traffic men at Llantrisant struck on September 20th, and the Society members followed. On Saturday the 21st, and Sunday the 22nd, other stations followed suit in the South Wales district, and by Sunday night the men of both societies were out at Pontypool, Newport, Aberbeeg, and Severn Tunnel, with several other stations seriously affected, the strike even spreading as far North as Manchester. The Executive and General Secretary proceeded to Newport, where the General Secretaries of both societies addressed the strikers and advised a general resumption of work, repeating the same advice at a mass meeting at Cardiff. The strike closed in Cardiff the same night, September 25th, and all branches were telegraphed to resume duty, but they distrusted the telegram. All that night the branches were telephoning, motoring, and cycling into Newport, to see if it were genuine. The Shrewsbury branch got the police to telephone the Newport police, asking them to ascertain from Mr. Bromley if the telegram was genuine. A number of Severn Tunnel men arrived in the early morning darkness with the same object, and one of them got to Mr. Bromley's bedroom at the hotel. He sent the man down for his colleagues, and on returning they got into Mr. Thomas's bedroom by mistake. He gave them a written instruction to resume, but the Severn Tunnel men would not accept the note when it was conveyed to them, and waited for a personal assurance from Mr. Bromley. The train