11 JUNE 1921, Page 2

The leaders of the Transport Workers' Federation presented a report

to their conference on Thursday, explaining why the. " Triple Alliance " strike arranged for April 15th was cancelled at the last moment. They said that the miners' leaders were

at variance and would not co-operate with their allies. " One of the most regrettable features in connexion with the whole of the crisis was the desire on the part of the miners—warrant- able in many respects, unreasonable in others—to consider their own affairs in their own way, oblivious of the effect of their own attitude upon the members of the other three organiza- tions." The " Alliance," we are told, never acted as one body ; each executive sat by itself and communicated with its allies, as if it were a Government department. The transport workers' executive therefore decided, with only five dissentients, to abandon the proposed general strike. The selfishness of the miners' leaders killed the conspiracy against the State, but it has since done great harm to the miners and to the country by prolonging a strike for political objects which were clearly unattainable after April 15th.