17 JANUARY 1891, Page 3

The strike on the Scotch railways is neither settled nor

in process of settlement. On Tuesday, attempts were made, both at Glasgow and at Edinburgh—the Lord Provost of each city conducting the negotiations—to induce the Com- panies to accept a compromise, but without success, the Directors being determined not to acknowledge the strike executive. Cost what it may, they refuse to put the railways under the control of Mr. Tait and the Union officials. Up to the present time, there has been a considerable amount of local sympathy with the men—their complaints as to their hours of work being well founded—but this sympathy is being rapidly killed by the acts of violence which, as usual, are heralding the collapse of the strike. The Times' correspondent on Friday gives details of several outrages, and notices that the Companies have had to provide their engines with " a species armour," to keep off the stones. " From Motherwell comes a report that a crowd gathered last night upon Patithead Bridge in order to exchange pleasantries with passing trains. The engine-driver of one train had occasion to pass once in order to fetch a train from the yarr and, in the hope of his repassing, the crowd during his absence greased the rails copiously, so that the engine on its return came to a dead stop. Then stones began ' a fly, and the driver, casting the train loose, tried to escape with his engine. Very soon, however, he came to a place where the points were at half-cock, and the engine then ran off the line."