Mr. Lloyd George again proposed a truce. The railwaymen were
to return to work for at least a week, so that the questions at issue might be debated calmly or referred to an arbitrator. If aftes five days the railwaymen's leaders felt unable to reach an agreement, they were to give two days' notice of a renewed strike. The Prime Minister's proposal was again rejected. Mr. Cramp and Mr. Thomas evidently feared that, if they let ,Z ‘t.1 men resume work, they would be unable to induce them to strike without reason for the second time. Meanwhile the Government had declined to pay the strikers the wages falling due last week, The men had broken their contracts, and caused the community grave inconvenience and heavy loss. The Government there- fore withheld their arrears of wages, which they would have used to prolong the struggle. The Union distributed strike pa, at rates varying from six to twelve shillings a week.
