The 'accusation about interfererk&e . with the freedom of the Pregs'seferred
to the'refqsal of .compositor 8 to print the DATU UAIL last Sunday night,.becausethey-Objoeted toea leading 'article. There is of course not a word" to e said for this refusal; the printers were Acting quite . beyond •their rights,' arid the Editer "was quite right to refuse eG o take Ord.-ers. from them.. Frone the lbsso. viro. are vereir, sorry that the Government brought this dispute into its charges against the . General Council of the Trades Union 'Congress.The dispute, though no -doubtvery 'significant, was one between the DAILY:LAIL and its workers and, ao the General Council of the Trad,J.Union Congress APparently had no knowledge ofit, it Was net on all fours with the other matters at issue. The ,nex-b day compositors employedby other Unionist papers refused to work, but all such disputes mere soon merged in the general strike, -ahich loecame the official policy of Labour on Tuesday morning. ,• The message from the .C-ccvernment .. was 'quicklyi-.,.•nsIl.e-ect .1../the Geneeal Council o-f the Toad.-.o Un or. Cengrces, 141r, 7?h
• -t,The Chairman.) ar.f2: (the • Secre,tar:y.). lettor to ;he P-irnc
esid tht they were "astounded" to larthat yr-It:love aro, warnin7 the • Goveeranent ha 4._ O. 0'1 negot'..3.1:4_ons, although there was a prospect that • the • .conversatne. Woule pDve the way to t: opening ur of full and unfettered , ne7otiations. They declared that the .not,ic,es to strike Had been sen-c. out in
• aecorda.nce with a common custom the
objeet being, that negotiations should b(,) ..conducted,"free from the ,atmospherf?, of strike or Iockes..,u.--;.;". 'He do notecuite . grasp-. the oint. It-is .diel:iicult to
• understand. how order fOr ,a . general •strike frees •anybedy frOa the atmosphere
of s-Lrike. As regar4Sinterferenco
• with th 'ret:dom of the' Press., ,the
Ceners.1 CeianCii diSclaimbd. any erespons blt for unaiethorii.ed acts , and promised-et& tr -ho prtvont peiv.. lack of
. Council thourrht that
. • eit sh..s.uldeho.-ee beer'given oppo-rtunit,y • erArds :7 5'. g,r.t-L. 4:11„ing' vth the
incident s t he • e Ornmeat .mado.thei
• El: pr. et eY-_,-1.-; ing ff.
.
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