The Henson Journals

[302]

Whit Monday, May 24th, 1926.

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I had a bad restless night, & felt indisposed all day. The weather – which became rather sultry, contributed.

Sir Alfred Appleby came to see me in the forenoon: a shrewd, hard, not unkindly little man, who ( I am told) organizes Conservative interests in these parts. He was evidently in hearty agreement with the Mine–owners. He would settle the coal–dispute in the old way – and suspects the Socialist sympathies of Mr Baldwin! The Bishop of Newcastle, Archdeacon Blackett–Orr, Stephenson, and Lionel came to see me during the afternoon.

The papers published Mr Baldwin's replies to the miners and the mineowners respectively. He adopts a tone of severity to both, and states that the offer of an additional £3,000,000 as subsidy to facilitate the re–starting of the industry on an economic basis cannot remain "open" after the end of this month. So for the moment the deadlock is complete, & the outlook is hopeless.

A long list of road–accidents is reported. There are but few trains running, in order to economize coal, so everybody is on the roads.

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