A.J. Cook, General Secretary of the Miners’ Federation of Great Britain, acknowledged at a meeting held in Memorial Hall, Farringdon Street, that miners were preparing to end their strike, describing the decision as a retreat forced by starvation rather than defeat. Speaking to members, Cook emphasized the determination and courage miners had shown during the 22-week-long dispute, while expressing his hope that they would maintain that resolve in rebuilding efforts aimed at establishing a more equitable society.

Cook criticized the government, asserting that Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald was acting primarily on behalf of coal owners, landowners, and industrialists. He condemned the government’s refusal to implement an embargo in support of the miners and noted that the Trades Union Congress General Council had responded to requests for financial levies by stating only that they would “do all we can to get the money.”

He characterized government proposals as “terms of surrender” and stated that the miners, when given the opportunity to vote, would reject these offers, refusing what he described as enslavement. Cook warned that if authorities sought to impose harsher conditions, the miners would resist fiercely, likening the struggle to a fight over a nest of eggs, cautioning that they would “burn your nest” to prevent exploitation.

Highlighting the severity of the national crisis, Cook argued that extreme challenges required drastic solutions and lamented that appeals for reason had gone unheeded. He warned that the nation stood “on the brink of a precipice,” expressing concern that forcing miners back to work could incur severe consequences beyond immediate financial costs.

Cook estimated that the economic impact of the strike so far had reached £300 million but stressed that this figure failed to account for the intangible losses—the deterioration of goodwill and social cohesion, as well as the deep animosity the dispute had engendered. His remarks underscored the broader social and political tensions underlying the prolonged industrial conflict in Britain’s coalfields.