During the strike the Riot Act [The Riot Act of 1714 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of 12 or more people to be unlawfully assembled and to disperse or face disciplinary action] was read out twice and on the orders of the then Home Secretary, a Naval Gunship was set anchor out side the docks. Troops, too, were used to defeat the workers. So bad were the conditions within the strike, soup kitchens were put up to help the starving workers' and families, as the employers used underhanded treatments to starve those on strike, as the new, unwanted, Terms & Conditions were worse than the already used conditions before the strike.