A TANGLED WEB.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1471, 20 June 1912, Page 7

A TANGLED WEB.

LABOUR TROUBLES IN ENGLAND,

SUISVBY OF THE POSITION

BOOM FOR CAUTION,

Tho London correspondent of a New 'Zealand firm of merchant.-, writing to his principals luulor date .Alay 10, discussos iii an inlL'i'estiiiK inannei' the indnstrinl- situation ill the Mother- Country, and more cspceiully tho labour troubles which linvo been ami are still disturbing the course of business there. In tho courso of his letter ho writes:—

"Yo'ur letter of 29th llareli reached mo lost week. Therein you touch upon the bnsis of tho colliers' settlement. The wholo matter is a somewhat tangled web. One thing seems to 1110 to stand forth, and it may bo stated in the simple proposition that the general term "Freetrade" must include, not be exclusive of, "Free-trade in labour," and it seems to 1110 that it is a departure from this principle that has led 11s to the deplorable position wo have readied. "Wo have the Compensation Act. This seems to mo equitable at ropt when it holds that <1 inun meeting with disablement whilst alwut his master's business should have a claim for a reasonable in'temnity for any accident lie may meet with in tho. performance of tho duties entailed so far as ho is performing those duties. a 9 Jaid down by his employer. Before. the Act was passed this was to n largo extent recognised by tho payment of higher wages when tho'trade was a dangerous one, and giving the principle the force of law was, I think, just; but tho application of tho law has proved hideously unjust and lias promoted blackmail »md malingering to a line, art, demoralising to the worker or the one hand and inflicting on industry a tax it can ill bear and survive 011 the other. If such cases could be tried by a Judge with medical assessors, tlie.v might work with same degree of equity, but, when left to n jury of inexperienced men after tlie> have been exposed to the cajolements of counsel, the result is generally all in favour of tho. claimant for damages, for even educated men are prone to bo more liberal in tho disposal of other people's money-than in tho disbursement of their own, and even if there is honesty, emotion rather than equity becomes tho deciding factor. Workmen soon grasped what a powerful engine was this Act,- and the decisions are overlaid with fraud and wilful imposition. "Then in the coal trade came tho demand for an eight hours' day bank fn bank—in effect at 0! to 71 hours' day. From the men there was 110 call for this Act, but tho labour leaders had to justify their, salaries,. and political bosses took it up as a catcli vote cry. Now, from the first 'many areas havo been actively hostile. The men wanted to do less work, but to earn not less money, and where house coal is being got the men preferred to work long .hours and earn much in the busy season, against the slack season, when, whether' they would or no, the demand was less and tho hours and earnings lighter, and in all cases it suited the men better to work thirty hours in three days than thirty hours in, soy, four, or more days, as it gave them leisure to'do overhead work such as market gardening, or to indulge 111 sport, or remain idle, but tho Labour leaders are more tyrannical than any master, and.the men obeyed like sheep. Betimes it became apparent to the men that -these blessed eight-hour shifts did not give them at the then existing irages an (ideqtihte weekly earning for their needs, and so discontent grew. The Labour' leaders, anxious for their salaries, had to take action, and promulgated a demand for a' minimum wage, however, small the tonnage got, and 011 this we had tho fight. By the great majority of people .inside and outside the trade it was said 'a few days' stoppage will bring a settlement/ Personally", 'I cultivated 110 such and so informed- yon,and the wretched business dragged on for weeks, with a cumulative effect of confusion week by vreek until tile-masters were' ultimately dragqoiiM''ihT6'acceptance v: 6f the-principle of a miniinum wage, and the 'local boards' are now trying to adjust matters, but already, grumblings are heard.

' -"'Tho question naturally arises: What profit do: the men derive from all this.? The union funds in some areas are entirely wiped out; in others they are greatly depleted. Household etfect's have been pawned, and debt has been created, and for what: That a group of Socialists might pose in tho limelight, and claim in their usual blatant, way that they are the saviours of a-downtrodden people, and what have they won? A minimum wage, representing in many areas a wage fai below the average wages of the men, and at what cost? Tho dissipation of Jiundrietls of thousands of saved earnings, a burden, of debt, and a very livo effort of coal-users to economise in its uses, and the finding of!substitutes fpr it—all tending to reduce the wages fund, the elimininntion of all but the robust, as, if a minimum must, bo paid, then, only the strong aro wanted, and resulting in the drying-tip of the springs of sympathy between masters aiul men, and all that it means in the sowing of ill-will and resentment between class and class. AVhat it has meant to the country in direct loss no one can calculate: that bill will fall for payment, but not yef. Coalowners, and, still more, coal-dealers have reaped an abundant harvest. Coming events cast, their shadows before tlieni. Hugo stocks wero accumulated, and were got rid of at, in some cases, fabulous prices, and heaps of so-called coal, valueless prior to tho strike, found a market at fancy prices, and has disappeared. In every direction rigid economy in consumption was the order of the day in private houses and public institutions. An economy once enforced remains, even when tho causes which gave rise to it havo passed away. It is therefore not a disaster without its good features. Th» factories which had to stop accumulated a great reserve of orders, and mills are now well provided for some time ahead, and prices havo been, under the weight of these conditions pushed up to what must be a very profitable level, and the slocks in merchants' hands have increased in value, and things look blooming and prosperous, but after the fever comes flip reaction.

"My letter started with general bearings, and has drifted'back to the particular, and what I had intended to pass to was the probable effect of a colliers' minimum wage upon the other trades. It is sure to create demands, and with fit/,ure trouble as' a result, and to get back to the root thought in my mind, this interference with adult labour will betimes create a-position which will compel even the most advanced Radical Minister to formulate some scheme of protection to h.vert 1 national insolvency, or, as would probably be tho case, to defer it only. A Protcctfonist-Kadical coalition conjures up a topsy-turvydom, to which we seem to be moving. Already the House of Commons has lost its authority, as liaa tho - Premier his authority in his Cabinet, and the blatant and the noisy fill Tho stage, to the exclusion of tho more worthy and temperate of our public men. AVhat, as the years pass, amazes me is the deptli of ignorance that masquerades ns knowledge, and is accepted as such by the multitude: even my untrained intellect and 'narrow experience can see it. How deep then it must be.

"The Trade Disputes Act is another measuro' which is working sad mischief. .You itvo doubtless familiar with its provisions, which contained an almost direct invitation to oppression by trades unions of free men. A High Court .Tmlso only the other day liad to find in favour of a trades union as .'defendants, and mndu the significant comment that thoPnrliament had passed the Act and all lie eouhl do was to give le'al force to the enactriients." He did not go on to sav that they were wholly at variance with Die spirit of the eominon law, but it was manifest lie thought so. Further, thorp is (lie Shops Act, another, inroad on freedom and difficult; in the working. "As F hnvd before remarked, I he effect of political action is often remoie rather tlwn innnediate. It has taken time for the flight Hours Bill and, other cognate legislation to yield any elYect on trade, but certainly this' coal strike is an outcome, but Hio'elTect of that will not, yet be obviously hostile to trade interests. Tin more immediate elfect gives abnormal 'profits to the coal-owner and abnormal emplovmcnt to tltf coal-getter. True, many'interests were for the time held up, but the cumulative «<>tion of buyers' demands lias enabled maker.-, to generally advance their prices to an extent far beyond what is warranted by the increased cost,'arid 'so, for the time being, there ia a feeling of content with things

as llioy are; hut that past happenings cannot. bo ivitlimit. tln-ir afterlnnth nf trouble, .1 cannot hnt. I>clievc, ami, whilst ii: will not at present overtake there is room tor caution fur the lime to come.

"It is clear to me that Labour will in tho future levy ;i, heavier tux on production' Hum in the pait. Is it, (in you think, equally clenr that. the* capitalist producer will not increu>:: to an equivalent. degree his demands on . the consumer, and, tlie largest consumer being 'Labour' in the aggregate, is not Labour going to pay its i'ull share and he litfin better oil, if al all, with higher wages than when they were lower? One. gels in a 'vicious circle' in the argument, and probably the future alone will show what the future is to he.