THE AFTERMATH.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1684, 26 February 1913, Page 8

THE AFTERMATH.

INDUSTRIAL DISTURBANCES IN BRITAIN. .

POSSIBILITIES AHEAD, AN INTERESTING REVIEW. . Tho following extracts from the letter of tho London reprcsenta/Jivo of a leading New. Zealand business house .will bp read ' , ..with •; Labour Unrest, ' nu^lulri °f 1911, was notable 'for .. . the . first sign f of unrest ,in the . labour world, and the ppst year brought this- . , feature more prominently to tho fron., culminating in the'great strikes amongst i tho colliers, and then, amongst the dock ■ "labourers, which created a'state of chaos in manutaefcuring concerns and in transit, tho elteo.B of wnich have not yet passed away. ' . •'■ . "It must bo admitted 'that in some gioups of labour wages were inadequate, ..and called for'adjustment.' The cost of -. living had admittedly greatly increased, but this'increased'cost'of'living is in no small degree'to be attributed to tho ineffectiveness, of Labour, and tho determina..tion of .the union leaders to reduce the outputper man. far below the real capa- . city tor output per. man, with the natural increase of cost, and so far as it was an operative cause, the men had themselves ■ alono';to blame,.' . Every -. inan : has 1 the Tight to sell his labour at the best prico ! ho can-get for it, .but that ill-advised Act, : the Trades Disputes, Act, virtually gave the men the power to go further, and compel those who were willing to work to •refraiu from so doiug by threats of viol- ■ ence, and in many liases by overt acts .to effect that,.end, arid-' the consequence! was that iu'ldany cases there were disgraceful Boenes. of 'violence, and- immense damage to property. . °It was generally though that the Government was greatly lacking in failing: to accord to free men the needful promotion to go about-their affairs w-ifhout njiolestar' tion. i In -the >caso of the coal strike, troops were eventually'sent-to centres'of disorder,'-' and,' - without- ''any if bloody ;scenes"''ordefi. wasquickly, aiid v a sliding, scale adapted to the circum-- ■ n.ances of; the-various coal areas was ar- , ranged, and received legal sanction. Whc- : ther the men will' profit; or -whether in--' ... deed they will, continue to abide by the compact, is-yet.doubtful.; .The coal owners' were 'the. first to advantage, for- the . coal-'faming created.-ehable'd j them' .to clear' everyf scrap 1 afcithe jut's mouth th.-lt/cfiiild'by any pretext'be : ; called- coal. V As 'trade/slackens they -will ',-; closo ;seam3" which-dtf' not■ {ay' : t<) ;worlc when the coal is back to more normal .prices. How the men will faro then is ... 4i matter-of conjecture. . I-' ' : .r:. W Heavy Cost. ■l' "With the striko over, there wa9 a rush -.Ifor.-coal; and-trucks were 1 quite inadequate !ior.,tho needs,.and -weoks passed beforo the j'lactones - of' tho country: were back to . ■inormal-: conditions: of.' work) and then .we (were plunged into transit troubles;* ■ and , 'our;main : ports were for; weeks held up for : -.'facki'of laboui„:.:.i.: ;y. : i "Lord > Davenport, as: tho , head of the . d'ort of London; Authority,' showed a fine i'csample bfi. firmness, making every "effort! }to keep the po/t open by freo labour, desipito- the refusal of-tlia Government) .to aic : cord::anything like adequate protection, and only when- tho striko was; virtually: broken did they' send troops to i check -violence—a stop which,'when tried, prov- :. .ed--at' once effective. Tho violent"demagogues who : day ,by ; day had been: shout-. :j."l in<?,,sedition - and promising '~ a paradise, lost .tho, confidence of. their dupes, who, wit'hbu'fc .funds; and\nigli starving,',' only; longed to Tjattyrn,to work..' .v. " " "The.evil feature of. these happenings. ' v..has.'beim-tlie dishonesty,of them,'tho men, ; ! at dictates of their; leaders, breaking ; ■■•,Hheirv;contracts .of .'labour, 'suffer, .who- : . might. ■ 1 Evil actions, usually bring an -~ , early, retribution, and ;tho bill will sooner (■l> : or' later,'fall due-; for payment. . Various' ; -estimates have been,made as to .the result- ■ ~ing losses tp i: Labdur.;alpne;. at best they . .must '.be- -largelyvguoss work.fcertainly,' the .total would, run.', into Very.' many mili.-, . lions sterling. -• ■ "" ' ': ' : ■ - ' "The Dock strike end was!iii effect the" beginning of new troubles. Goods'long ,held .up'.\at factories; and /warehouses . - sought transit, to itihe' coast,-; and ,it then became evident, .that the rolling-stock on the ; railways was entirely.inadequate-- to handle" the merchandise offering, and' that rf: .the shijpping tonnage available was en- ,• .tirely inadequate-■ for : -what: did get ' through, with tho result that'the quays . and; railway sidings got hopelessly 'congest- • •ed -and confused,' ■ ' iv YraUs-Possibilities. ' . "In our opimon the promiso of tho past ; '.■/yegrj.wasigood'.'at-tho, .opening) but we think that tho advance in prices for which ; r ,.:.the yeaii in some degree v.affeeted-%'.the 'shortage .caused' by strikes, which enabled manufacturers to forco tho v." pace. - - ■ "Perhaps'-the most striking feature to . - . ,Consider; is the power .of absorption, -into ' inanufactures of S raw' producte, such as ' pig iron; '.America and Germany together • put out something like 46 million ; tons, • apart'from our production •in Great ■ 'Britain;: which.-accounts. for -another/10 - million; yet, despi,te this, there appears to be •little; orj-no surplus stock. -Indeed, our own stock in public, store has shrunk from some 600,000 tons to about 210,000 tons, - : " ; ; nnd- when'.'it "is- remembered that some ■ years ago the stock in public warehouses in Glasgow was oVer a million'tons, these : figures are worthy of. consideration,. ■ "ilow far we may expect this trade pro- ;. . gi;ess to. continue beforo it rec&ives a don'. ;finito check it b not easy .to determine. ,The situation is a baifling one. In Europe we have question".'unsettled,'. : - '.perhaps iit/course of settlement, but until . settled chajged with' elements of danger to jjeaco in In Germany there is a,' •;--'-«Rnl of uni'efet in face of a naval espondi-' tuvo, whi?h,-added to the Army bill, im.posss.ft. heavy; burden on the people, nl-- .- ready hoiieycombed with Socialism, cre'ating tho apprehension that internal' unity; . :roay b» sjrfight by external aggression.- In- . 'America .wo have, after a long-lapse of, •• years, a democratic Government pledged ■ to curb trusts, reduco. tariffs, and procure - .the;free Jjnnort.iof* ineat.;V How • far, per-; ' formance-jrill wait'on 'prbmisa'who shall Bay? Personally we do not. think there -. will be anything very drastic done, but we do bnliere -.that America-mil .soon -provide you with another market for your meat, 1 and our impression is they -will enjoy a year of great com'nicrcial activity.

National Affairs.' "Here in Great Britain'toe have a. Government whlclrdoes not' probably •'•enjoy tho confidence of tho but now the House of is ii paid body they will not, l>o in in. hurry to test tho matter by an appeal toHto Country.- 'Nor does there nppear to fo'iri tho opposite party the nuclous of a strong Administration. The presumptive Premier, Mr. Bonar Law, las no administrative experience—a weakness that would bo sure to manifest itself when surrounded with subordinate Ministers with a greater ofii- , rial experienco than his own. Nor has ho ony mandate.of sufficient forco to justify a disturbance of.l'our tan.lT based on freo. .food. The country is prosperous, ami tho percentage ,of- unemployed is. abnormally low. Wages nrej'good, and industries aro {•ielding good returns on capital. Costa of iving ore already'high/ and dear, food •Would affect not alono the labour classes but' that vast army of civil servants and servants of pnblic bodies, pensioners, and peoplo_ ; living on returns,of investments, and either create' in one case a just demand for increases or in tho others cither hardship or an exodus towhero money would, go further. Surely' thero is such a thing as letting well alone. "The country is agreed that defenco ndmits of no trifling with, nor would it shirk from introducing a system of some port of compulsory service at tho instance if .1 statesman of commanding character, but just noW we only.snem to havo politician.'; to whom tho balance of a- vote is 'more important, than, tho safety„.of, tho Umpire. To put, it briefly, the counjSry h wurdor than'its'leaders. "Granting that .''the troubles in tho Balkans are adjusted, we see no cause for •disquiet as regards'tha eiirreut'.yea'r. Wo hope prices .will not further advance, but they may. That.they will seriously fall we do not think probable, exceot tho courss of tho moneymarket may be such as to contract trade and bring an inevitable i'st-Wcki" • '