The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1913. THE SYMPATHETIC STRIKE MISTALKE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 55, 5 November 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1913. THE SYMPATHETIC STRIKE MISTALKE.

Professor \\ . .). Ashley, Dean of the faculty ol Commerce at Birmingham

I Diversity, writing the* other day said ; On tin* workmen’s side the sympathetic strike is the outcome—even if, m mo.sf eases, the mistaken outcome—of a sense of hrotlierliood among Hoiking men, and of an unselfish readiness to run risks, if need he, saciiiiee themselves, for men in another trade, it may he in another country, sentiments which are in themselves line and nohle. It won hi he too much to expect the employers affected to «ee it in this light; hut it is important that the public should realise this aspect of the matter. Moral coiidem-j nation of sympathetic strikers is worse than wasted ; it does not strengthen 1 thorn in their principles; and the, almsed idealist is apt to become a fan- ; atie. 1 feel sure that an outside im-, partial observer, though he j (i ognisod (o the full the generosity of cen- J

tiniont that prompts Mich action, would advise working men to consider very seriously the expediency of the measuro from Labour s own point oi viow. Kor, in the first place, the sympathetic strike is usually unsuccessful. And this for several reasons. 1 nless the grievance ol the original strikers can he presented vividly and effectively to the public, a sympathetic strike is pretty certain to he unpopular. -Moreover, a sympathetic strike is exceedingly diilieult to make effective on a large scale. The less enthusiastic of the members of the union, and especially the middle-aged mini with families, will he slow to come out and

quick to go back. And under modern j conditions there are oiteu so many alternative commodities and ways ol getting things done, so little inconveni-

ence occasioned by the temporary lessening of some particular service,, that it is nothing like so easy to alarm j the public as the inexperienced sup-j pose. And, in the second place, thej sympathetic strike is,broadly speaking,! incompatible with collective bargaining—the policy by .which trade unions j Have gained most in the past, and are! likely to gain most in the future. Of! course there are some extremists to! whom this conideration will not appeal.) They take so pessimistic a view of the industrial situation that they de-j iiounco all agreements with employers) and advocate ceaseless guerilla war-i fare. But that is not the attitude j of the overwhelmingly larger body of I the trade unionists of this country. | And those will surely realise, on reflection, that it is hopeless to expect to make agreements with employers if, when peace is made within a trade, it is liable to bo disturbed at any inom-

cut by quite extraneous circumstances