The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1889. CONTINENTAL STRIKE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1898, 30 May 1889, Page 2

The Temuka Leader THURSDAY, MAY 30, 1889. CONTINENTAL STRIKE.

Apparently the relations between capital and labor in Germany at the present time ar® strained to their utmost tension. There are strikes all orer the hand, and, so far as we can gather, labor has been fairly successful. The strikes commenced with the miners of Westphalia. They had the honor of an audience with the Emperor, who does not seem to have been over-courteous to them, inasmuch as he threatened to employ the army in putting them down if they displayed any Secialistic tendencies. A few days afterwards the Emperor received a deputation of their employers, the mine-owners, and he warned them to do all in their power to treat their employees justly. It is, indeed, a new thing for a reigning monarch to interfere in the disputes between capital and labor. When a year or two ago the unfortunate unemployed of London met in Trafalgar Square to ventilate their grievances, and show the miserable condition of the poor, they were bludgeoned and bayonetted almost unto death by the police and the military. No reigning monarch took any interest in them, and they were coerced into silence by the policeman’s baton. In autocratic Germany the Emperor is not above inquiring into the grievances of the poor; in democratic England workmen are bludgeoned and bayonetted for ventilating their grievances. The interest which the German Emperor has shown m the wellbeing of the miners does him credit. He certainly appears to have spoken harshly to them, but then he warned their employers to do them justice, and from this we conclude that he aimed at reconciling the warring elements, and make each party give and take a little. At any rate, the miners appear" to have got the principal part of what they wanted, They have got shorter hours and better wages, and their success has encouraged others, with the result that strikes are becoming pretty general throughout Germany now. 'i here can he no doubt but that an improvement in the condition of the laborers of Germany is very much wanted. In that country laborers work from 12 to 16 hours a day, and in many instances Sundays are included. It is therefore time that some change was made, and it is probable the present agitation will lead to it. One hopeful feature of the movement is the sympathy which appears to be springing up between the workmen of the different nations. This was exemplified in the fact that British miners offered immediate assistance to the German miners when on strike. In this the only hope of the workman lies. They must combine all over the world or else their efforts will be fruitless. It is very little use for the workmen of one nation to combine in order to get the hours of labor shortened and their wages increased. They may possibly succeed to a certain extent, but the result must eventually be that under such circumstances their employers cannot withstand competition with the manufacturers of nations having cheaper labor. Eor instance, if the hours of labor were shortened and wages increased iu England, English manufacturers could not compete with Continental manufacturers who had cheaper labor. The consequence would therefore he that English manufacturers could not carry on business, and thus the result would be disastrous to employed and employer. International combination therefore is the only sure means workmen have to secure a fair share of the fruits of their labor, and we notice that a movement is on foot to hold an international labor congress iu Berne. This is a step in the right direction, and if it succeeds in shortening the hours of labor and increasing wages it will be a splendid thing for the world. [Since writing the above news has been received that some of the Westphalian miners have been arrested for introducing politics into their trouble. Eioting is also going on in Austria and other parts of the Continent, and without doubt it will all result in an improvement in the condition of the poor].