The Tumeka Leader THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1889. THE ENGLISH LABOR QUESTION.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1984, 19 December 1889, Page 2

The Tumeka Leader THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1889. THE ENGLISH LABOR QUESTION.

Th* Labor Question in England is evidently tar from settled yet. Every day brings us news of fresh complications, and we now find it is occupying the thoughts of the leading politicians. We gather from a telegram, dated London, December 16, that Mr Gladstone has promised to give his attention to an Eight Hours Bill in Parliament. Such a measure would be a step in the right direction, but it would net settle the question. However, there is nothing better at present possible, and, if adopted, it would do good. We are also informed through the same source that “ Lord Randolph Churchill considers the ideal system of labor would be to diminish the number of unemployed, and to increase the comforts of the masses, compensating employers for any losses incurred. Ho fears competition with the products of cheap labor in Europe.” We are of opinion that Lord Churchill is misrepresented. The above quotation is simply meaningless, and His Lordship is not one of those who are in the habit of making silly assertions of this kind. How are the numbers of the unemployed to be diminished ? That is the thing w® wish to know. The oldfashioned English way of doing it was by means of emigration, but apparently this method is beginning to lose a good deal of its efficacy. For several years we have heard a great deal about emigration schemes, but they have never come to anything, and we do not suppose they will. The fact is, there is no place to emigrate to. The Americans have not been taking kindly to immigrants lately; these colonies have no room for immigrants —so those who contemplated doing wonders with emigration schemes find that it is a game that is nearly played out. We do not believe that it is by this means Lord Churchill proposed to diminish the unemployed. He meant, no doubt, to do it by shortening the hours of labor, and thus make room for a larger number of workmen. As regards increasing their comforts, that alone could be effected by providing them with better bouses and giving them more wages; but why employers should be compensated for all this is what we cannot understand under any circumstances. If the hours are shortened, and the rate of wages raised, the employers can compensate thepaselvea by increasing the price of the goods produced by labor. It i.« all in their own hands. The fact is, the telegram is silly nonsense, and the author of it must know very httje of what Lord Churchill was talking about. We can understand very well how the products of Continental cheap

labor will destroy British industry if the hours of labor are shortened, and the rate of wages increased. The beautiful Freetrade policy of England opens the door to such a result, and it is absolutely certain that the condition of the British workman cannot be improved very materially until her statesmen have the good sense to protect British industries from competition with the products of the almost slave labor of the Continent. In Germany men work from 12 to 16 hours a day, including Sunday in many places, at something like half the wages paid in England. The result, of course, must be that Germany can produce cheaper goods than England, and consequently English industries cannot compete if the cost of production is increased by shortening the hours of labor and increasing wages. On® thing, therefore, is contingent on the other. If wages are to be increased in England, a policy of protection must be adopted, or the English industries will be crushed out by French and German goods, England pays higher wages and works shorter heure than the Continental countries, and finds it very difficult to do so. If she goes any further in this direction the result will be disastrous to her industries, unless she protects herself. It is evident, therefore, that England is on the threshold of much domestic trouble. Her workmen are becoming very restive under the galling yoke they have to bear, and large numbers of them are in a starving condition, owing to the fact that there is not work for them to do. On the other hand, her merchants are making immense fortunes out of importing goods and selling them. Protection does not suit these, and they will oppose it to the bitter end. More wages must be given to the workman, or he will strike, 'thus between these contending forces England is likely to experience much trouble, and, if we mistake not, the coming year will see strange developments. John Burns thought of coming out to these colonies, but the success which has attended the dock strikes has made him change his programme. The dockmen were the most hopeless section of all the industrial army; be has succeeded in organising them, and the probabilities are that he is contemplating a tremendous coup that will bring matters to a crisis. Ho is not likely to be satisfied with what has been done while millions are starving, and, judging from appearances, the material he has to work upon is of a very flammable nature at present.