The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-01-24 00:00:00

THE STRIKES OF THE PAST TEN
YE.ARS.

At a meeting of the Statistical Society, held on
Tuesday evening, at King's College, London, a
paper entitled " fho Strikes of the Pest Ten Years,"
was read by Mr G Bevan. After adverthig to
the difficulty of getting at reliable informatiGn about
the cause or results of 'strikes, it stated that the total
number of strikes frtom 1870 to 1879 was 2,352.
Demands for increase of wages or resistance to a
reduction were the causes of nine-tenths of the trade
quarrels, the remainder being attributable to various
sources. The persistence with which the battles
were fought was remarkable, many a strike having
lasted the best part of a year, with the result that the
men had gone back on less than the original terms.
After analysing the list of rtrikes above mentioned,
Mr. Bevan remarked that it was difficult to propose a
remedy, so many had been tritd ant failed, Arbi-
tration had been but a doubtful remedy, and had
been played so fast and loose with that it had lost all
dignity, and neither wasters or men had faith in it.
On the other hand, he recommended making the ex-
periment of the •Conseils de Prud'hommes, as they
exist in France and Belgium. In France 26,000 cases
on an average were annually heard by these councils,
and a reconciliation t ffected in about 1.800, or 71 per
cent. In B,Niuna in 1877, out of 3,854 cases heard
2,866 were conciliated. Why, atke Mr. Bavan,
should not similar legalised institutions be founded
in this country, in the shipe of twelve locil indes-
trial boards for the twelve great industrial counties?
Each board should consist of an f qnal number : ten each
of employers clad employed should sit as often as re-
quired, and the expenses be met by a scale of fees,
based upon the amount in dispute. A superior board
of appeal might be constituted for the whole kingdom,
consisting of twenty-four members—one employer and
one employed out of each district board. The decisions
of the board should carry legal weight, and should
be enforced like the orders of a Judge or a magistrate.
If the case were decided in a way unpalatable to the
men, they could leave the work, and let the masters
fill up their places as best they could; but the least
attempt at coercion, either moral or physical, should
be stringently punished.
Mr, Alsager EL Hill, Mr. G. Howell, and others
took part in the discussion. sind a vote of thanks to
Mr, Bevan for his paper closed the proceedings.

AVERAGE PRICES OF BRITI ORY.—The following
are the average paces of British corn for the week
ending Jan. 17, as received from the inspectors and
;
officers of Excise :—Wheat, 458. lid.; barley, 375.
2d. ; oats, 218. id. per imperial qr. Corresponding
week last year :—Wheat, 384. lid. barley, 365. lid.;
oats, 19s, Bd.

THE FARMERS AND THE LAND
QUESTION.

Mr. Doyle, one of the Assistant Commissioners on
Agriculture, attended on Saturday a special meeting
of the Warwickshire Tenant Farmers Association,
established last year to secure the direct representa-
Hon of tenant farmers in Parliament.

- -
The Chairman, Mr. Stilgoe, said he was amused
at same of the official questions issued by the Com-
mission. For example, they asked, " What kind of
house do you live in?" and ".Do any members of your
family do anything in the dairy work p"
Mr. Doyle explained the object and nature of the
inquiry the Commission had to make, and said that
all the questions asked had direct bearing on what
was to be investigated.
Mr. John Lane, of Broomhall, the candidate of the
Association for South Warwickshire at the next
election, also regarded some questions as frivolous,
and not calculated to further legislation, without
which the Royal Commission would be of no practical
utility. He ridiculed the idea of successive adverse
seasons being the sole cause of the existing
depression, and observed that dining the parlia-
mentary recess, statesmen, landowners, and agents
had dwelt far too much on this point, doubt-
less because the inference was that a tem-
porary depression should not necessitate any
.perma-
nent reduction of rents. He then quoted statistics as
to the prices of wheat, wool, fat stock, hay. and straw,
compared with what they realized in 1876, to show
that the decreased value now was fully equal to the
rent of the farm, whereas bad seasons bad usually
tended to higher prices. He left entirely out of the
question increased taxation, foreign competition, or
the far more serious question of the increased cost of
labour, Farmers were being ruined, and landlords
were being dragged down after them. How glad
would toe poor tenants be if they were merely losing
their incomes; but their capital was gone too, if
there could be no return to protection, Government
should insist on other nations adopting free trade
when the present oneeided treaties expired.
Mr. Aiken (Grendon) complained that no tenant
farmer had been placed on the Royal Commission,
which, consequently, did not fairly represent the agri-
cultural interests.

The Chairman, who occupies 450 acres, said the
produce during the last three years had been
£3,285 15s. op. less than the preceding three years,
while the cost for lab3ur was £142 33. 7d. additional,
rates representing another £65, and other expenses
£l5O more,