, 1879-06-15

.lS79-SIXTEEN PAGES
! these Boards furnish the material for thl
l | report.
| The first permanent and continuous Boar
OF Arbitration and Cancellation in Englan'
was established at Nottingham, in the hosler.
and glove trade. It was systematic and vol
untary. Tie agreement to abide by the de
clsion is made part Of the contract Of hiring
The English Boards are both for Cancellation
and arbitration, and the distinction involved
in these terms is thus explained in the
report: ..*'
Arbitration deals with the larger questions o1
trade, conciliahon with the smaller. Arbitration
with the whole trade, conciliation oFtcncr with the
individuals Cancellation is not formal; 1t does not
! attempt to sit in judgment aud decide in given
case hatis right andwhat Is wrong, but Its efforts
are. in friendly spirit, to adjust differences by
inducing the parties to agree themselves. It re-
| moves causes OF dissensons and prevents differ
| epces from becoming disputes. by establishing a
cordial feeling between those who u1ny be parties
to the same Cancellation, in word, may be de-
fined as informal arbitration. Arbitration, on the
other hand, is formal. 1t sits in Judgment 1t I'M
plies thar matters In dispute by mutual consent or
| by previous contract have been submitted to
aEbiters, and an umpire, whose decision
| Is final and binding on both parties. Mr..
CRoArroS, in his work On Industrial Concilia-
tton, says when contrastn. arbitration and con-
ctlation, 'conclltation aims at something higher
at doing before the fact that which arbitration
accomplishes after. It seeks to prevent and re-
move the causes Of dispute before they arise. to
adjust differences and claims before they become
ru11% %ho$ hn m$H
in praise OF conciliation it is conceded, by its
warmest advocates. that back OF all conciliatiou
there must be arbitration. The tme may come. =
and i'll the settlement OF certain questions gener-
ally will come, when no friendly Offices are slf-
dcent to enable capital and labor to alike. Self
interest renders it impossible for either to decide
fairly, and something more than master OF GER
emonfes or conctator is needed. There must be
power to determine as well as hear. That il, atb-
tration must intervene. and its decisions accom-
plish what concfliauon Is powesless to bring
about"
As result Of numerous strikes, disastrous
to both classes, q voluntary tribunal was
organized, consisting Of an equal number of
employers and Of workmen, whose first busi-
ness was to arrange matters by general |
agreement, and then by the decision OF q
majority. Subsequently IN umpire was Sc
lected to decide in cases Of an equal division. |
Three years later similar organization WAS
nude at Wolverhampton, among the building /
trades. The next branch Of industry adopt |
ing this system was the manufactured-iron
trade, and for ten years the wages Of all
classes Of labor in English rolling-mills have
been settled by arbitration. In 1865 there
was strike and lockout lasting several
months and ending in nothing. and disputes
and troubles continued until 1869. when
O Board Of Cancellation and Arbitration was
which Board has since then set
tied the wages and all other industrial ques~
tions in that trade. This Board consists of
one employer and one workman from each
of the works belonging to the Board;
Standing Committee hears and settles Ill
minor questions, and all other questions are
'ettled by the whole Board. In 1875 this
Board represented $4,000 operatives and
hirty-fve works, operating 1913 pudding
urrnces, s,-more than all Pennsylvania. OF | ,
he success Of the Board the report says:
''Since 1874 this Board, and the adherence Of
he workmen to its decisions. have been put to :
eyore test and to their credit it should be said
hat, with few unimportant local exceptions, S
hey have been loyal to the rules OF the Board. It
q well-knuwn fact that strikes and 1ock-outs | =
enerally occur on . declining wages market, and |
real test of tho value Of any method OF settling
ages is not on an advancing market, but falling
nc. The first action Of this Board was, under the !;
mpircship OF Mr. RuPEnr KETTLE to decree. IN -
ayance Of Cd. From its formation in 1860 to ~
s74. wages were advanced from 8s per ton, for Il
lddling, to 13s Sd. In 1874 the turn came; Cd e
ere first talen of In the middle Of the year Sd r.
lded. and from that time there has been O con- -,
ant decline IN wages. until now pnddling is only "
per ton OF 2, 400 pounds. That Ia. wages have
ZEN reduced. under the action OF this Board, oi
ithout any serious difficulty, 471s per cent Does b.
~ believe that this could have been peace !.
lily accomplished without arbitration!" ~
In the South Staffordshiro iron trade the "a
stem has been unsuccessful, because the ..
'n-unionists were excluded from any voice 81 81
the choice Of representatives. Another W
oard has; however, been established, which. u
ough in operation but few years, gives :.
omise Of success. Though puddlers' sl
agos have been reduced 80 per cent in that p
10, there has been no strike, and no discon- Ut
luence Of employment. - .
The attempt to adopt this system in the ps
al trade has not been SO successful. The q
ards have not been SO loyalty accepted. ~ ~
'e workmen are more generally Of one "a "a
de-, and the unions have been able to exer- LII
9 control. Nevertheless, arbitration has fof
tied many controversies, and has pre- u
nted many others. In July, 1877, reduc- elo
n Of wages was proposed; the men '9'
used to submit or arbitrate, and 12,O0O sh<
Mt out ON q strike. Finally, an arbitra- 9"
q was agreed upon, and this resulted in lea
ny changes OF time and hours Of labor, we
we'll az in wages. In November Of the su'
ae year a further reduction Of wages was tne
posed, and strike followed. After ten tne
ks Of idleness the men resumed work. e'se
n the Durham coal trade the miners mas
nber $4,000 men. From March, 1872, to IL
y. 1873, wages had been advanced 50 per en'
t. Then came the turn in business. The GER
TRAITORS first reduced wages 10 per cent; us
STA another reduction OF 9 per cent. in cnu