St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-18
NOT AT ALL SERIOUS.
Conflicts Between UniOnists and
kiacklegs to Be Expected.

CONNECTS bGtWetu CuiOHiStS NuA
BIackiegs to Be Expected.
LONDON. Sept. 17.-To-day's troubles
at some of the docks between the regu-
lar workmen and "blacklegs" are not
regarded as of serious import. They
are only such minor disturbances as
could not but be looked for as the
aftermath of such gigantic upheaVal
as the recent strike. They are the NUT
teringS that follow, not those that pre-
ce0e. storm. 1t would be well nigh
impossible to bring about either Il lock-
out or another general strike just at
| present. Both sides dre too eager for a
period of recuperation to indulge in an
Immediate renewal of the great Strug-
gle. What the more remote future
has in store, of course, cannot he
predicted. Many friends Of the labor
ing classes fear that they will be so
elated by the present victory that they
will overreach themselves ere long by
some still holder and less Justlhable
move than the late strike, and Will thus
lose the prestige conferred by the sue
cess attending the dock strike. On the
other hand, great confidence is ex-
pressed in
THE GOOD SENSE OF BURNS
OIL not TO lose their heads because OF
their brilliant and surprising achieve
ment The friends of the dock COM
panies having put forth various pro
tests to the effect that the companies.
not having earned even average Drofits
on CAPITAL before the strike, must now
be put i'm danger of bankruptcy
on account of the increased pay
Of the laborers, the leaders of the
strike have issued a reply to such state
meuts, in which they deny the correct
ness of the figures given. They claim
that it is only by trick of bookkeeping
that the profits of the companies are
made to appear small and inadequate.
III reality the profits are enormous. but
this fact, it is alleged, Is carefully
covered up by an intricate system of ac-
counts, and by division of functions
whereby the owners of the docks debit
themselves with rental charges large
enough to eat up nearly all the earnings
available for dividends. Thus the bulk
Of the earnings go to royalties. and only
an apparently small proportion to
profits, though the same men get both,
and it Is matter of Indifference to
them whether they get more or less of
one than the other. The strike leaders
claim. therefore, that the statements of
threatened bankruptcy are deceptive.
They also go further and deny the claim
made by certain pessimistic cOmmenta-
tors in the London press, that the effect
of increasing the expenses of the COM
panies will be to force
AN ADVANCE IN RATES
charged shipowners, and therefore to
drive commerce from London to other
ports. They express the conviction, on
the contrary, that the increase of eX-
penses will result in merely reduction
of the royalty profits of the companies,
and cannot be saddled upon the com
panies' customers. In support of this
argument Burns and Hyndman refer to
such an authority among the ortho-
dox economists as Ricardo, who laid
down the law that charges against rent
could not be shifted. At the conference
of the representatives of the Surrey
docks with the strikers II was agreed to
concede all the mems demands subject
to the approval Of the dock directors.