, 1890-04-30
The End OF the LabOur
COMferfRsCA.
(Fron tho Times, March Slst)

that of Prince Bismarck, who on that day
left for good hjS official residence in the
WilhemsiraSse among The pldudits of an
enthusiastic crowd. The other vas the
exit of the LaboaT Conference, which dis
persed after Il fOrtnlghLs session. There is
~ certain dramatic fitness IN the c0jncld ence
of these two events. We fare not exactly
entitled to say (hat Prince Bismarck was
adverse to the convention OF this Lab0ur
Conference, although he was very possibly
aggrleyed by his own exclusion from the
Emperor's counsel. Indeed, the Princes
organ in the Press reminded the world the
other day that the idea of an international
conference on labour questions was sug-
gested by him years ago. But none the
less the Labour Conference is the sign and
symbol of q new era of domestic policy i'm
Germany-an era which will be dominated
by aspirations not those Of Prince Bis
marck. The cheers and floral tributes,
which greeted the great StateSman-ail
the greater now that he has apparently
resolved 10 forget and forgivr-as he took
leave Of the scene of his official labOurS,
must have Sweetened considerably the
dregs of the cnp which he has. had the
courage to hold to his lips. The Emperor
has broken loose from the traditions VIII ich
disqualified Prince Bismarck from throw.
ing himself alphabetically into the work
OF removing social grievances. We now
have the first fruits of his efforts. The
Conference has answered'all the questions
prOpounded in almost ped2utic detail by
William III. and his advisers. These ques.
tions, it will be remembered, indicated "a
decided retreat from the somewhat vision.
airy aspirations contained in the celebrated
rescripts. Mr.. Hyndman complains that
none Of the resolutions arrived at by the
recent Paris Conference.-The all intents and
purposes q Socialist Conyenti0n-wete dis
Cussed at Berlin, and appears to aScribe
this to the fact that not more than one or
two of the Berlin delegates were Socialists.
He fOrgetS, of course, that the Confer enCo
was tied down to the consideration of a
cut and dried programme, and that nobody
would have been suffered to deviate into
other interesting topics, however eager to
do so. If the German Emperor has found
it advisable, on second thoughts, to exclude
the visionary from his programme, that is
because n ruler must be practical before all
things.
The net result of the labours of the Con-
ference corresponds very closely to our
predictions. Our delegates have found
themselves in the position OF teachers, and
in accordance with their teaching the Con.
IpT6HC0 HAS, III tncCUJ dOOI'lCh INC plIuC
pies If our Factory Acts. AYhen once the
project a1f limiting the labour of adult
males had been ruled out of the programme,
it was not difficult to forsee that the work
of the Conference would consist mainly in
raising, or attempting to raise, certain
other countries up to the level which Great
Britain reached more than 40 years ago.
Germany, Italy, and even Republican
France have much ground to make up in
the field OF. humanitarian legislation, and
we can only feel satisfaction, not unmln-
pled with pride, that our example in these
matters is now in a fair way to be followed.
The British delegates, however, have agreed
TO certain resolutions of the Conference,
which if they fnd endorsement here, will
REQUIRE the Intervention of the Legls latnre.
For instance, they have agreed to further
extention of the "protected" age for child
rem. and to the principle, alua0le3fr from
many points OF view, that no mother should
be suffered to return to york for four
weeks after her confinement. In other re-
Communications of the Conference they
Honnd, themselves unable to concur. They
could not pledge themselves to the intro.
duction of an educational test as a prellml.
nary TO employment. This would interfere
with our system Of "half-timers," under
which education aud work are allowed to
90 on concurrently. Again, they declined
70 approve of the reduction Of the protect
ed age in Southern countries. 1t must
e = - Al,t thn. hvnotLAciS nf