Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-06-05
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.


Has Become an Absolute Neces-
sity In Great Britain.
Some ten years ago most important
conference Of miners delegates was held in
Birmingham, ~ writes miner in the Glas-
gov Labor Leader Representatives were
present from every important mining center
in the kingdom, and many questions -legis-
lative and otherwise-of very considerable
importance were on the agendum. Mr..
Thomas Burt presided, and most Of the
prominent miners of the present day, as
well as few who have since passed away,
took part in the discussions, which were
sometimes so lively that disruption was
threatened on more than one occasion. At
this time the Scottish miners were pretty
well organized and they were strongly rep
resented at the conference.
Kerr Hardie, Chisholm Robertson, John
Weir, Small, Steel, Smellie and some other
delegates attended from the Scottish Fed
GRAFTON. The question Of legal eighth hour
day for miuer; was, think, first raised at
this conference. 1t had the support of the
whole of the Scottish delegates, but with
one or two exceptions the English delegates
were strongly opposed to it, and the Scotch
delegates were told on more than one occa-
sion that Government ought not to be asked
to legislate for grown men, nor to do for
people what they could by organization do
for themselves. Since then some of its Bit
terest opponents have been changed into
the strongest advocates of an eight-hour
day by legislation.
Miners wages were very low in Scotland
and reductions were threatened in some of
the counties of England. Some of the
Scottish delegates had already begun to de-
velop, though perhaps unconsciously,
into Socialism. They had a
feeling that the system of wages following
prices, down even to the starvation point,
had already existed too long, and that the
time had come when united action should
be taken all over England, Scotland and
Wales, in order to fix minimum wage for
miners, which would guide prices instead
of prices ruling wages. Those who
attended from Scotland will remember that
some of the miners leaders were almost
struck dumb that such monstrous pro-
posal should be mooted at miners con-
ference where the delegates were all sup
posed to be sane, sober men. From North
cumberland we had speech on the sacred
rights of the owners with which the miners
had not a shadow Of right to interfere.
The speech from Durham dealt principally
with the grammar Of one Of the Scotch
delegates when his reason could not be
refuted. The concensus of opinion, how
ever, was certainly favorable to the idea
that minimum wage ought to be aimed
at. How this was so be done without
interfering with the rights Of the owners
was not an easy matter to arrive at. The
questions Of mineral royalties and national
but many of the delegates held that those
involved shameful interference with the
sacred rights of property.
The old National Union was at this
time on its last legs, as an active factor,
in mining affairs. 1t has done some very
useful work in its time, but the march of
events has left it behind, and its days of
usefulness were gone. The National Union
had for years stood still, and it was felt
that more aggressive combination was
needed to keep pace with the times.
The formation of the Miners Federation
of Great Britain was the outcome of the
feeling which showed itself at this con-
ference, and the chief idea of its founders
was the establishment of living wage FOR
miners. The Federation has since shown
the determination of its members to
realize the ideal for which the combination
was founded.
From the Birmingham Conference the
chairman, Mr.. Burt, and his colleagues
who advocated that wages ought to be
ruled by prices, had to leave the conference
to assist the Northumberland miners in
opposing a substantial reduction in wages.
A sixteen weeks strike ended in the de-
feat of the men, and the sacred right of
the employers to reduce wages was vindi-
Gated
Shortly after this strike Of the same
duration in Durham ended in a similar
fashion; wages were reduced in Scotland
and Wales, and the owners in The Midland
Counties of England intimated reduction
over the Federation area. The gallant |
struggle made by the Midland miners in
defense of the living waQt will long be
as the greate.t mining strug
gle the world has seel- The terrible |
endured witt :, Aeroism never .
will long be remembered. But
only those engaged in the truggle know
how near the Midland miners were to
lefeat They succeeded in establishing
but at what cost their minimum
wage. Since then that minimum has been