The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17

NNO w HUInnhhh ""~
weaving industry In Jencashire, Chechiro,
Yorkshire, and Derbysbire, have issued circu'
lars 70 their members asking their adhesion 10
n demand Tor an unconditional reduction OF
per cent. In wages FOR splnners and 10 per cent.
for weavors. Replies have now been received
from the majority OF the members, and, though
there arc a number OF disscntlcnts, II Is prac.
tically certain that the whole of tho requisite
so per cent. have given their unqualified adhe.
sion to tho Joint proposal. II, therefore, the OPP
oratives do not submit with a. good a grace rs
possible, or effect a compromise at the confer
ence which is to he called. there is nothing for
II bnt q prolonged struggle, which will proba'
bly, provo to be the final contest for supremacy
between the men twho have hitherto had mat
tiers pretty much their own wayl and their en-
ploytrs.
For tho first time, an overwhelming propcn-
derance OF the whole trade Of the four counties,
which control 10, 900. oOo'spindlcs and about
100000 looms, out Of n total for the whole
Kingdom OF 5.20O,O 900 spindles ana GOO, 900
looms, has. resolved spontaneously upon unani-
nous action. The master weavors stand with
the master spinners, and-most significant OF
al-the master spinners are united. The CAPT.
tal'at stake Is estimated at fully $500. 0oo,o o0;
and II, as seems moro than likely, tho operatives
elect to fight. the struggle will bc ono compared
with which the engineers strike will appear an
insignificant thing.
There are in the principal cotton spinning
countries OF the world about 07, 900, 900 spindles
and 5000 o looms; Of these totals 40. 20 900
spindles and &c. 900 looms arc credited to Eng
land. In the past ten years there has been an
increase Of moro than 3.00o,O 900 srindles and
10000 looms in Great Britain. New ertheless.
tho exports Of cotton have gone down in
stead OF up during this period. The United
States now have 1900. 900 spindles, against
lS,500,O 600 ten years ago, and 1854 900 looms,
while the European continent has $1,000, 900
spindles 1913, 900, 900 In 1897 and $4,000
looms. Tho exports OF textile machinery from
Great Britain have increased from $4,000 900
in 1893 to 1913, 800, 900 In 1896.
The attitude.of tho operatives is one Of clear
and well-dehned hostility tothe proposalsof their
employers. 4 reduction OF wages, they say,
is no remedy for bad trade; tho gain to the
on ployers from the reduction will DO speedily
lost by them in competition on the market and
other reductions OF expenses. which would not
entail general loss to the community. The loss
TO the operative spinners, il they accode to the
demand for u reduced wage, is estimated at
81 ,425,0 900 Tor annuln. and TO the operative
weavers ut %. $50. 900 per annIm, or more than
a round 81. 900, 900 in all. 1t may be regarded
as certain that the mons organizations will re-
sist in the most strenuous way in their power
that is, by going out on strike and fighting It'll
their resources are exhaustei-the effort TO de-
prive them OF ali this money. The curtailment
OF production by the working of short time IL
the remedy which they offer. and which they
are prepared in all emergencies to carry out.
IT will be observed that, though tho master
spinners and weavers are standing side by side,
the latter are endeavoring to enforce n 10 per
p.-N 1.,@at al ~ fO--,n. all @r1- X
per cent. The spinners are, in fact, %precluded
from asking for more than 5 per cent. in one
year. in virtue OF the Brookiands agreement OF
1892. which is binding upon all OF their organ
~izations. The operatives affected number
about 100, coo. Unlike the masters in all pre-
yious disputes. they have displayed a striking
capacity to unite for decisive action. There
are very few of them who have kept aloof
from tho operative defence associations. These
associations are managed by men who, II they
are pugnacious, are also able, and their Golfers
are full. But it seems scarcely possible that
they can prevail against the united body of
their employers, il he latter continue in their
determination that the question at issue shall
be finally settled one way or the other.
Tho English legal year begins ;on Oct. IS.
Vacant Judgeships in the High Court have
been going a begging since the long'vacation be-
gan in August. That there should be any want
OF satisfactory candidates for appointments
worth $40. 900 per annum for Common Law and
10000 for Chancery Judges with ~ knight
hood in each instance may seem strange, but tho
causes are substantial enough and make a
sketch OF the present personnel of the English
bench of some interest. The weak point is the
want OF strong criminal Judges. and it is to
remedy this that Lord Chancellor Halsbury
and Lord Chief Justice Russell would like bet
ter men to take the appointments than have
recently got them. Successful and energetic
lawyers, with experience of human nature, gen.
orally find their way into Parliament, and most
OF them would gladly accept Judgeships as re-
wards from their party. But, being by train
ing speakers.and fighters, they often win seats
which they alone can hold, and the Govern.
ment fears to make a Parliamentary vacancy
whore 1t may lose a vote.
This is precisely what happened when the
last NJ. p. was made u Judge. T.. W. Byrne.
the Tory member for Walthamstow, accepted a
Judgeship and his seat was promptly won by
the Radicals. The Government then went to
the other extreme and appointed two non party
men of the mild, permsnent-oficial type to the
next vacancies on the bench. Chief Justice
Russell, who has got more work out of the
courts than his predecessor, Coleridgc, ever did,
wants a capable corps OF Judges about him, and
when his list. OF colleagues is examined nobody
denies that he needs them badly. Some OF the
papers here urge olicitor-Genera Finlay to
take one Of the vacancies, and so add some
strength to the bench. But here again his seat
in the House OF Common for Inverness is not
safe TO his party, and: moreover. he Is q rich
man ambitious to be Lord Chancellor some day.
The post may probably go to J. G. Brigham, a
most pugilistio Liberal. Unionist, who sat on
tho South African Committee and tried TO down
the Cape Attorney. schreiner. and ia believed to
have got the ear.of Joseph Chamberlain. His
seat In Liverpool is very unsafe. and the Gov.
ernmcnJ will possibly risk 1t rather than put
more weaklings on tho bench.
Chief Justice Russell gets through his own
work in frst-class style. ColeriGge used to SLEEP
on his seat all the afternoon, and when the law.
yers had fniShed and wanted him TO sum up a
case to the jury, they had TO cough and sneoze
in chorus and drop lawbooks or dlctionarie,
He infected some " his colleagues with the
same %languor, but Russell will have none Of 1t.
Litigants hear n little OF his temper.at times
but never his snoring. The only man to be