Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-11-19
THE SPIRIT OF tbs PRESS.
BRITISH LABOR TROUBLES.

BRITISH LABOR TROUBLES.
Contradictory reports come from Lon
don as to the alleged intention of the
labor leaders to call out thirty important
industries, combined in the federated
trades, in sympathy with the struggle of
The engineers against their employers.
The s cretary of the federated trades is
quoted as announcing that the executive
committee has definitely decided to order
all the members of the trades to quit
work on Friday next, AS result of which
100000 men would be involved in the
contest. Another despatch says that the
Amalgamated society oftngineers doubts
that there will be a strike of such magni-
tude and that John Burns, leader aud
an authority in labor circles, has had
mo personal iutimatOu' that such
course is contemplated by the federated
trades. NOminally the strike or lock-
out of the engineers. the term embracing
machnists In general, is over the question
OF AN eight-hOur dav, with extra pay for
overtime. The labor organizations are
opposed TO overtime, believing that only
by an eight-hour day can surplus labor
be afforded measure of relief; but, re-
cOgnzing thar an eight-hour system. pure
and simple, is not at preset practicable,
they are prepared to Coucede overtime
provided liberal pay is given in compen-
satiOn.
The employers claim that competition
against English mal ufactures is so keen.
particularly on the part of Germany and
Belgium, where the toilers work as long
as fourteen hours daily, that to concede
the eight hours system with overtime
would be simply suicidal. On the other
hand, the employees assert that the re-
sistance of capital To labor is based not
actually on an inability to meet the
terms of the men, but really on IA deter
minatiOn to crush the labor organiZa-
tons. just as in the United States some
highly protected manufacturers. enjoy
ing the advantage of an almost prohibi
tory tariff, are seeking To introduce
cheap Russian labor into their factories
with "A view to debasing the wage-rate,
so also in England operatives from the
continent are being encouraged to flock
into the British labor mart to depress
the wage-rate or prevent its reasonable
expansion.
Manufactures in Great Britain are adj
mittedly in a bad way. There has not
only been great falling of in exports to
the United States, due to the increased
tariff and the increasing ability of the
American manufacturer to supply the
:
competition, but American ironware and
machinery are invading Great Britain it
self, because the imported articles are
either cheaper as to price, better as to
quality, or both. Within two months
heavy orders have been placed in this
country by English and Irish corpora
ton for machinery for electric roads.
If the comparison of trade betwee Great
Britain and the United States is unfavOr-
able to the Former, the same unfavorable
comparison is TO be noted in connection
with Great Britain's trade with other ma
tiOns. Her colonies are disposed to buy
in more favorable markets TO the eXclu-
sion of the English product. and her en-
tire field of labor is out of Joint. The
discomfort of the British working man
is gathering in force, and cannot be over
come unless the employers will make
concessions. This the latter declare it is
impossible for them to do and the
chances favor fight to the finish. On
this subject the Pail Mall Gazette says:
"'Ihe many trades affected are going
through rulnous time. Work is leav-
ing the country, not in small lots, bur in
great patches; foreign orders are not
being offered to English firms: continent
al industries are experiencing decided
boom; masters have work on their
hands which they cannot possibly com
plete in anything like the time called
for by their contracts; thousands of
men are losing their weekly wages,
while thousands more are required to
give up Il substantial part of their earn
ings for the support of those idle"
According to the New York Herald
the fight is for an eight-hour day, over
time to count as one and quarter time
for the first two hours and time and a
half after. The minimum wage in Lon
don before the lockout was IS shilings
week, in Glasgow Il las. l0d., and in
keighley FL Gs., which is the lowest
minimum wage paid anywhere in the
kingdom.
The Prince of Wales has been asked to
mediate between the employers and the
employees and he has declined the re.
quest, possibly because he cannot see
his way clear to satisfactory solution
of the problem-Philadelp Ledger.
Brief but to the Point.-Short (who is
but five feet tall)-"Do you believe that
brevity is the soul of wit?" Miss Smart
Not i'm VOur ga so - hipaUo \pws