The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-07
ENGLISH WORK ANDwAGES
THE EFFORTS TO KEEP UP THE Ia
BORER'S PAY.

Rms Been started IN Oppo9tttOu v y
Tyranny OF the Unions-Success OF tho Fntr
Wares Plan In Government Contracts.
Whatever improves the condition Of labor IL
In tho highest sonse In the best interest OF tho
community. The United States Government
has adopted and, with a few unhappy intervals,
has for a century maintained n protective
tariff, because by so doing II affords American
labor q higher ratio OF compensation than that
received by the wage earners OF Europe. Eng
land, on the other hand, has chung for n genera
tion tenaciously to a free trade policy. butnover-
theless, by other and even more direct means
than the United States. has permitted the State
TO interfere for the purpose of holding up tho
standard 81 wages. Tho recent engineering
dispute, involving the eight-hour day, has
brought the question Of labor and wages to tho
front In England, and the problem Is being
threshed out just now by Parliamentary COM
mis8ioGJ, in the newspapers nno In public dis
oussion. An impartial review Of the present re.
: lations between employer and employed in
England undoubtedly indicates that. as far as
the higher class trades are concerned, great con-
cessions have been made to labor, and that the
opposition to further reduction OF hours Of
labor, on the part of the employers, is not be-
cause Of any opposition to improving the condi.
ton OF labor, but simply because tho English
manufacturer is engaged in q hand.to.hand con-
hict with foreign producers, which threatens
British supremacy in the markets of the world.
When in the north Of England recently 1 talked
with several liberal-mindcd manufacturers,
and they one and all said the two principal OBJ
stacles in tho way Of granting this demand were,
First, the foar that further reduction Of
hours, without the reduction of pay, would
make 1t impossible for British manufacturers
to compete with their foreign rivals; secondly,
that a very considerable body Of British work.
men themselves were opposed to this further
restriction of their freedom by labor organiza-
tions, and that q serious question had arisen in
the ranks Of labor, namely, whether tho tyranny
of labor organizations was not doing moro to
stamp out industrial effort than the tyranny Of
the masters.
Tho British employer takes the ground that
the demand for an eight.hour day. II conceded,
will be followed most surely by q demand for
. seven or even q six hour day, as the demand
for a nine-hour day years ago has been fol.
lowed by tho present demand. The reduction
in the hours of labor, coupled with the demand
for the same rate Of pay as for the longer hours,
these men contend, is the surest method of
destroying industries already 30 severely af-
fected by foreign competition and bounties
More extensive factories will have to BIO built,
which will materially increase the burden Of
taxation, and more supervision will have to be
provided to obtain anything approaching a fair
amount Of work from men who, they allege,
are encouraged by tho trade unions TO do as
little as they can during the time they are at
work. The hours of enforced idleness will also
60 toward increasing the cost OF production.
Those opposed to the trade union do not hest
tate to make their grievance known, nor do they
fail to give expression to these views in plain,
vigorous language. While the writer is per-
sonally a firm believer in trade unions and
fully aware Of the splendid work these organ
izations have accomplished during the latter
part Of the century, especially in England, 1t
requires no great amount of discernment to
discover that in England the arbitrary atti-
tude Of the trade unions in the present dispute
40 immensely strengthening what is called the
FREQ labor movement. The movement Is not
an employers, but q labor movement, which
takes issue with what tho members say Is "the
mischievous meddling of trade unions with
the labor.of workmen,m many thousands OF them.
it's said at the present moment utterly unable to
q. count upon being able to do u weeks work peace
ably, although their employers are perfectly sat
listed with them, and there is plenty OF work to
be done. At any moment the imperative order
OF the trade union may be Issued, whereby they
are forced to leave their work whether they
wish to or not. The cable dispatches last
week gave an illustration Of this when 1t was
announced that 100000 British workmen had
been ordered out on q sympathetic strike. Not
had a grievance, not one but was satisied with
wages and employment. The advocates of free
labor declare that these men dare not disobey
the streets or pickets to spy on other workmen.
The strike pay is insufficient to cover the ex.
Into, and their wives and families have to live
or starye as they can. Some never recover
bad habits contracted through months OF mac
tion during a strike: Many lose their comfort
As a rule, only the professional aeltato:s thrive
on q strike, and this they evidently do whether
1t must be remembered, there is danger in all
such stupendous strikes Of the migration OF
ias nd StriEss to On result snG in nn the mo ove1es I Of ff Inv,
portant industries from their locations to some
Sanser state 81 mi In hoSla fo tf bseF coh is atmay' L sne
summer It was stated in the newspapers that
some Of the large machine shops OF Leeds, en-
gagged almost enLrely on machinery for Russia,
would 3 ! move bodily EsI With = . the asr most S SspsTt work
There is much'to be said both for and against
favored it, advocated it. and, what is more TO the
mechanics. The result in. a limited way met
with success. The mistake of the present
demand %Gnainff ITSELF IL f but In the e way a the issue l. b being
forced. regardless, of consequences, To pre-
S5eatst Ct TN sRe s1Sn ( hsar are 1sh not Il n f & s14S Of T i. on
s sIi15 not so sGpc tSsf Up ispsd TO It. d II 0 Tsst Of t tapss a OF OF Of
S Sanf d0 men tn are i so%etimes gull guilty Of, and tho
reasons for which are difficult TO explain. Such
Tho { sS sPESs.6 Sn1y m lnSisss asf Is sr al q ,1% asd Th in a
perfectly natural way making, as l shall here.
IN the United States you will find, plenty Of
workmen in almost any trade who do not want
the hours Of labor to be restricted, and who now
say that the working. day Of nine hours Is al
ready too short to enable AN industrious man to
earn sufficient to support his family and pro-
vide for a rainy day. Sometimes a workman
pas sickness in his family, although he may be
In good health himself, and then he would wish
to work longer hours, II he might, to earn more
money and keep out Of debt. Then comes In
union undertakes, AZ such an organization does
In England, to prevent him from working
liberty and rights. Usualiv the man thus offend.
ing Is. II reported, made To pay a fine. generally
2 severe one, or, II n non-society man. Is hus;
tied out Of the shop. Those whose practical
experience entities them to speak, say trades
unions are not by any means merciful.
For the purpose of indicating the demoraliZa-
ton resulting from this arbitrary way of deal
ing with mon, attention Is called to the follow.
Ing quotation from n manifesto issued last