New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-14
Az DEFECT LESSON IN STRIKES.

few weeks ago il was announced that the
contract for building big bridge over the At
lara River. in tho Soudan, had been awarded to
an American firm over the heads of British COM
pe,itors. Immediately the small but noisy fac
ton in England that Is always hostile to Amer
ica-chefy Radical and Socalist-raised ire
mendous pother. limiting that the British Gov
crnment had been bribed by the American con-
tractors. and declaring that American bridges
were VIGOROUSLY unsafe In advance Of any
British utterance on the subject we took occa-
sion to suggest that the contract had probably
come 70 America because American contractors
could do the work more promptly than British.
and time was most important consideration;
and we added that British contractors were han
dicapped In the competition by the great strikes
which had recently prevailed in the iron trades,
which had put British works behind In filing
orders, and had depleted their stocks. little
later authoritative statements from the British
Government and from leading British manu-
facturers exactly confirmed our diagnosis of the
case I'm every detail.
Since then scarcely day has passed without
announcement Of further awards to American
firms Of contracts for metal work and machln-
cry for the supply of various parts of the Brit
ish Empire, and largely for England herself.
Two three of the leading railway companies
of England have been ordering locomotives by
the score from American manufacturers The
passenger elevators and other appliances for
the new underground railway in London have
been ordered In America. And so on, through
long catalogue. Much comment and much hos
tile criticism have been provoked in England.
and explanations have been made by those re-
sponslble for the awarding Of the contracts.
These latter are all to the same effect. 1t was
necessary for them to have the locomotives, or
what not, promptly, and British manufacturers
were not able TO guarantee prompt delivery.
The manager Of one Of the railroads said that.
ia addition to the engines ordered from Amer
ica he had ordered some In England months be-
fore, but had not yet been able to get them. SO
the engines for the Soudan railroad were or
dered from this country because no English
firm would undertake 10 furnish them In the
time required.
Nor Ia there any mystery as to the reason why
British firms cannot do work more promptly.
1t is because of the strikes and the unwillngness
OF the men to work full time Says THE Lon
don Daily Mair' THE original mischief was
"caused by the dispute In the engineering trade.
-. All work in our British establishments
twas thrown back, and the foreigner was given
"a great opening. Owing 10 the arrears
"of work, British firms were unable, even at
"the close Of the struggle, TO promise prompt de-
.slivery. And thus the hold which the foreigner
has gained is strengthened, for those who want
"their orders quickly completed are going TO the
United States" Again. in the Clyde shipbud-
ing yards there is glut Of orders Wages are
high, and there Is steady employment for all
who want H. But thousands OF workmen, whose
wages are SO high that in three or four days
they can earn enough to carry them through
the week, stubbornly refuse 10 work more than
the three or four days. The result is that or
ders are delayed In fulfilment. and many orders
are being turned away and are being placed in
other countries. SO the Welsh slate strike Of
last year resulted in the introduction Of Ameri-
can slate 10 the British market. and the Welsh
coal strike made American coal a competitor
with British in European markets. Such have
been and are, the effects OF British strikes upon
British industry.
Well, It means for the present great gain for
American industry But II conveys n most i'm
portant lesson to American industry, too. We
con see the operation OF cause and effect In
Great Britain. 1t would be folly to imagine
that like causes will not produce like effects
here. A strike In the. British coal mines let
American coal In as a competitor strike In
American coal mines might easily shut Ameri-
can coal out Of the competition again. Cana