Arizona republican., 1901-12-30
PHOENIX, ARIZONA. DEC. 80, 1901

L
little pleasure The
american invasion OF Great Britain
and Great Britain's markets has been
L leading subject with English news
papers for months. and it seems, with
good reason. The annual report of
United States Consul Boyle OF Liver
pool which has just been made public
by the state department is much more
interesting than the usual consular re-
port, in that it shows the English
fright at American competitions is fully
justified.
1t is conceded, says Consul Boyle,
that il manufacturers Great Britain,
within the last few years, has failed
to meet the competition of the United
Stetes and Germany. Mir. Boyle says
the optimistically inclined plead excep-
IionaI and marvellous natural advan-
tages as far the the United States is
concerned, while as to Gernany's fierce
competition, the unsatisfactory hnan-
ciaI ana commercial situation now pre-
vailing in that empire is cited as an
instance of country booming itself
too rapidly
done" says the consul, is going up
from commercial bodies. political speak
ers, economic writers and from the
newspapers. There are fears eX-
pressed, says Mr.. Boyle, that even in
the carrying trade the supremacy of
Great Britain IS threatened. When the
war in South Africa is over. he says,
there is certain TO be popular demand
for legislative action, and tie indica-
lions are that the British government
will be compelled to give more earnest
consideration to matters relating to
trade and commerce.
There is a strong sentiment among
the masses of Great Britain, and one
which appears to be gaining strength
as time goes on, if not bringing about
what has become popularity known as
fair trade ana which, says Mir. Boyle,
is nothing but reciprocity. It is signf-
cant that many of the most widely cir
culated papers OF Great Britain now
are boldly advocating a policy OF fair
trade" or do to others as they do 10
you" Against this sentiment. how
ever. the consul says must be set the
national dislike to change established
institutions, OF which free trade is ohe
of the most fundamental.
In regard to educational reforms in
the United Kingdom, Mr.. Boyle says
that the universally Acknowledged in
feriority OF Great Britain TO most OF
the leading nations. particularly the
United States and Germany, is given
~,
why Gre~t Tr;t@in is being outstr.pped
in he- manufacturers. Tne subject of
education. he says, is very thorny one
in England, owing principally to the
fact that there are twosystems Of man
agemcnt-one the board school man
agement Csimilar to the American
public school systenl}. and the denomi-
national mana cement. Efforts are now
making by the respective authorities
to secure uniformity of methods ana
results. while raising the standards at
the same time.
y particularly interesting portion OF
Consul Royle's report is that wherein
he places the American and the B-itisi
workman side by side in comparison,
which places the American far to the
fore. English manufacturers. he says,
find it almost impossible to get the
same amount of product from machines
as is obtained in America. There are
two reasons for this. says Mr. Boyle.
~ The average British workman is
not as adaptable as the American, and
does not SO readily get command of
new appliances; 81 that it is not the
custom OF the country for an English
man, whether mechanic, e.erK or
laborer, to work as hard as an Ameri-
can. Then. too. states Mr.. Boyle, the
English workman is inclined TO split
very fine hairs-he VIII often refuse to
do anything outside of certain lines
rigidly laid down by the custom of his
craft generally, and by his trade union
in particular. As an example of this
trait, Mr.. Boyle cites q number of in
stances when strikes have been brought
on by such an apparently trivial dis
pute as to whether engineers or skip
wrights should place an electrical
dynamo in position. Quite recently, in
seaside town, there was a strike of
teansters because their employer re-
fused to discharge az entergrlsing
driver who had whipped up his horse
and made a journey TO neighboring
town three hours quicker than they
themselves had been accustomed to
do the distance.
The small extent TO which up- to-date
labor-saving machinery is used in