Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-28
THE LABOR PROBLEM
TT CAN BE SOLVED HERE AS IN
NEW ZEALAND.
Importance Of Close Study of This
Question Demonstrated by
the Coal Strike.

has been and always will be an 'irrepressi-
BILE conflict between labor and capital and
that ut is sheer demagogy to pretend that
the trouble between them can be removed
by any legislation" Surely, the author of
that statement cannot be well informed on
the subject or he would not have made 1t.
Experience elsewhere shows that legislation
not only can, but has remedied the difficulty.
The more intelligent labor leaders do not
entertain any such idea, for President Nit
chell is reported as saying only a few days
since, as follows:
II for one do not regard the interests Of
capital and labor as SO much opposed to
each other that they cannot be reconciled I
have abiding faith in the citizens of this
country. and believe that they can solve
the great labor problem which confronts US,
and solve 1t right. The labor principles are
considered more lofty now by that class of
stand the purposes Of trades unions. The
anthracite strike will result I believe, in
the establishment Of proper relations be-
tween employers and employees"
While there has been but little If any
attempt to provide remedy by legislation
In the United States, there has been such
effort abroad. Seven years ago New Zea-
land provided by law tribunal, court
OF arbitration or Cancellation for the settle
ment Of all disputes between the laborers
and their employers, and which as shown
by numerous reports. including a recent one
by our consul. has worked satisfactorily and
produced most beneficial results. So we'll
did 1t work that last year New South Wales
sent one of its judges there to examine and
report on the same. with view to its adop
tlon II satisfactory. His report was pub
lished in our Labor Bulletin, No 40, in May,
1902. the law complete having been pub
lished in the Labor Bulletin in 1900.
The report in its summary Of conclusions,
page 55S, says that generally the greatest
O @ "a q vrytfh %hn n.tt
tuition Of the court. It's proceedings and de-
cisions." that 1t has prevented strikes Of
any magnitude and has, on the whole.
brought about better relations between en-
ployers and employees" that ut has enabled
the increase Of wages and the other condi-
lions favorable to the workmen, which, I'M
der the conditions Of the colony they are en-
titled to. to be settled without that friction
and bitterness Of feeling which otherwise
might have existed" that it has enabled
the employers, for time at least, to know
with certainty the conditions of production,
and therefore to make contracts with the
knowledge that they would be able to fulfill
them; and indirectly 1t has tended to a
more harmonious feeling among the people
generally which must have worked for the
veal Of the colony" and that "a very large
majority OF the employers were in favor Of
the act, that he found but one opposed to it,
that the awards were generally in favor
Of the workers, and it is therefore easy to
understand that the unionists to a man
no fault with It," and that he found no op-
position to so-called compulsory arbitra-
ton"
A similar law appears to have been adopt
ed In New South South Wales and Victoria
and generally throughout Australia, with
equally beneficial results as shown by the
statement Of Thomas w. Taylor member
Of parliament in Australia, made to Pres-
who was reported by the press to have said
to the President that there is practically
no chance for a strike In Australia"
employers and employees would forfeit
NIT the settlement Of strike to arbitra-
t1on-therefore strikes are practically i'm
possible with u.s. Labor unions are re-
quired by law to be registered or incor-
porated. and he said that Australia recog~
nizes the Amalgated Trade Union. and that
all labor men In his country were amalga-
mated into one immense union.
Can Be Done Here.
Now, that is what legislation has done
In what was originally penal" colony,
and will any one pretend to say that the
American people are less intelligent and
less capable Of satisfactorily settling the
labor troubles than they? Suppose, for in
stance, that the law here had provided for
such tribunal to settle the coal strike
when Mitchell proposed to the operators to
submit the matter to arbitration; with
been no strike and no stoppage of factories
for want Of fuel and throwing of thousands
out of work-none Of the suffering now ex-
listing throughout the country for want Of
coal-and, more important still, no state of
anarchy such as existed during the sum-
mer and fall In the mining region.
Surely every citizen must deplore such a
state of affairs. and inasmuch as experience
has demonstrated beyond question that leg
tslatIon can and has remedied the difficulty
elsewhere. there is every reason to believe
that 1t can here.
The Great Strike Loss.
The loss by the recent strike in the coal
region is estimated at $3.50. 900, 900, and that
does not include the loss to the manufac-
turers who had to shut down for want of
fuel and their employees nor the loss to
citizens due to the increase in the price of
coal. to say nothing of the suffering Of the
poor because of their inability to obtain it.
According to the official report of the COM
missioner Of labor, the loss from strikes
and lockouts for twenty years, from Janu-
ary 1. 1881, to December 30, 1900 was: To
the employees. $500, 1888 223, and to the en-
$449, 342,327. If we add the amount for the
past two years. estimated at $500 900, 600,
and the assistance given to the strikers,
about 81 600 coo; we have the enormous
sum Of $671. 342 1927 absolute loss in twenty
two years as a consequence Of the labor
troubles.
. The question that arises Is whether such
tribunals shall be established by the ma
tfonal or the state legislatures. In purely
local cases 1t would seem to belong to the
states, but in cases affecting interstate
commerce, as the coal strike certainly has,
1t would seem to be the duty of Congress to
act. This however, is for Congress and the
courts to decide.
The Interests Of Labor.
That the establishment of such tribunal
can be had IT, the labor men will ask for it
no one doubts; and inasmuch as the rec
ords show that their loss is double that Of
the employers, and that, stated in the
above report, the decisions have generally
been in their favor in New Zealand, where
such a tribunal has been in operation for
years and has worked so satisfactorily that
the labor men are unit in favor Of it's ex-
istence there is every reason to suppose
that the labor men of the United States
would favor 1t when they fairly understand
1t. Some seem to oppose the idea of what
is termed compulsory arbitration, but can
see no reason for that. There is no more
compulsion on the one side than on the
other-no more than there Is in any of our
civil courts. 1t would simply be providing
by law permanent tribunal in place of the
temporary commission named by the Pres
ident without authority of law, but which
all agree was a good thing to do in the alb
sence Of any other means Of settling the
difficulty.