The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-08-15
DON'T LIKE CHANGES
BRIT0NS CONSERVATIVE
Averse to "Proteotion" Because it is an
Unknown QuaIity-Trade De-
pressions.

London, Aug. 5.-From what I know
concerning American politics and Am
erican workingmen, suppose an indi-
idual on your side of the water who
advocates protection as a Republican.
Over here we are somewhat mixed.
There are protection workingmen
who are Liberal and some who are
Tory. The line has not been drawn
upon :thisaissue because itHwaseus sre-,
mote as not to be "practica1A politics"
But since Mr.. Chamberlain has come
out as the champion of the protective
idea, at least so far as it applies to our
colonies, the workingmen are begin
ming to split, and so there is actually
growing up feeling for protection.
This has been aided by some manufac
turers promising that if their wares
were protected from competition they
would raise wages.
It can be truthfully said, however,
that the great mass of organized work.
ingmen here are free traders. Being
naturally conservative, they look with
suspicion on change Of any sort. The
other day in free trade meeting were
r. Bell of the Amalgamated Society Of
Of the London Cooperative Whole sale
Society, Will Crooks, M. p, and 9TH
ers we'll known in the labor movement
They are organizing free trade clubs
in order that, when the battle opens
they will not be caught mapping, but
will have facts and figures at their
fingers ends to show what freedom
has done for England.
The high price of cotton has put all
the factories on short time. The tie
up has been engineered by the FEEDER
alton of Master Cotton Spinners, and
mills outside the association jjjoined
in.
There is also short time in the fish,
ing industry. The sea and shore hands
connected with the Yarmouth fleet
have received a weeks notice. This is
the oldest fishing fleet, which at one
time mustered 800 sails, employing
1000 hands.
Trade disputes were numerous last
year, but not so plenty as in 1901,
though the number of individuals in
volved shows an increase. The 444
disputes affected 256, 667 persons for
s,479,255 working days. The aggregate
duration OF the disputes last year
amounted roughly for the whole in
dustrial population to one in $50, and
taking the average for the five years,
to half a day, annually per head.
Questions of remuneration were as
usual, the most frequent in the dis
pute, though the preponderanc of wa
ges disputes were less marked in: 1902
than in any of the other years shown
in the above table. Thus of the total
of Az disputes in 1902, 267, or 60 per
cent, arose under this head, but these
embraced only 1876 per cent of per-
sons directly concerned, as against 52.7
per cent in 1901, and 61.4 per cent in
1900. Of the 267 wages disputes those
for increase Of wages embraced 1858
per cent of all the persons directly
those agafst reduction Of wages COM
prtsed 1879 per cent. +
In 1902 sixteen disputes were set
tied by arbitration, thirteen by conctl-
iation, 306 by negotiations between the
parties, forty by return to. work on
employers terms, forty seven by re-
placement Of workpeople, three by
closing OF works, and in seven cases
the result was indefinite or unsettled.
At the meeting of the executive COM
mittee OF the Operative Bakers union
It was reported that with one excep-
/ ton, the local firms had agreed to ad-
vance. the men nWages from a. mini
mum st,f ass to sos I,er week. s I.
ssa The ilors' stri 6 B Aberdesn= IS
likely. te Sbe settled 700 though
al ingl, "a