New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-21
{! AB0R DEPRESSED ABROAD
Conditions Threaten Sharper Export
Com petition for american MGrhets.
fFnou TIE TRIBUNE BUREAU

washington nov 2Q-If protection 10 Ahetl
can labor continues 20 1e feature Of 'he GUS
toms tariff It is likely that in the reaaIusti"ei,'
Of the Dingley schedules 10 meet ne" co'''
lions, which It is proposed Congress shah oo'i-
slider early next year. account VIII nave 10 oe
,sker, Of the constant cheapenng Of foreign IA
hor The i4pressed labor conditions ABROAD
have haa,, he subject of numerous consular re-
r,crfs 10 the state Department IN the iast year
v; iob all go TO show that the chief manutact-
,,r5ng countries on the other SIDE OF the Al
,artic viii soon be compelled TO resort 10 ues-
,,srata methods 10 export more OF their prod
-,c,s good example OF these reports has just
been received from one Of the most experienced
- American commercial authorities, Consul
farues Bowie az Liverpool. who finds that. not
,gitbstanding the apparent prosperity Of that
great shipping port, 1t Is the fact that not for
MANY years have many men, particularly
r,orters and dock laborers, been out Of work
as there are now. and that while the official fig
ures show a swelling export as well as import
trade and some political economists argue their
trade was never better. 1t is common knowledge
that throughout the country there are more men
on Of work and wages are lower than for prob
ably any period within the last seven or eight
years.
Certainly. trade generally is IN good
condition. continues Consul Boyle. las it was
last year or for several years previously. Mu-
nicipal and national statistics show an ever in
creasng number Of men cut of employment; the
wages for skilled men show a continual lower
ing IN the last twelve months; the savings in the
banks by working people have decreased; the
popular resorts where the British workmen
. accustomed TO go by the hundreds Of thousands
IL the summer for q holiday. show a marked
diTninutiou Of visitors: and the shopkeepers not
only in London, but in the other large cities Of
the country as well 5 in the small towns and
villages. are complaining Of the slackness of
business The outlook for the coming winter is
50 bad that the local government board ma
tionaD issued circular on October to the
metropolitan board OF guardians. calling a
ference 70 consider steps TO alleviate the feared
abnormal distress. In other words, all the in
dications with The exception OF the figures of
exports and imports shown in the British Blue
Book ara that the last year has been anything
buc a prosperous one for the British people; and,
owing principally 20 the crisis in the cotton
trade. nowhere has the pinch been felt more than
81 Liverpool and in Lancashire generally. Yet.
il is rather difficult to explain why British trade
should he so bad in view of the fact that ex-
ports and imports have so far increased in 1904
over 1903
The most plausible reason given is that there
has been in the last year a tremendous falling
off Of internal improvements and in home de-
mand: and indeed this has been the tendency
,
nation in England just now in private enter
prises whether 10y individuals companies.
so. also there is an uurnistakabe cessation
Of the tendency toward the neutrality-suspicious. of
industries which seemed to have fairly capt.
vatcd the English people a few years ago, and
which threatened TO become almost epidemic.
embracing not only public utilities but large
variety Of what had generally been considered TO
belong 10 the category OF individual enterprises
exclusively. Very little is heard just now OF
new rlo.enents in this direction: and indeed
there are Influences at work, well organized
though quiet which have for their object the
wiplug OUT or. at any rate the curlalIliiehL OF
Municipal socialism This movement is TAX
ing advantage Of the fact Of the growing oppo-
sition 10 increased municipal taxes, the claim
being made that the 'HlUnicipalization OF indus
lrial enterprises not only kills individual eff
rrrr but adds 10 the nuu!cipal rates. OF course,
there Is another side 10 this question. Still. it
i significant that local authorities who are com
mitted 10 the 'mUucjpalIzation' system are now
I.anag cement and TO bringing out a good hnan-
cial showing al The end of the year. so that the
profits 60 10 the general fund and thus
ward of any increase in the taxes.
The result has been that British manUtact-
urers have been able TO give more attention to
the export trade. As the labor market Is
cheaper thar for several years past and labor
saving machinery is now largely being used, the
manufacturers are now better aDle 10 compete
with other countries in neutral markets than
they have ever been since American and Con-
Jinentai competition first began 10 be seriously
felt
Employers of labor have been complaining
for years that Of the reasons why this
country has not been able 10 hold its own
against its rivals is because the British work
man seems 10 make IL mis- policy not TO DO more
than g certain daily stint anad trades unions
have been charged with making II part Of their
policy limit output. although II is fair 10 say
that the unions have generally denied the truth
Of this allegation. Still, the fact unquestionably
remains that the British workman is opposed
70 husJlug, the word is understood in the
United States. Within the last few years at
1euPts have several times been made on large
scale TO induce WOrkInen 10 make a greater out
put One Of these schemes is the premium
bonus system, said 10 be an American impor-
Jation. The Amalgamated Society Of Engineers
some time ago greed 10 trial Of this system
were made by employers TO extend it TO other
trades. including those affiliated with ship
building.
The matter was taken up by the Engineering
and Trades Federation, which is composed of
tWenty-four different trades unions. The com
nituee Of the federation made inquiry,
tending over several months. and il has recently
made report emphaucally condemning the
system as being an ada ptation Of the per-
IL modern Industrial history-the task work
system. There is little doubt that this decision
VIII be accepted by the engineers, and II is prob
able thar II VIII become the declared policy Of
British trades Uuiouism generally The attitude
q British workmeu, and particularly Of British
Trades unions toward piecework has been gen.
orally that Of hostility. although, Of course, in
certain lines II work payment by the piece or
Job prevails as being the only fair and practical
method"