Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-01-15
TO SETTLE
TRADE DISPUTES
Interesting Light Thrown Upon
Problem ByEnglish Govern
ment System
CASES DEALT WITH
Cancellation Act Not in the High
est Degree 4 Success, Little III
clination 10 Take Advan-
tage oft

LONDON, Jan. 15.-In view OF the
present efforts Of the National Civic
Federation and other organizations
in. the United States to establish arbi-
tration as the recognized method for
the settlement of disputes between
capital and labor, Americans may be
interested to learn how the scheme
has worked in England under III
ment supervision. Interesting light
Is thrown On the subject BIZ the facts
and figures contained iii the fourth
report Just issued BY the board of
Trade on IFS proceedings under the.
Cancellation ttrade disputes) aet Of
1896. The act has been in force even
Years, and the present report shows
that there is little or nc increase in
the tendency Of either employers or
employees to avail themselves Of its
provisions. The report covers a pc
5
Rod of two years. and during that
time f~orty-one, cases were dealt WITH,
m tW%enty-one of which a cessation af
work raj involved. In the preceding
two years there were forty-six eases.
The total number OF cases in the pc
lriod OF seven years which has elapsed
since the passing of the act amounts
to but 154, Of which ninety-nine have
been settled under the act, and four
teen others by the parties themselves
during the negotiations. In forty
cases either the board declined 10
take action or nj settlement resulted
from its Intervention. OF the ninety
nine settlements, sixty-five We're eff
fected by arbitration and thirty-four
by Cancellation. In the last two years
there we're twenty-nine cases Of APP
~plication from both parties, four from
employers only, and eight from work
people only. These last figures
would tend to show in a way that the
employees were more inclined to ac-
tcept arbitration as a means OF settle
ment than are the employers.
Taking the whole period since the
passing of the act. there have been
seventy-one cases of application from
both sides. twenty from employers
only, fifty-four from w~ork-people only,
and In nine cases action has been Ia
ken without application from either
side. OF the forty-one cases under
the Cancellation act during the last
1.-TWO years, sixteen arise in the build
ling trade, five In the mining and quar-
rying trades, six in the metal, engi,
neering and shipbuilding trades, and
the remaining fourteen in various
other groups of trades. OF the seven
cases arising during the last two
years iii which the board declined TO
take action, or in which IL en-
deayored, without success, To arrange
a settlement, the dispute affecting the
Bethesda slate quarrymen Is men
toned as the most important, but the
report, in its reference Z The subject,
gives no further information than that
the application was made by the men
two years after the commencement
Of the stoppage Of work for the ap-
pointment Of a conciliator, and the
board. having come to the conclusion
that no action which 1t was In Its pow
er to take would have any probability
OF facilitating a settlement, declined
10 comply with the mems request.