Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-10-20
Labor Affairs
In England
Three Big Crises-Annual Conven-
tions of the Miners Federation
and the Railway Workers.
(From our own correspondent.)
London. Oct : ssA0.


% involve seven hundred mills and
,so 900 cotton operatives was inaug-
rated on October 1st. Like some
ether recent labor disputes in this
country the crisis arose from events
centering upon one man. Although.
however. he was the immediate cause,
general underlying discomfort has
boen of course the main factor. For
along time now the cotton workers
~ this country have been working on
obort time and taking very low week
~ wages as a consequence.
The trouble seemed to be coming
n head some months ago, but a.
meeting between the employers and
fine operatives resulted In the signing
Of five years truce, during which
nertod all disputes from either side
,yerA to be referred to arbitration.
he dismissal Of a grinder, however.
aimed George Howe a month or two
later upset the whole situation. He
was dismissed because he refused to
.rform fresh class Of duties intro
I'd by his mill owner employer.
declared that these new duties
.yt,e in themselves a breach Of the
National Agreement. AS the mill
owner refused to submit the matter
70 arbitration. Howe refused to work
and was dismissed. Thereupon the
o,her mill workers struck work.
Following upon this the Federated
millowners declared that the strike
WAS breach of the National Agree
ment and threatened to lock out the
whole OF the operatives all over the
cotton area unless the mill workers.
returned to their duties.~ The latter
refused to return unless George
Howe was reinstated and the lockout
was declared by the employers on DC
toher l as | have stated. Tremen-
dous efforts are being made to pre-
vent the trouble spreading and to-
close the whole affair down. but al
Z.ouAh the Board of Trade has inter-
.ened and unsparing efforts have
,een made to bring about the end Of
the lockout no success is to be ~
corded at the date of writing. The,
operatives do not hesitate to declare
.;l..t the mill-owners want stoppage
order to reduce production and
Use prices and they are deliberately
,reaking the National Agreement BY
using a bubble. -
The cotton stoppage is acting Sc
riously upon the coal industry which
just beginning to revive after .
pressed period. Each cotton mill
- quite one hundred tons OF coal
week. The closing Of 200 mills
uld therefore reduce consumption
10000 tons of coal per week.
iously enough, many coal owners
,e big interests in cotton mills.
is may make the peace.
he other lock out which prevails
j.. the shipbuilding industry also
.ersists and 10000 boiler makers
ind the shipyard gates closed against
them. Many thousands Of allied work
ers are also rendered idle as conse-
Quence idle" benefit Of two and a
!uarter dollars per week is being
paid by the Boiler Makers Union.
The shipbuilding employers refuse to
call of. the lock out unless the Boiler
Makers Union consents to fine its
members heavily for unauthorized
striking.
In shipbuilding there exists q SINH
lar agreement to that in the cotton
industry with regard to the settle
ment of all disputes by arbitra-
ton. The Boiler Makers Union
members have also been forced into 9
position of antagonism to their own
union officials as they contend the OF
fcials are rather lending themselves
to doing what the employers want IN
discussing at all this question Of nm
ing members who organized . sec
tional strike in defiance to the Ma
tional Agreement. In return the
Boiler Makers Union Is inclined TO
denounce its members as acting con-
trary to discipline and having precip-
itated the lockout BY unauthorized
strikes.
The other crisis still continues n
the South Wales coal fields. Twenty
four thousand men are now idle there
and the other 10000 organized
miners of South Wales have agreed
to levy themselves twenty-five cents
permember perweek insupport Of me
strikers. The great question there 4
the employment Of non-uniopis'
miners. The Welsh federated miners
will not work with non-unioniats and
their determination Is NOW stronger