The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-17
PUBLICITY IN THE PUBLIC
 UTILITY LABOR DISPUTES


(Exclusive Service The Survey Press
 Bureau)
 Upon the healthy ambition of our work ingmen to improve their efficiency and to advance their position In life depends our industrial and social progress. The strike Is the acute manifestation of the desire to improve conditions of employ ment. As last resort, we cannot blame workingmen for expressing their dlssatis- faction with oppressive conditions by striking unless we provide a proper offi- cial court of investigation which will tend to secure justice without strikes.
 Before the mutual losses of strikes and lockouts are risked, two distinct efforts nt prevention should be made The first Is the attempt to peacefully arrange for improved conditions while work continues. Of course, this is not always possible, but 1t should always be tried.
 Even when negotiations have failed, the strike is not yet in order. The next move should be an appeal for arbitration. It is only after conferences and then arbitration have either been refused or have failed that employers or employed may be ex- cused for inficting the serious blow caused by stopping the wheels of their industry 1t is much more costly to adjust Industrial differences during a strike than before it. Arbitration by an impartial tribune be- fore a strike is more apt to establish just conditions than will be established by the strike itself. strike, in fact rarely set ties dispute on the basis of justice. Whether in the right or not, the stronger usually wins and the end leaves one or the other side ranking for retaliation.
 Let us assume that negotiations for conference and attempts to secure arbi- tration have failed and that strike has oeen called.
 The employers try to fill the places of the strikers-the latter try to prevent rhis Unfortunately, in many strikes this effort Co checkmate the employer in his attempt to run his business has been accompanied with violence and riot.
 Violence leads to counter violence, and it has been hinted that in some cases em- ployers have retorted by ntlmidating he 1ntimidators This procedure saxors of the middle age methods of warfare and is a stepping stone to anarchy. If the parties affected cannot by peaceful confer ence succeed in settling the strike, efforts to secure arbitration should again pro- ceed. Disinterested third parties of ex- perience. carefully selected, are frequently helpful in clearing up misunderstanding and in bringing order out of disorder
 The fight to finish is usually carried on when q clear question of prnci pie seems to be involved In many recent strikes wages and hours appeared to be secondary considerations and the real is- sue was recognition of the union. The right of workingmen to organize sho lli be unquestioned. The employer who tx- cludes a man simply because he is inem- Der of union is not acting in the spirit of our day, which is one of organization and CO., operation. On the other hand, the tnnion that attempts to force an employer to exclude all non-union men is equally y intolerant and unwise. Strikes for better wages and shorter hours are apt to .neet with sympathy and where the complaints are just grievances are likely to be rem edied. The strike simply for the enforced closed shop, however, almost invariably fails.
 Tho public, who suffer, especially through strikes affecting public utilities, have a right to expect reasonable efforts to prevent the discomfort and loss consc- Quent to strikes and locllouts in express service, street railway, gas, electric light, telephone, telegraph, etc. There Is necd of official machinery in this connection. atate laws to deal with threatened strikes in intrastate utilities and federal laws to dcol v'sth threatened strikes in inter state utilities.
 Tn Canada these problems have been