New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-28
THE STRIKE SETTLER
Processes of COnCiIiation-.Mo,a
Power Needed.
London, August ia

| IdtiNe lettefS' MI pcoiSc II. AskWith
Of the Board OF Trade, has won II by
his success In adjusting the grievance,
OF organized labor; and there may h.
an addition to II In the form OF res.
cuer OF the starving poor" in conse.
quence Of his achievements in bringing
TO an end the labor revolts OF the me.
tropolis. He Is one OF the most modest
and reticent members OF the Civil Ser.
vice, and has become an invaluable off,
cial in dealing with the representative,
OF labor declarations and trade Unions
The son of an artillery officer OF high
rank, he was educated at MARLBOROUGH
School and Brasenose College, Oxford
and was called TO the bar twenty-five
years ago. After serving as counsel for
the crown in important cases. such "a
the Venezuelan arbitration and the peer
age claims, he became assistant secre-
tary of the railways department Of the
Board of Trade and finally controller
general OF the commercial, labor and
statistical section. AS arbitrator, or
|
cessful In settling as many as a hundred
labor disputes. At fifty he has becoms
necessary man in regulating the rela-
lions Of capital and labor.
The secrets Of Mr.. Askwtth's efficiency
as the strike settler" are primarily a
concillatory temper and barrister's
faculty for grasping the essential facts
Of any controversy and finding the lines
Of least resistance. He is a patient lis
| tener and reserves his judgment for
speaks with lucidity and authority.
With all his accomplishments and pow
ers Of concentration he would be only
moderately successful in composing dis
putes between employers and trade
unions If he were not in hearty sympa-
thy with working people. The repre-
sentatives Of labor have learned 10
trust him because in the Lancashire cot
ton controversies and in the seamen's
firemen's, carriers, lockers and railway
servants revolts he has shown himself
ready to makes concessions TO the work
ers. When he acts as conciliator in
bringing capitalists and trade union
leaders together at his office. the work.
ers are convinced that they have a
friend at court Certainly In his nego-
tiations with the various sections Of the
Transport Federation he has thrown his
influence mainly on the side OF the work.
ers and has enabled the leaders to OBJ
tain substantial advantages In wages.
hours and conditions Of labor. To him
are they indebted for the triumphs re-
corded in their manifesto.
Mr.. Askwith's popularity with trade
unions is easily explained. AS peace
maker he meets the demands Of organ
lied labor more than half way. He Is
amiable, quiet hammered, with pleas
ant smile under his dropping mustache,
and with delicate lisp which enables
him to give a soft answer TO every COM
plant. He can be squeezed into recom-
mending sweeping concessions to en-
ployers, and the strike agttators have
found Il out They never return empty
handed from a conference at the Board
OF Trade. and the substantial gains OBJ
tanned through his Intervention enable
them to recruit their organizations with
thousands Of new members. This is an
important consideration when. after a.
protracted period Of inaction, old mem
bers are disheartened and fall out Less
cause have the masters than the men for
gratitude to Mr.. Askwith; and yet they
respect his motives and do not venture To-
decline his invitations for conferences,
although they lose their cases when they
enter into negotiations with him. Tho
Cancellation branch IS a rough and ready
substitute for public opinion. Ne!th,r
masters nor men are under obliga ton 10
go to 1t against their will. and yet
neither the one nor the other can vent
ure to stay away.
In the strike Of the London transport
workers the exhibition Of the solidarity
OF the various sections OF the Labor Fed
Grafton was startling. Dockers. Lighters
men. carmen. coal porters and other al
lied bodies Of workers had their own
grievances, and they agreed that there
should be no settlement for any single
group without satisfaction all around.
cumulative force of the resistance ot
eighty thousand workmen who had de-
termined to stand by one another as tho
most practical method OF enforcing their
weighted in this struggle and compelled
TO make the concessions which the
strike settler advised. Possibly they
consoled themselves with the reflection
that in the long run they would be able
to dispense with men and TO enforce
economies with superior mechanism; but
for the moment they were outmaneu-
vred and defeated. While the balance Of
power had been upset by improved faci-
tiles Of organization, the interests 81 tbs
community were disadvantageously sz-
fected. The port OF London was sealed
against commerce.; food supplies were
cut off and the cost OF living was nearly
doubled, and the industrial activities OF
The labor leaders. while organizlng a
successful campaign for a large body OF
workmen. had struck at the vital inter-
ests OF the community, and were IN a
position 10 do incalculable harm unless
speedily and effectively restrained.
The brilliant success Of the Federation.
If repeated on a larger scale. will raise
the question OF strengthening the con-