The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-18
SYND|CAT|ST CRISIS
ACUTE IN ENGLAND
Labor Difficulties May Re-
quire Severer Action
DICTATORIAL POWERS
France and Belgium Unable to Under
France and Belgium Unable to Under
stand Why This Has Not Been Done
Long Since-Britain Is Proud
of Its Women
ny PHILLIP EVERETT

ny PHILLIP EVERETT
London, April 1T.--(Specialo--Th best
proof that a large part of English men
have not yet realized the enormous issues
that are at stake in the present war is
the undeniable fact that Great Britain is
actually passing through a syndiealst
crisis of the most serious kind. All the
world knows of the labor difficulties that
have time and again arisen In various
parts of the country, and which finally
neoessitated a speech of characteristics
bluntness by Lord Kitchener in the House
OF Lords sometime ago. Greedy capital
lists must bear their share of the dis
grace.
The psychological side of this subject is
an interesting one. The workingmen,
who have acted sullenly or worse, openly
complain that they are required TO make
an enormous effort which should not 80
unrewarded when the employers are pill
Ing up money through government con-
tracts. Many workers are feeling dis
gruntled in the knowledge that consid-
cradle part of the stock of the stock
companies they are working for Is owned
by Germans and Austrians, whose prohts
are taken by the British government to
be handed them in a lump sum after the
war. 1t is perhaps not strange that COM
mon workingmen do not understand that
this is absolutely necessary.
The employers, on their side, argue that
IL their profits are large, so is their FISK,
and that, a matter of fact they are
only making up for losses which they SUE
fered during the period which precede<
the war.
Things Some Better
Lord Kitchener's speech had a great
effect and things are undeniably going
better, but everything is far from being
we'll, and there are many here who
think that the only way out of the
ouagmire is to grant the government
similar dictorial powers as those pos
sessed by the government of France.
These people maintain that the vel
fare of the country demands that the
government so to speak should mobi-
ll1e employers and workers, placing
the works and capital of the former
under the control of the state ana
command the worker to work GER
tain number of hours a day as long as
the emergency calls for IL. Under this
arrangement capital should be guaran-
teed a certain reasonable rate of in
terest, while suitable allowance should
be made for wear and tear.
In the eyes of Belgians and French
men IL is quite incomprehensib1e that
such a thing has not been done long
ago and in the French press have re-
peatedly seen the opinion expressed
that the liberal party, which now by
common consent governs the country
without opposition, must act as present
circumstances urgently demand Later
there will be plenty of time to take up
once more the discussion of individual
freedom and chimerical equality.
The question has also been taken
up in the British press and not very
long ago a conservative London paper
told it's readers that there is prac-
ticalIy no limit to what the military
authorities may do under the defense
of the realm act and the penalty for
disregarding their orders may be death
in serious cases or Imprisonment in
others.
Proud of the Women
While men have been growing
against conditions which do not suit
them, England mas every reason to be
proud of her woman, nay. even OF her
suffragettes who have undoubtedly
never done more to win public SYM
pathy for their cause than when they
decided to drop their agitation until
after the war.
As for the ordinary women with no
political aspirations, they have from
the very beginning of the war given
splendid proofs of their patriotism. No
one knows how many British women
have gone to the front risking their
health and their lives as nurses, not
only with the British armies in RAN
ders and France, but also In Servia
and Montenegro, where their services
are even more urgently needed ana
where the privations they suffer sur
pass all Imagination.
When the authorities a few weeks ago,
after characteristic squabbles with the
labor unions, decided to appeal to the
women of Great Britain to relieve men
from civilian Employment In order that
they might go to the front and tight.
the response surpassed all expectations
not only in London. but at all the 400
labor exchanges throughout the country.
Hundreds of these replies came from
women who had never done any regular
work before and who were not in need
of work in order to exist.
Enthusiastically enough the employers
who were required to come forward to
state their willingness to encourage their
young male employees to enlist were
again found wanting.
The women, however, are eager and
ready. Hundreds of teachers have Of
fered TO take positions as clerks in hanks
and business houses. Other hundreds.
many of whom have been used to driving
their own cars. have volunteered to act
az bus drivers, but by far the greater
number simply stated their Willingness
to undertake any work that might be
required Of thenl
Miss Chrystal Macmillan, secretary of
the British committee of the coming In
ternational Women's congress at The
Hague, maintains that in Justice to every
body concerned 1t is necessary that the
women be given the same pay as the
men they replace and that those who
reed the work should be retained after
the war IL they have given satisfaction,
and the same opinion is held by the Ma
tioral Union of Womens Suffrage So