Evening star., 1917-10-28

Wh1le conditions are somewhat oll-
ferent among the industrial plants In
England and this coun-
| Induatria1 try. yet some of the ex-
periences that Great
AAooAemS. Britain has been through
| and worked out OF as regards the LABOR
situation should be OF great value to
| this country in facing the same PROB
| lens.
| Onicials of our own Department OF
Labor who are trying to help cope with
the labor question In the United States
have made a study of conditions IN
England and have followed through the
| labor situation from the beginning OF
| the war. The experience Of Great Brit
| ain. they say. in the early months OF
the war showed that the patriotic inn
pulse was in itself sufficient to prevent
| strikes. and that the industrial truce
which was arrived at on the outbreak
! of the war was easily maintained 1or
the first few months.
In the early stages of the war, again,
there was an entire absence OF any
possible necessity for compulsory WORK.
Later. however, various causes came
into operation which tended somewhat
to restore the prewar attitude Of the
workers toward the subject OF strikes
The factors at work to produce .hese
| results are difficult to analyze. THOSE
who have looked most thoroughly into
the matter group the causes somewhat
as follows: % The gradual awaken.
ing of the workmen to the lact that
their employer is Fronting ny me war,
CD the reaction which follows long
and arduous work: 90 the necessary
demands accordingly made on the in
dividual to continue for long hours Win
out interruption and at a nigher Ten
(4) the demand that treasured rights
and privileges must be surrendered:
go the rise in wages: 90 the habitua-
ton OF the mind Of the workman 10 the
existence OF the war.
AS illustrating these developments. 1t
is pointed out that, at the outbreak
of the war. threatened labor troubles
OF serious character disappeared ana
profound industrial peace reigned Tor
the first few months. Thereafter, now
ever, II became necessary to make de-
mands on the vorkmen. and evidence
began to accumulate that an unse..ise rsa
Of the country. .,.
1t is further pointed out by those study
ing the question that in the early DAYS OF
the war the patriotic impulse went long
way to securing the maximum time and
energy of the worker. But the constant
increase in wages and the fatigue neces,
sarily consequent on long hours tennsu
to produce a slackening IN the work. Inc
question Of shop discipline then came up.
The ordinary methods Of dealing with lack
Of discipline were no longer open TO the
employer He could not dismiss because
Of the great labor scarcity and also be-
cause diaInissals might lead to difflcultfes
with worknen generally which he was not
prepared to face under existing condi-
tions.
AS regards the right of the employer to
dismiss and that of the workmen to leave,
it early became clear in England that as
long as these rights were completely un.
fettered there would be, particularly II
| tbcro urore M uniformity OF wages, a TEND
ency for labor to shift, and shift even
more irreeuiary than in peace dn,.n+.Aad time Ap1
mono assumed a more acute phase than
this. Cases occurred; 1T is reported in
which men left skilled work to go to un-
skilled work where wages were higher;
where men were drawn from permanent
work of national value to temporary work
at higher rates, and where men were
finally lost to some industries by drifting
to temporary employment, at the termina-
ton OF which they were taken by the
army. Many of these conditions nave
now been met by the British government