Norwich bulletin., 1920-05-21

roads, factories and other producers to
whom your money is lent to pay their
interest fully and promptly.
Now, isn't it as clear as the nose on
mans face that It is of personal, Pc
cuniary; direct Importance to you that
these railroads and factories in which
your capital is invested for you, should
be able to make enough money at least
to pay your diFidends?-
And don't forget that there are r.
ee0,3s1 of you. And that your COM
bined eapitat amounts to :s6,o69, 900, $50
and some cents.
Last year, according to the estimates
of statistical experts, strikes cost this
country $3.50, 100000. These strikes
were mostly ON railroads and in mines
and in shops. Mostly in Industries in
which a considerable share of your saw
ings. banks. capital Is invested for you
BY no means all of this loss fell on you
| Some fell on individual large capitalists
some fell on small stockholders, the big
gest part fell directly on the striker:
themselves in wages sacrificed But somt
of it fell on you.
Now, looking at. those strikes solely
from your standpoint as a S6,069, o0O, 26,
capitalist. leaving all other considera
tons entirely out of the question, what
your opinion; about them as a business
! proposition?
Considering them for moment from
another side--that of limiting production
E-here is what read in careful com
lpilations about their efforts:
Had it not been for labor disturb
ances in 1919 the United States woul
have had nearly 1000 600 more tons Q
coal. 1,7oo,0e0 more pairs of mems shoe
would have been produced and $4,000
600 more shirts and le,e0o, geo more oy
erals would have been made. Ever
other article of trade would have bee
produced in greater quantities and sur
t ply would more nearly have met dc
J, mand."
Don't forget that lit is partly beeau.
the supply of coal and shoes and shir
and ogeralls, etc, has not been adequat
to meet. demand that their prices hay
4 gone, up. - -: $50
: If, for instance the country calls f,
4 100000 900 new shirts a year and on
= 90,00O,000 were made last year. it
h quite clear, First that 10,0O0, 900 fol-
e will have to wear their old ones an
K Second, that the other 90,Oa0, eco W
: have to pay more, for their choice. B
if that. extra 10, GOO, 800 cut OF by ga
6 ment-workeFs' strikes. had been mad
s then, instead of being fe.eGe, zoe shir
). short, the country would have had
t. 000,O60 shirts over-supply and manufa
t lures and dealers would have had to C
is prices to get rid of their surplus stoc
l. Perhaps farmers, talking amol
i, themselves, seldom devote much attic
/ ton to Strikes in shops and mines a
d railroads. But a great many farrne
a are included in that 1900, 00O-head
J. capitalist of whom We have been CHI:
1t ting. They have real business int.
/, est in the situation
rs We don't as a rule, know much abb
md the real motive of troubles in stril
v infected industries. We naturally a
of properly are slow to impute guilt
ly either side in any, particular case,
q cause we don't know all the conditic
is in any one BUT there are two gene
0 facts, applicable to all cases, which
h. do know.
Id One is that strike is simplY {
is other form. ofswar. Now. with the
in ceptioT OF a very few unbalanced pa
so fists, we all admit that war is sor
st times an ultimate necessity But it is
f ways calamitous. 1t is destructive Z
es wastefIl. War is II, according
Il Gen. Sherman. 1t should be resorted
lie only when every other means of S,
defence has been tried and found
in awaiting. Exactly the same thing
Vi true of strikes. They may, occasiona
il be as necessary aSzWar or revoluti