The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1923-09-14
London Letter
By EVELYN SHARP
Federated Press Staff Writer)

LondOn.-Prospects for the coming
winter are OminOus. In one week the
number of registered unemployed in
Great Britain, by no means the whole
total of voorhees,, has increased bv
20074. There is no prospect of any
improvement. An additional evil IS
the growing tendency that reminds
one of historic parallels, such as the
loss of culture and skilled industries
in Spain by the exodus of the Moors.
and in France by the expulsion of the
Hugenots.
From Birmingham, Coventry, Man
chester, Glasgow, everywhere comes
the same story, that the best men,
tired OF waiting while the government
remains inactive as regards unem-
plOyment, are going away to the Unit
ed States and to the British dOminions.
While unemployment was merely
slight, the employers did not trouble
about it, because a certain amount of
unemployment is good for trade under
the capitalist system; but now that
1t is increasing rapidly, big business
is alarmed.
Low wages as well as want of jobs
are accountable for the stream of emf
grants. Not only do the skilled trades
unions rescOgnize the danger, but big.
business also. In the report of a spec
ial committee appointed by the ship
ping industry, to be presented to the
forthcoming imperial conference, it is
pointed out that to increase in this
way the manufacturing population of
the dominions will tend to decrease
their power to export raw material
and food.
Official announcement that the cost
of living has gone up since the last
estimate a month ago, and as much
as three points in the case of food
alone, made it easier for the London
lockers to return to work. Probably
that they could not have held out
much longer with their own officials
against the strike, and all the other
ports failing to stand by them They
can say now with a good show of
reason that, with the cost of living I'D
again, the case of the employers for
the wage cut that caused the strike
is so much weakened that there is a
good chance of its being dropped. If
the strike has done nothing else it has
cast doubt on the official method of
judging the cost of living, and this
will probably have to be reviesd if
wages are to depend on it.
The psychological effects of the
lockers unauthorized strike are less
easy to estimate. If it is true that
the new rebel union formed on account
of it, has 10000 members already, it
looks as if confidence in the old offic-
ials, Harry Costing and Ernest Blevin,
has been badly shaken.
The building dispute, in which a SER
ious strike was averted by both par
ties agreeing to arbitration, has been
settled. The general attack on the a.
hour week has been repealed, and al
though notifications of the existing
agreement have been made to suit the
employers, "a saving clause prevents
any general extension of hours until
unemployment is reduced to a small
percentage.
In regard to these wage disputes it
is interesting that at the coming an
nual Trades Union congress an at |
tempt will be made to extend the
powers of labor's general staff on the
Industrial side. At present, the gen
eral council of the congress has power
to promote common action between !
unions and to assist unions, when dis !
putes occur with employers. If res
olutlOns on the agenda are passed at
the congress, the council will be given
power actually to intervene in a dis !
pute where negotiations have broken
down, where the deadlock affects
workers in other unions, and even to
raise a strike fund by a levy on all
affiliated unians.
=
The second annual congress of the
init. Federation of Women Workers !
at Vienna, has been interesting, altho !
German and Austrian women refused |
to attend on account of their objection |
to segregating men and women in sep
arate trade unions. Japan, China, |
Great Britain and Is other nations
were represented. Three important
resolutions were the outcome of the |
congress, affirming opposition to the
Ruhr invasion, determination to bring |
pressure upon governments to outlaw |
war, and Endorsement of the opening
OF negotiations with the Amsterdam |
international Federation of Trade I'm |
ions for the purpose of utilization to it. |