Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-18

BY HENRY w. bUNN'
-HE following is brief summary
of the most important news Of
the world for the seven days
ended August II:
&* 4 \
GREAT BRITAIN.-The new Labor
government was faced with domestic
problem of first magnitude in the
strike lor lockout" If you please, 1t
amounts to the same thing) OF work
ers in the Lancashire cotton textiles
industry. The operators announced
cut of 1871 per cent in wages effective
August /, declaring that otherwise
they could not carry on. The workers
declared that the existing wage scarce
ly answered minimum subsistence re-
ouirements; they could not live on
less. There were conferences, but IN
vain; out went the workers on August i.
Prime Minister Macdonald personally
interviewed with great earnestness and
on August IS accredited representatives
of workers and employers agreed to
submit the dispute to a court OF arbl-
tration, pledging acceptance OF It's
award the court to consist OF two mem
bers designated by each side and q
chairman designated by the permanent
SeCIcIdIy HllIAloO1y VA Au0OAt PNAt1AA'6
the award work to be resumed at the
old wage rates.
The industry has been in o bad way
for several years past for sundry rea-
sons. including postwar overcapi-
talization, obsolete organization and
methods in the individual mills. and
lack of coordination Of the industry
as q whole, but the grand reason Is
increase of foreign competition, and
further increase rather" than decline OF
this menace is indicated. The profits
of the industry have largely been de-
rived from export Of the cheaper
grades of textiles to industrially back
ward countries. But not only are the
old markets being challenged by great
industrial rivals for foreign trade, as
italy, but the industrially backward
countries are making great Roadway
toward self-suff1ciency in respect OF the
manufacture of cheap grade cottons.
The looms multiply in China, India,
South America.
It seems unlikely that the industry
will ever quite recover its former rela-
tive importance in the general British
economy, but there Is no justification
for despair. To prosper, 1t requires
drastic wedding out, thorough reorgani-
zation, discreet, naturalization, ANAL
gamation, and the framing OF new
policies with far-seeing eye. The wise
heads seem agreed that it We're best
to concentrate in future on the higher
grades of textiles, so making prof1t OF
+ the singular skill of the Lancashire
operatives, which hitherto has largely
gone to waste. Thus, though the vol
ume of output should be considerably
curtailed, 1t need not follow that the
total value of the output must be re-
duced in anything like the same pro-
portion.
Four-fifths of the Lancashire output
has been intended for export and such
export has, In the prosperous days OF
the industry. constituted about one-f1ftt
Of the total export of manufactured
goods from Great Britain.
Gen. Lord Horne Is dead at SO. He
was educated at Harrow and Woolwich
and entered the Army in 1880. He
served with marked distinction in the
| South African War, emerging heuten-
ant colonel. At the outbreak Of the
| World War he went to France as
brigadier general in command OF the
artillery of the LIST Corps under Haig
He participated In the glorious retreat
of the old contemptibles, and as major
general fought at Ypres and Neuvt
Somme. In the latter he made the
! FIRST use of tanks and the creeping
barrage. Thereafter he was promoted
| to the command of the 1st British
Army and in 1918 he became full gen.
eral. In 1919 he was. in recognition Of
| his services, created Baron Horne. HI
retired from active service in 1925.
The death of Geoffrey Scott is oc.
casion for profoundest regret. He i1ac
! lust completed "a marvel of crafts.
nianship) the editing, In 10 volumes
Of THE Private Papers From Mala-