The Press. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1895. BRITISH TRADE-UNIONISM.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 9170, 30 July 1895, Page 4

The Press. TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1895. BRITISH TRADE-UNIONISM.

We hold, and have never hesitated to express, the opinion that TradeUnionism is good in theory ; that workmen are not only perfectly justified in banding themselves together

for useful and proper purposes, but that, if principles aro rightly appxe* hended and applied, such combinations may be productive of mucb good to all concerned. We have, however, been equally frank in criticising what we believe to be the weaknesses of the system, and in denouncing the 6horfc - sightedness, the selfishness, and the un justness which too often have characterised the methods adopted by the Unions under the leadership of unprincipled and ignorant men. And we shall not cease to do so, for Trade-Unionism, while it may be a blessing if rightly employed, may be a curse to everyone directly aud indirectly concerned if used as an instrument for mere personal and immediate gain, and without due regard for the general interests of society. That the so-called New Unionism has worked incalculable injury and involved whole communities in irreparable loss and suffering during the last few years, is beyond question. Nor is it altogether a thing of the past', for the vicious system which places in the hands of a few irresponsible, and often unscrupulous, leaders, the power to control the industrial forces of a nation, and, if they please, to wreck its prosperity, is working fearful havoc in the Mother country to-day. Evidence is to be found in every number of every British trade journal. Picking up one or two at random, we find references—to the Boot Trade strike which paralysed an extensive industry and threw thousands of operatives (who, presumably, did not wish to starve) out of employment; to a strike of ironworkers who refused to accept the award of an arbitration board; to a strike of boilermakers, who objected to certain work being assigned to workmen of a different class. We are not surprised to find in the same journals notes to the effect that large orders for ironwork have gone to Belgium, that the wire trade is being monopolised by Germany, that one Sheep-shearing Machine Company, which trades chiefly with the British

colonies, has contracted to have its machines made in France, and another in Sweden, and that English manufacturers are hard put to it to withstand Continental competition in india rubber goods, hardware, toys, and a dozen other lines.

Mr. Maxim, the inventor of the gun which bears hi 3 name, who has had exceptional opportunities for acquiring information on the subject, has been imparting to the New York Sun his views on labour conditions in Great Britain as compared with.other countries. A single instance drawn from his experience will suffice to illustrate how the British manufacturer is handicapped. A particular part of Mr. Max- c's gun was rated by the Union to require a day and a quarter to make it, and so long as the Union rules were observed in his English factory this was adhered to, no workman, however highly skilled, daring to exceed the limit. A German mechanic who happened to apply for work one day was put on this job, and made eleven the first day and twelve every... day afterwards. Needless to say, Mr. Maxim got into trouble with the Union, had a strike, and is now working with non-Union men.

There can be no reason to suppose that the British workman is less capable than the German or the French or American. Forty years ago he stood head and shoulders above them all. But the Unions have tied his hands. Skill and energy are at a discount, incompetence and idleness at a premium. The willing worker has no chance, because he is scaled down to the level of the most incapable and lazy of his fellows, He is not allowed to do piecework, nor to exceed the limit prescribed by the Union as a day's tally. He is permitted to attend to only one machine, while on the Continent one man can attend to a dozen. He may not move unless he has a boy to carry his tools, may not lay more than so many bricks per day, is warned against walking while at work with unseemly speed. The Unions dictate as to when a man shall work or when he shall play, how much work he shall do, and of what kind, and how much he shall be paid. Instead of endeavouring to offset the longer hours and lower wages of Continental factories by increased individual efficiency, all their efforts seem to be applied in the opposite direction. Is it any wonder that England is losing her trade, or that orders which she should get are going to the Continent, while there are millions of men eager to take advantage of the insane conservatism of the Britisher ?

The Merchandise Marks Act, which was designed to protect British industry against the competition of spurious and inferior foreign-made goods, has not had altogether the desired effect. Buyers have been disillusionised as to the fabled superiority of English wares, and have discovered that" made in Germany " is no certificate of low quality, but often of the reverse, while articles so distinguished may, as a rule, be obtained at comparatively low prices.

As patriotic British subjects we cannot but deplore the fact, of which the evidence available from all sources is only too convincing, that the glory of the mother country as manufacturer for the world, has to a large extent departed, and that henceforth she must be content to count her once despised competitors at least as formidable rivals, if not as equally capable with herself. Nothing can be gained, however, by refusing to look the facts in the face, and the sooner England recognises the situation, and sets herself to recover the ground she has lost, the better it will be for her.

The moral, so far. as we are concerned, is, that we should profit by her experience, and observe how not to place ourselves in such a position as to invite the destruction of our few struggling industries. We have entered upon a course of legislation based upon the fundamental error that underlies the new Unionist movement, viz., that it is possible to secure benefits for one class by imposing burdens upon another and without having regard to external conditions. Such a course, if persisted in, will assuredly land us in difficulties, and the wage earners will in the end be the greatest sufferers. It is no use cherishing the delusive hope that conditions not in accord with general industrial movements can be permanently maintained, while as to shutting out foreign goods and foreign labour by Tariff Acts and

" Undesirable" Bills, well, we may just as reasonably try to build a wall against the storms which sweep across the Tasman Sea-.