PRESS COMMENT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1212, 22 August 1911, Page 5

PRESS COMMENT.

THE GOVERNMENT CONGRATU'. LATEO. / THE POSITION REVIEWED. (Rcc. August 21, 11 p.m.) London, August 21. Tho newspapers congratulato the Government on the success of tho efforts to copo with tho unprecedented emergency of tho raihvayinen's strike. Hopes are expressed that an effectivo settlement will follow. Tno consensus of opinion is that the situation is still delicate, requiring carcj ful handling and good sense. The conciliatory spirit shown on both i sides in Saturday's agreement is warmly commended. Views of "The Times," "Tho Times" remarks that Saturday was the crucial uay. iiad the some spread, prouucing an effective paralysis Oi tne railways, no settlement would have 1 beeu reacned, hut it became clear that traliic was not paralysed, but oniy interfered with suliiciently to cause intense puoiic irritation, and that with the sue- j ceeding days the situation would improve as tho companies mastered their itiihcuities and filled their depleted staffs. Unless the strikers could carry the position by assault from the outset, they ; could not succeed, and it was evident , that on Saturday they had failed to uo I i so. One of the essential conditions was! j the protection all'orded the lines,. and • | for this the Government deserved, full ; credit, particularly Mr. Churchill, who , had taken to heart tho lesson of the dan- : get incurred in tampering with disorder. ■ ! There could be no doubt that but for i the presence of the troops great disorder . would have occurred in many parts of , the country. ■ i j The Union Fined. Tho strike was an outbreak of syndicalism in revolt against society, and to a great extent forced upon tho union executive, who, seeing that the strike 1 would fail, wisely accepted the Govern- | mont's olive branch. There had been a tendency to blamo Mr. Asijuith for a blunder in making his original offer, but had the union committee intended to accept it would immediately have asked for details of the proposals. It was what had happened : since ithe strike .was declared which had ■ changed their mind, coupled with the companies' concession for conferring diI reerly with them. j This, again, was due to the Govern- | ment's guarantee that power would be given to raise the railway charges. Willing to Pay Higher Rates. The "Daily Chronicle" declares that the nation will gladly pay an increase in rates beyond the present maximum in order to ' raise the railwaymen's wages to a decent ' minimum.