INDUSTRIAL PEACE

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 49, 21 November 1928, Page 11

INDUSTRIAL PEACE

IMPROVED POSITION IN ENGLAND MR. NORWOOD’S IMPRESSIONS “Probably the brightest star on the horizon in Britain to-day is the improved spirit between Capital and Labour,” said Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, who returned by the Maheno yesterday from an extended tour abroad. Mr. Norwood said he was present by invitation of the Lord Mayor of London at the conference held at the Guildhall when the subject of peace between Labour and Capital was discussed, and he was satisfied that the masters of industry in Britain were willing to go to any length consistent with prudent national economics to bring about the desired end, if sueh was possible. There had been several instances where Labour unions, after exhaustive investigations, had agreed to a reduction in wages to save their- particular industry from serious consequences, and he believed there were eminent men under the Labour banner to-day who believed that the unions must function to protect the industry upon which their members depended, in addition to what had been in the past almost their sole aim, that was, shorter hours and higher wages. “It is an excellent sign,” said Mr. Norwood, “to find the old munition works, many of which have been lying idle since the war. now in occupation, and every month new industries are springing up in various parts of Britain. The desire for efficiency and automatic machinery is just as marked in Britain as it is in the United States. Generally speaking, the industrial chiefs are sanguine as to the future, and I believe from my own observations that England is in better shape to-day than any other nation in Europe to compete on the world's markets for its manufactured products. The unemployment question in Britain is still a very serious matter. “Shipbuilding is picking tip very nicely, hut the nature of the German reparations gives very little chance for the coal and iron industries. Belgium is able to quote commercial steel in England lower than their cost of production, and when one considers that it takes several tons of coal to make a ton of commercial steel it enn be seen how this reflects upon England’s own consumption of coal.” Mr. Norwood explained in regard to the reparations terms that a great quantity of German coal was being delivered to Belgium, and with the advantage of cheap fuel the Belgian industrialists were in a position to quote far below normal figures. Similarly, Italy was reaping the benefit of German “reparation coal.” but was not in the same position to compete in prices, as Italy lacks ores and must import them.