WAR-WEARY INDUSTRY

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 84, 6 October 1920, Page 6

WAR-WEARY INDUSTRY

The multiplicity of industrial disputes, and the multitude of detail with which each is surrounded, are having a fogging effect upon the general public, who, however keen their desire to analyse the issues intelligently and fairly, find an increasing difficulty in discerning one from another. In fact, to keep track of all the disputss in all their " points" and in all their ramifications would puzzle a Philadelphia lawyer. Now, at the risk of reiteration, may The Post appeal for one more attempt to get away from the "pointing" atmosphere, and away from bush la-wyering over the wording of agreements? Let difficulties of interpretation and technical points go to the disputes committees without stoppage of work, and let the public be appealed to only on broad issues tliat are large enough and simple enough to be comprehended. The whole history of the last wharf stoppage, and particularly the way in which it was terminated, suggest that it should never have occurred at all. The disputed wetday payment on the Calm was never a case for anything more than reference to the Disputes Committee; yet the re-' suit was several days' loss of work, and a narrow escape from a more widespread loss and suffering. A 3i,ttle more idleness, and the city's transport and lighting services would .'have been interrupted; perhaps other public utilities as well. It is now clear that patchwork settlements are of no permanent avail. If the fighting spirit prevails, it will find a pretext, and the remedy is to cut out the fighting spirit that is merely irritative in character, and to fight (if fight there must be) only on issues that really count. Anybody can brawl about nothing, but to avoid unnecessary brawls requires leadership. Unless the spirit of co-operation is restored, temporary compromises will avail little, and it is time that both sides diverted their energies from the discovery of points of difference to the development of grounds of agreement and common action.