Result of Strikes.

Evening Star, Issue 8267, 12 July 1890, Page 2 (Supplement)

Result of Strikes.

For those who can read between the lines the memorandum on labor disputes, just furnished by Mr Burnett to the English Board of Trade, will have great significance. In the first place, it is noticeable that these disputes show no falling-off in number, and aro ao widely distributed as ever, although no Bingle one in the month of April obtained the importance of some of those which occurred in the preceding months. In no fewer than ninety-one cases during that month did disputes on matters relating to labor lead to the cessation of work. That is to say, there were ninety-one strikes in the month the incidents of which have been reported to the Board of Trade, but there were certainly others which have not been officially recorded. The distribution of these strikes is the measure of social unrest. Nine of them occurred in the cotton trade, five in the linen, and five in the woollen—this making an aggregate of nineteen strikes in the textile industries alone, to which may be added a series of twelve strikes in the tailoring trade, including that in our own city. Among miners, we find colliers charged with ten and quarriers with three strikes, and the crafts associated with building are responsible for no fewer than fifteen. But perliaps the most suggestive items on the schedule a r e those which show how far some of our most

skilled artisans still are from realising the industrial situation. Five strikes have occurred among shipbuilders, five among ironworkers, and two among engineers. These figures do not bear a large proportion to tho total number of disputes, but they have occurred among the most intelligent classes of our workers, who ought to be able to interpret the situation almost as well as their masters. This is the saddening part of the revelation of these records. They show us the working man still blindly wrapped up in his own prejudices and indifferent alike to the future of his class and th<s fortunes of others. Yet even such men may read the writing on the wall disclosed by Mr Burnett's report. The trades unions with which he is in correspondence have reported that 1,00 per cent, of their numbers are now out of work, as against 1.70 per cent, a month ago and 1.40 two months ago. The rapidly-growing proportion of unemployed is one of the most remarkable industrial signs of the times. The increase, it may be noted as of special local significance, occurs mostly in the industries allied with shipbuilding, and the prospects of shipbuilding on the Clyde were strikingly enough represented in the statistics which were published the other day. Yet men will persistin misreading the obvious lesson of the day. Mr Knight, for instance, the secretary of the Iron Shipbuilders' Society, has issued almost simultaneously with the appearance of Mr Burnett's report a manifesto to the members of his society, in which be attempts to explain tho position of the trade. There is plenty of work on hand, he says, but still the prospects are not so bright as they were. Why? Because " ships are now built too fast." Here we have the same fallacy

1 which underlies the desire of the colliers to restrict the output of coal—the foolish and demoralising fallacy that idleness can promote industry, and artificial scarcity produce wealth. If, says Mr Knight, steel and iron ships took as long to build as wood vessels in past years, there would be permanent work for everybody. Yes, but in that case where would the buyers and charterers of the ships be found ? To show the absurdity of Mr Knight's contention, it is only necessary to carry the illustration back to the days of the building of the Ark, and then to fill in the picture. Apart altogether from these questions, the prospects of labor are such as to suggest anxiety to all thoughtful persons.—• Glasgow Mail.'

The Universal Gas Lighting Company of Jersey City (U.S.) have a mile of street lamps equipped with burners which are lighted and extinguished by electricity. In Liverpool, with its 552,000 population, j there are 1,860 publicans and 227 beersellers, giving a ratio [oi 3.7 licenses to each thousand of the population. Pilgrims are not numerous in Jerusalem this year, but all the hotels are crowded with tourißts, chiefly English and American. Baron, Hirach, the Jewish millionaire, has spent on his famous mansion in the Champs in Paris, from first to last nearlv L 700,000. Herr Furth, of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce says, in a report just published, I that all branches of the Vienna trade are j i on the verge of ruin ' ' 11 tl i ' fi;i I