A CYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH LABOUR.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 3436, 18 May 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

A CYCLOPEDIA OF BRITISH LABOUR.

“Industrial Democracy,” by Sidney and Beatrice Webb. 2vols. London: Longman and Co. 365. The authors of this monumental work on the genesis and evolution of Trades Unionism are well known contributors to the scientific study of social and economic problems of the day. Mr Sidney Webb is an English barrister, an L.L.B. (London), and an ex-Civil Servant. He was one of the first members of the famous “Fabian Society," was elected to the London County Council in 1892, and has acted as chairman of two of its important committees. He has contributed largely to the magazines, and is the author of several works on Socialism and Labour. His wife (nee Potter) was at first a pupil of Herbert Spencer. In 1885 she joined Mr Charles Booth, and assisted that gentleman in his exhaustive and sensational study of the London poor, “ The Lifeand Labour of the People," a work which is recognised as the most valuable collection of facts and statistics concerning the subject dealt with that the century has produced. In 1891 she published “ The Co-operative Movement in Great Britain," and in the following year married Mr Webb, and has since actively assisted her husband in his political and literary work. So much as to the personal history, of the authors of the two ponderous tomes now before vs. Now as to their last and greatest work. “Industrial Democracy" is, as we have styled it above, a veritable cyclopedia of British labour. Primarily it is a history of trades unionism—new and old—but incidentally a multitude of other matters are dealt with, making the work a complete compendium to current

thought in the United Kingdom on a! questions affecting Labour and Capital not only in connection with their politica but, social life; First of all the history 6 trades unions is recounted. They are'de 3 ]j a inocracifiH in themselves, say the authers f or and how they differ from political govern la j. ments is fully set forth. We are showr eg the primitive democracy, next the growth ae ’ of representative government. Then comes inJ a chapter on “ The Unit of Government,' and the first part of tile book ends with 8 w the discussion of inter-union relations, q From, the old trade guilds to the new unionism we are gradually taken step.by step, the story being told with a wealth , of detail, reference and, illustration which sa defies analysis, in our necessarily limited et ; space'. Part It, deltls with such subjects a* “ Mutual Assurance," “ Collective Batr gaining," “Arbitration," “ The Method of j Legal Enactment," “The Standard Safe:" “ The Normal Day," “ Sanitation and Safety,” Net? Processes and Machinery,” “ Continuity of Employment,” &c. ?s Chapter Xis specially interesting and of great value to those of us who have been ’a studying and are still studying—and are B* sorely perplexed over —the twin question of “ Apprenticeship and Boy-labour.” Chapters XL, XII. and XIII. deal respectively ” with “ The Right to a Trade, “ The Iml* plications of Trade Unionism " and “ The ;t Assumptions of Trade Unionism." In Part 111. we have chapters deal- ? ing with the views of the “ Economists " , ' (some hard raps, by inference, there are a in this chapter against the individualists), the “ Higgling of the Market " and the “Economic Characteristics bf Trade Z Unipnishl." Under this latter heading ! are discussed the devices of “Restriction of j Numbers,"the" Common Rule," ‘ Parasitic s Trade," the “ National Minimiini," “ The Unemployable," and -cognate topics, i In Chapter IV. “Trade Unionism and . Dehiobiracy " we have the authors’ views 3 ' as to the future, and some, fifty or more concluding pages are devoted to appendices [ including references to legal enactments i concerning labour, statistics,,of empldyij 1 ment, etc.', and a list of works f dealing with Trade Unionism, which ; will be very useful to students of the . labour problem. ' The amount of research displayed in I the second section is something marvellous. The authors appear to have read i the rules and regulations of every trade union and labour society in the United 1 Kingdom, to have personally interviewed unionists and employers, to have waded through endless reports and Blue Books, and all this abundance of facts and figures has been most carefully classified and arranged so that the connected narrative runs on with the Utmbst smoothness: The industry of Mr and Mrs Webb has been unremitting: ip , every page one sees tracer of original investigation., Nothing is tdkeii for granted;, every bit of evidence, however seemingly trivial, has been carefully verified. All sorts of misunderstandings, mistakes, inconsistencies and incongruities which may have puzzled the student of industrial problems are cleared up. To show what we mean wo may quote from the lengthy and interest- | ing preface: i Thus, to mention only two among many instances, the student will find in one chapter on “ The Standard Bate,” an explanation of the reason why some trade unions strike against piecework ' and others against time work; and in the chapter on “ The Normal Day " why some Trade Unions make the regulation 1 of the hours of labour one of their fore- ' most objects, whilst others; equally . strong and aggressive, are indifferent; if . not hostile to it. The same principle of classification enables the student to com- ' prebend and place in appropriate < categories the seemingly arbitary and i meaningless regulations, such as thofje : against “SmoOting” or “Partnering;” which bewilder the superficial observer of working class life. It assists us to < unravel the intricate changes of Trade f Union policy with regard to such matters ( as machinery, apprenticeship and the t admission of women. It serves also for ( the deeper analysis of divining the , whose action of Trade Unionism into j ■ three separate and sometimes mutually exclusive policies, based on different views of what can economically be effective and what state of society is ultimately desirable. It is through the pyschology of the assumption that we discover how significantly the cleavages E of opinion and action in the Trade ( Union world correspond With, the larger I world outside. a As regards the authors' own views con- c , eeming the future, to these only two chap- t ters are devoted, and those who may not a with Mr and Mrs Webb will cordially agree r admit the sincerity and honesty of pur- c pose which are so clearly perceptible, and f admire above all the moderation and so- a briety of language in which the arguments j are sot forth. Their work is one of which q any author might be proud, being, as 1 it undoubtedly is, the most thoughtful c and exhaustive,' contribution of the r study of the labour problem that a has yet been issued from a British press, t To do justice to such work by a review I which should detail and criticise its con- v tents chapter by chapter would occupy b several columns. We must content our- i selves with remarking that “ Industrial f Democracy ”is a work which should be f read carefully, chapter by chapter, page by page, by our politicians, our working men leaders and by all, whether em- 1 ployers or workers, who wish to be fully acquainted with the inner workings of the Trade Unions and the effect they have had, and are having, on British industry and commerce. It, is the one great, exhaustive work on the Labour problem in " the Old Country, and colonial students of ° its pages will find therein fuller light “ upon and ampler knowledge of many 8 subjects with which he has had hitherto, so ho will admit, merely a P surface and cursory acquaintance. We 0 trust that at least two or three copies of a “Industrial Democracy" will be purchased for the Wellington Free Library. s No Trade Union or Employers’ Assooia- *' tion should fail to possess a copy of this s truly monumental work. 8 0. Wilson. * s MR W. E. HENLEY’S POETRY e s The Editor, k Literary Notes, o New Zealand Mail. ii Dear Sir, —I am glad you have re- a ferred to Mr W. E. Henley’s poems, just b published in London. I have been an f admirer of this poet for many years—ever r since, some fifteen years and more ago, p he published in the Gomhill Magazine his n admirable pictures of hospital life. To v your quotations in last week’s “ Books ii and Bookmen" you might add two or three t more extracts I send you herewith. They li exhibit his marvellous grasp of the pictur- e esqueness of London, that most marvel- k lous of congregations of human beings \ that the world has ever known. As an L example of what can be done with un- c rhymed rhythms, you won’t easily beat i: the following:— “ For earth and sky and air s

Are golden everywhere, A nd golden with a gold so suave and fine The looking on it lifts the heart like wine.

I | Trafalgar Square , {Tbe fountains volleying golden glaze) [ Sbines Hke ah angel-market. High aloft f Ovor his eoucliant Lions in a haze Shimmering and bland and soft, A dust of chrysoprase. Our Sailor takes the golden gaze Of the saluting sun, and flames superb As once he flamed it on his ocean round. The dingy dreariness of the pibtiire-place. Turned very nearly bright; Tates on a luminous transiency qf grade. And shows no more a scandal to the ground. ~ The very blind man pottering oh the kerb, Among the posies and the ostrich feathers And the rude voices touched with all the I Weathers Of the long, varying year, Shares in the universal alms of light. 'the windows, with the hasting, flickering fitesi , , , . . ; The height and spread of frontage shining sheer. The quiring signs, the rejoicing roofs and spires—'Tis El Dorado —El Dorado plain, Tbe Golden City! And when a girl goes by. Look ! as she turns her glancing head, A call of gold is floated from her ear! Golden, all golden! In a golden glory. Long-lapsing down a golden coasted sky. The day not dies but seems Dispersed in wafts and drifts of gold, and shed Upon a past of golden song and story I And memories of gold and golden dreams.” See too how ho grasps the poetry of dawn breaking over a great city 1 " IV hat miracle is happening in the air; Charging the very texture of the gray With something luminous and rare ? The .night goes out like an. ill-parcelled fire, ~ And; as one lights a Candle; it is day. Tee extinguisher, that perks it like a spire On the little formal church; is hot yet green Across the water: but .the house-tops nigherj The corner lines, the Chimneys—look how ( clean', , ■■ ... ’. How new, how naked! See the hatch of boats, ■ Hare at the stairs, washed in -the, freshsprung beam! And those are barges that wore goblin floats, Black, hag-steered, fraught with devilry and dream! And in the piles the water frolics clear. The ripples into loose rings wander and flee. And we—we can behold that could but hear The ancient River singing as he goes New-mailed in.morning to the ancient Sea.” Surely after reading the above my fellow readers of the Mail will agree with me that in a multitude pf ngt inliaindonioils ‘Vmindr" poets, Mr William Ernest Henley looms up, a veritable giant. My third and last extract exhibits Mr Henley’s command of draniatic power : “ ‘Talk of pluck!’ pursued the Sailor, Set at euchre on his elbow, I I was on the wharf at Charleston, lust ashore from off the runner. : It was grey and dirty weather. And I heard a drum go rolling, R,ub-a-dubbing in the distance. Awful dour-like and defiant. lu and out among the cotton, Hud, and chains, and stores, and anchors. Cramped a squad of battered scarecrows— Poor old Dixie’s bottom dollar 1

‘ Some had shoes, but all had rifles, Them that wasn't bald was beardless. And the drilm was rolling bixii. And they stepped to it like men, sir!

' Rags and tatters, belts and bayonets. On they swung, the drum a-rolling. Mum and sour. It looked like fighting, And they meant it too, by thunder! ’ "

Air Henley is a Scotsman I believe, a countrynlan of Burns the Great, and as a Scotsman myself I am proud of his genius. Trusting you can find room for the extracts and thanking you for the Literary Column, which ought to do much to en courage a love of literature and culture.— I am, yours truly, J.B.Gr. NEW PUBLICATIONS. Messrs H. and J. Baillio send Us a specimen copy of Sir George Newnes and Co.’s new venture The Wide World Magazine. It is certainly a most novel and attractive publication. pPhe key note of the magazine is “ Truth is Stranger than Fiction,'< and so instead of the novels and articles which w,e find in ordinary magazines, The Wide World gives accounts of doings by .flood and field in the uttermost jjarts of, the earth; accounts of the Indian fakirs; of experiences on the road to Klondyke; of queer sights in China; sketches of life in Borneo ; in the far Arctic regions ; in central Africa ; and wherever Britons'do roam. The pictures are very numerous and capitally done. Apart from the attractions offered to adult readers, The Wide World ought to be a great favourite with the young folk, who will bo able to learn geography and natural history from its pages in a very easy and agreeable fashion. The Wide World is a wonderful sixpenny worth.