LOOK OUT BEGINS

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 73, 30 July 1929, Page 5

LOOK OUT BEGINS

LANCASHIRE MILLS | , REDUCTION OF WAGES. I FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND IDLE. LONDON, July 20. The Lancashire cotton mills lockout lias begun, 1800 mills and 500,000 operatives being virtually idle. The lock-out is due: to. the refusal • of tliei operatives to agree to the deI eisioh of the mill-owners to reduce wages by 12.} per cent. The owners isisuedj lock-out notices some days ago, and they became clfective) today. ,' > There is a ray of hope in the) fttefc tihat wh\le the" niao.ufaciurijng and weaving unions, decline to consider a reduction in wages, the spinning section seems anxious t n , work out a separate agreement with the employers, who wlUprobably be prepared t(» modify the present demand for a 12} per ceint. reduction. \ The cnginemen and: firemen will continue at the old wages pending ai general settlement. Tlie Tootal Broadhurst Company is one of the firms that are keeping their mills open on the! basis that ' wages .should not lie reduced. It is estimated! 10 per cent, of the Lancashire mills will .maintain the present wages unchanged and will keep l on working. Hopes have beien aroused that the spinners and enrdroomers. later in the? we.ek will iseek to negotiate a separate agreement. In that event the employers are likely to "modify the wage cut. The opinion in, Lancashire is that the next step rests with the Government. Tt is understood Mr Ramsay MacDonakl, the Prim© Minister, is considering personal intervention.