NATIONAL COST OF STRIKES.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18845, 7 April 1931, Page 4

NATIONAL COST OF STRIKES.

AS EXPENSIVE AS WAR. “Among the factors tending to dissipate capital, none is more potent than war, and this, whether it be war between nations or classes,’’ says Mr W. A. Appleton, secretary of the General Federation of Trade Unions, in his last quarterly report. “The so-called ‘Great’ War depleated the national capital of Great Britain >y thousands of millions. The strife between classes appears to be equally expensive. Those who care to study the statistics will find that the day’s work lost through strikes and lockouts during the period 1900-1929 number over 4,819,000,000. The wage loss of those actually participating in these disputes, assuming this to be but 5/- per head per day, would be £1,204,750.000. Apparently there are no figures showing the capital and gross profit losses incidental to these disputes, but it would not be unreasonable to assume that these equalled the wage loss of those actually participating in them. Nor would it be extravagant to assume also that those workers who were affected by, but not participating in these disputes, suffered one-fourth of the loss sustained by the capital and labour actually involved. If this is done, the combined loss, during the period, appears to be well over £3,010,000,000 much of which has been incurred as foolishly and as uselessly as the losses incurred during the Great War."