sive, and a marked tendency appeared to look upon arbitration not as a last resort, to be called upon only in the most difficult and intricate cases, but as the inevitable goal of every case brought up by the employees. As the scheme had been based upon the idea of conciliation, with arbitration as a last resource, much time was consumed in reaching the final stages. Much of the delay, the men believed, was wholly unnecessary, and, rightly or wrongly, they credited the companies with utilizing every possibility of delay for the sake of postponing decisions and continuing the conditions of which complaints were made. Worse still, when an award was finally reached, there was often a difference of opinion between the two parties as to its real meaning. Legal language is always open to private interpretation; and if the men interpret a decision in one way and the employers in another, as too often happens, it is usually a cause of fresh irritation and friction.

The bitterness aroused by these grievances was greatly increased by the belief of the men that the machinery provided by the scheme of 1907 had been ingeniously wrested from its true intent and used as a means of delaying or preventing any fair settlement of their difficulties.

By 1910 the men had reached a pitch of irritation which found official expression during the annual convention of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants during September of that year. At this convention the executive committee presented the following resolution, which was adopted by the society:

That having regard to the unfortunate irritation and inconvenience which is being experienced by the general public as a consequence of the unrest that is so evident at the present time among the railway workers, this executive committee, after giving serious consideration to the same, hereby declares that this unfortunate position of affairs has been created by the vexatious attitude of many of the railway companies toward the working of the scheme of conciliation and arbitration agreed to in 1907 between the Board of Trade, the railway companies, and this society; and further, we take this opportunity to explain to the public that unless the spirit as well as the letter of the aforementioned agreement is observed more fully in the future than it has been in the past, this committee will have to seriously consider the advisability of repudiating the scheme agreed to in 1907.

But no improvement, from the men's point of view, followed, and the feeling grew more and more bitter, until August, 1911, when the crisis was reached. A very significant indication of the state of feeling among the workers was seen in the beginning of this month when the Board of Trade issued to the railway men's unions schedules providing for the nomination of the men's representatives on the new sectional conciliation boards, which under the terms of the agree

ment of 1907 were to be elected during this year. In many instances the men tore the schedules to pieces and burned them as an indication of their utter dissatisfaction with the working of the scheme and their refusal to take any further part in it.

RAILWAY STRIKE OF AUGUST, 1911.

In the early part of the month trouble arose on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railroad. Some of the men asked for an increase of 2 shillings (49 cents) a week with a minimum of 20 shillings ($4.87) a week. The request was refused in what the men considered an unnecessarily arbitrary and high-handed manner, and they struck. On August 13, Sunday, a crowded meeting of railway workers of all grades was held in Manchester to express sympathy with the strikers, at which the following resolution was proposed by a person in the body of the hall:

That this meeting of railway workers of all grades gives notice that if the demands of the men already on strike are not granted within 24 hours we will immediately withdraw our labor.

This was put to the meeting and carried with much cheering, after which strike committees were duly appointed, representing each branch of the several railway men's organizations. Bitter complaints were made at this meeting of the treatment accorded the men, of long hours, low wages, etc., but the leaders realized that the trouble was not so much with any one road or specific grievance or set of grievances as with the general situation which had developed between employers and employees. Mr. J. E. Williams, general secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, said:

* *

It would be useless for me to deny the serious character of the situation. The unrest among the men has reached such a pitch that there is no telling what any particular hour may bring forth. * It is no use attempting to name particular lines where unrest prevails. It is widespread and includes all lines.

The truth of his statement was shown on the following day when, without longer waiting for concerted action, railway men struck at Liverpool, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, and many other large cities. Everywhere the complaints were the same. Rightly or wrongly, the men seemed firmly convinced that the machinery of the agreement of 1907 was being used against them as a means of delay and postponement of issues instead of being used in the spirit in which it was designed.

On August 15 a conference of representative railway men, consisting of the executive committees of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, the Associated Society of Locomotive Enginemen and

Firemen, and General Railway Workers' Union, and the secretary of the Signalmen and Pointsmen's Society was held in Liverpool. Mr. Williams, secretary of the first mentioned of these organizations, called attention to the resolution passed in the previous September by his society. At this meeting, which lasted all day, the following resolution was agreed to unanimously and was made public in the form of a notice to the railway companies:

That this joint meeting of the executive committee of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, of the Association of Locomotive Enginemen and Firemen, the General Workers' Union, and the Signalmen and Pointsmen's Society, summoned to consider the critical situation which has arisen in connection with the strike of railway workers in Liverpool and other centers, and also the almost universal demand on the part of our members for instructions to cease work immediately, hereby unanimously agree to offer to the railway companies 24 hours to decide whether they are prepared to meet, immediately, representatives of these societies to negotiate a basis of settlement of matters in dispute affecting the various grades. In the event of this offer being refused, there will be no alternative than to respond to the demand now being made for a national stoppage.

This notice was not to become operative until the following day, so that the 24 hours specified would end on August 17.

With a view to avoiding a strike, the Board of Trade asked for a conference with the executive officers of the railway men's unions. In response to this request the latter reached London early on August 17 and went into conference with the president and other officials of the Board of Trade. In the course of this conference the representatives of the men were questioned as to the actual causes on which the issuance of the strike order was based, the grievances connected with the conciliation act, etc. Summarizing their replies, the prime minister, who met them later, said:

Your answer to the first and second questions is that the ground of your action is the failure of the railway companies to behave in the spirit and letter of the conciliation board agreement of 1907, and the utter impossibility of the men's representatives to redress the many grievances of which the men complain.

Your answers to all the remaining questions have been based upon and assumed the correctness of these statements, and it is of first and most essential importance to establish or disprove by impartial investigation the soundness of your statements.2

For this purpose His Majesty's Government are prepared to appoint immediately a royal commission to investigate the working of the conciliation agreement, and to report what amendments, if any, are desirable in the scheme, with a view to a prompt and satisfactory settlement of the difference.

I hope to announce without delay the names of the commissioners, who will meet at the earliest possible moment.

1 See p. 84.

2 From newspaper account, August 18, 1911.

3

Board of Trade Labor Gazette, September, 1911, p. 322.

After considering the offer the men decided that it did not meet the needs of the situation and must be declined. As the 24 hours specified in their ultimatum had more than elapsed, telegrams were sent out at once to all the branches of the four unions calling for an immediate strike.

It was estimated that over 200,000 employees-union and nonunion-responded to the call. Every railroad was affected except the London & South Western. The wages on that road were somewhat higher than on the others, and the men could always obtain an unprejudiced hearing by the officials of the company.

Almost immediately after the strike call was issued it was learned that a grave misunderstanding existed concerning the appointment of the "royal commission." It was feared by the men that its proposal was a scheme to evade the issue and to postpone action by the appointment of "a roving commission merely for putting off the evil hour." In the House of Commons that same evening Mr. Lloyd George emphatically disclaimed any such intention on the part of the Government. On the contrary, the proposed commission was to be "a committee of inquiry-a small one, a judicial one, and above all one which would lead to a prompt decision and a prompt report, which would involve decisive action with a view to putting an end to the causes of this irritation, so fruitful of unrest and disturbance, charged with disaster and catastrophe to the industrial system."

Upon this explanation of what the commission was meant to be, negotiations were renewed, officials of the Government acting as intermediaries between the railroad directors and the labor representatives. Through their efforts a conference was arranged between representatives of the Government, the railway companies, and the

men.

SETTLEMENT OF THE STRIKE.

The conference met at the Board of Trade on August 19, and after prolonged discussion the following settlement was unanimously arrived at and signed:

1. The strike to be terminated forthwith and the men's leaders to use their best endeavors to induce the men to return to work at once. 2. All the men involved in the present dispute, either by strike or lockout, including casuals, who present themselves for work within a reasonable time, to be reinstated by the companies at the earliest practicable moment, and no one to be subjected to proceedings for breach of contract or otherwise penalized.

3. The conciliation boards to be convened for the purpose of settling forthwith the questions at present in dispute, so far as they are within the scope of such boards, provided notice of such questions be given not later than 14 days from the date of this agreement. If the sectional boards fail to arrive at a settlement the central board to meet at once.

Any decisions arrived at to be retrospective as from the date of this agreement.

It is agreed that for the purpose of this and the following clause, "rates of wages" includes remuneration whether by time or piece.

4. Steps to be taken forthwith to effect a settlement of the questions now in dispute between the companies and classes of their employees not included within the conciliation scheme of 1907, by means of conferences between representatives of the companies and representatives of their employees who are themselves employed by the same company, and, failing agreement, by arbitration to be arranged mutually or by the Board of Trade.

The above to be a temporary arrangement pending the report of the commission as to the best means of settling disputes.

5. Both parties to give every assistance to the special commission of inquiry, the immediate appointment of which the Government have announced.

6. Any question which may arise as to the interpretation of this agreement to be referred to the Board of Trade.'

Assurances were given by both parties that they would accept the findings of the commission of inquiry, the terms of reference to which are as follows:

To investigate the working of the railway conciliation and arbitration scheme signed on behalf of the principal railway companies and of three trade-unions of railway employees, at the Board of Trade, on November 6, 1907, and to report what changes (if any) are desirable with a view to the prompt and satisfactory settlement of differences.

On behalf of the Government an assurance was given to the railway companies that they would propose to Parliament at the next session legislation providing that an increase in the cost of labor due to the improvement of conditions for the staff would be a valid justification for a reasonable general increase of charges within the legal maxima if challenged under the act of 1894.

It was also stated on behalf of the Government that the commission. would consist of five members, including members representing employers and workmen in equal numbers, with a neutral chairman, the commission to proceed with its inquiries as expeditiously as possible, and to report with the least possible delay.

When the terms of the settlement were made public, the rank and file of the railway employees made many bitter protests against the Government, the railway companies, and their own officials, but loyalty to their representatives prevailed and work was resumed. The agreement was reached on the night of August 19; on August 22 the members of the royal commission were announced and its first sitting was held on August 23.

1 Board of Trade Labor Gazette, September, 1911, pp. 322, 323.