New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 2, May, 1915: April-September, 1915Various
History
New York Times Current History; The European War, Vol 2, No. 2, May, 1915: April-September, 1915
Various
World War, 1914-1918
Who is to blame? That is not the question, but--How it is to be stopped?
Employers will say, "Are we always to give way?" Workmen say, "Employers
are making their fortunes out of an emergency of the country; why are
not we to have a share of the plunder?" ["Hear, hear!" and laughter.]
There is one gentleman here who holds that view. [Laughter.] I hope he
is not an engineer. [Renewed laughter.] "We work harder than ever," say
the workmen. All I can say is, if they do they are entitled to their
share. But that is not the point--who is right? Who is wrong? They are
both right and they are both wrong. The whole point is that these
questions ought to be settled without throwing away the chances of
humanity in its greatest struggle. [Cheers.] There is a good deal to be
said for and there is a vast amount to be said against compulsory
arbitration, but during the war the Government ought to have power to
settle all these differences, and the work should go on. The workman
ought to get more. Very well, let the Government find it out and give it
to him. If he ought not, then he ought not to throw up his tools. The
country cannot afford it. It is disaster, and I do not believe the
moment this comes home to workmen and employers they will refuse to
comply with the urgent demand of the Government. There must be no delay.
There is another aspect of the question which it is difficult and
dangerous to tackle. There are all sorts of regulations for restricting
output. I will say nothing about the merits of this question. There are
reasons why they have been built up. The conditions of employment and
payment are mostly to blame for those restrictions. The workmen had to
fight for them for their own protection, but in a period of war there is
a suspension of ordinary law. Output is everything in this war.
This war is not going to be fought mainly on the battlefields of Belgium
and Poland. It is going to be fought in the workshops of France and
Great Britain; and it must be fought there under war conditions. There
must be plenty of safeguards and the workman must get his equivalent,
but I do hope he will help us to get as much out of those workshops as
he can, for the life of the nation depends on it. Our enemies realize
that, and employers and workmen in Germany are straining their utmost.
France, fortunately, also realizes it, and in that land of free
institutions, with a Socialist Prime Minister, a Socialist Secretary of
State for War, and a Socialist Minister of Marine, the employers and
workmen are subordinating everything to the protection of their
beautiful land.
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