incurred, the directors of the companies did not move from their position. "Return and we shall consider your grievances," was the invariable burthen of the statements of the manager of the North British Railway. The Caledonian Company went a little further than this. refused to concede a universal ten-hours day.1

They definitely

On Friday, 23rd January, Mr. Channing moved in the House of Commons a resolution expressing the view "that the excessive hours of labour imposed on railway servants constitute a grave scandal and a constant source of danger, and urging that the Board of Trade should be empowered to issue orders directing railway companies to limit the hours of work of special classes of their servants, or to make such a reasonable increase in any class as will obviate the necessity for overtime work."

Although the Government did not accept the resolution, because its adoption would have committed the House to definite legislation on the subject, the president of the Board of Trade offered to move the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire how far the question could be dealt with by legislation.2

The sixth week of the strike opened with a settlement still hopelessly in the distance. The commercial community viewed with despair the prospect of the indefinite continuance of indifferent transport facilities. At the best, both the Caledonian and North British Railways were maintaining but a partial service, the heavy mineral traffic being almost absolutely at a standstill. The prospect of drastic legislative interference probably helped to quicken the action of the

3

(1) "Sir James King said 'He desired to make it clear that the company did not see their way to concede a ten-hours day all round, and that they could not agree to recognise the Executive of the Amalgamated Society, but on the men returning to work, the directors would be quite ready to consider and remedy any grievances in connection with the service which might be brought before them, so far as these were reasonable.' Evening Times, January 14th, 1891.

(2) Mr. Channing's motion was lost on a division by 141 to 124-a majority of only 17 for the Government. Sir M. H. Beach afterwards intimated his intention of moving for a Select Committee.

(3) The weekly decrease in coal shipments proves this. See page 24.

directors; while the increase in the number of more or less serious outrages during the fifth and sixth weeks had probably an influence both on the attitude of the public mind and on the policy of the leaders of the men on strike. The continuance of the struggle was beginning to open up serious questions for everyone; and the civil action undertaken by the North British Railway Company against the Executive of the society had apparently rendered an amicable settlement more hopeless than ever. This was the situation when, on 29th January, a meeting took place between the manager of the North British Railway and representatives of the men, with the result that a settlement was arrived at so far as that

company was concerned. Two days later a similar meeting took place between the manager of the Caledonian Railway and delegates of the men with a similar result. Thus, on 31st January, after having run a course of six weeks, dismal alike for the public, the strikers, and the companies, the strike came to an end.1

(1) Cf. page 39.

NOTE I. TO CHAPTER II.

The relation of the numbers on strike to the total numbers of railway servants is not at present readily ascertainable. It has been stated for the Caledonian Railway Company that the total number of its employees was prior to the strike 14,600. This figure must include, however, all employees whatsoever, and some thousands must be deducted for those who could not under any conceivable circumstances be affected by the strike. The grades involved were chiefly guards, engine-drivers, firemen, signalmen, and examiners. The total numbers of these grades in the employment of the companies, as at March, 1890, were as follows:

Since other classes, of the numbers of which no reliable statements are available, were involved in the strike, it would not be quite fair to infer from these figures that the estimate of the number of men on strike on Christmas Day, given by the newspapers at 8,500 to 9,000, was utterly wide of the mark, though it was perhaps an over-estimate. At the height of the struggle, when the maximum number of men were out, it is probably fair to say that of the 7,973 men of the grades above mentioned, at least two-thirds were on strike. The total number of railway employees of all grades in Scotland is perhaps about 35,000.

NOTE II. TO CHAPTER II.

The direct loss to the companies cannot be estimated by merely adding the weekly decrease on the traffic returns, although this item alone amounted to a large sum, exclusive of the increase that would have accrued but for the strike.

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In

A portion of this decrease is no doubt due to deferred rather than to lost traffic, but the item of repairs for damage to rolling stock by inefficient employees is alleged to be considerable, and the actual costs in high pay to blackleg " labour, and in expenses entailed by the strike, have been very heavy. In bonuses to "loyal" employees each of the companies dispensed the amount of one week's pay. It is to be remembered also that the companies boarded and lodged very large numbers of their employees during the strike. The cost of doing so practically doubled the amount paid in wages to the men concerned. A reliable estimate of the total direct loss to the companies can hardly yet be made, but the estimate of £200,000, arrived at by adding together the estimated amounts of the individual items of direct loss mentioned, is probably well within the mark. The depreciation in the market value of the capital stock of the Scottish railways is also a serious item. the case of the North British Railway this has been most marked. the first week of October 1890, before a strike was threatened by the men, the stock stood at 61, during the strike it touched 49, a fall of 20 per cent. This depreciation is possibly temporary; but there can be no doubt that the strike and its effect upon the stock has to some extent shaken the confidence of investors in Scottish railways, which during the past few years have been rapidly rising in public favour and in market value. Caledonian stock has suffered only a fractional loss since 1st October. The loss in unpaid wages to the men on strike may be roughly estimated at £40,000. It is almost futile to estimate the aggregate loss to the individual members of the public. It is probably many times the amount of the combined losses of the companies and the men. Perhaps it would be rather an under than an overestimate to say that Scotland has lost a million during the six weeks of the strike.

In

CHAPTER III.

THE ISSUES OF THE STRIKE.

I.

THE HOURS OF LABOUR.

The circumstances under which the strike took place unfortunately tended from the outset to obscure the real question at issue. The notoriety of the long hours of railway servants was forgotten in the reflection that the strikers had put themselves in the wrong by breaking their engagements. From the point of view of the railway companies, nothing could have been more fortunate than the reckless action of the strikers, for it enabled the directors to appeal with much success to the travelling and trading public for forbearance while contending against men whom they were able to show had disregarded legal obligations. But beneath and behind the notice question, and altogether separate from it, lay the fundamental cause of quarrel—the question of excessive spells of duty. 1 The figures supplied by the companies to the Board of Trade, whatever may be their value as disclosing the actual condition of affairs on any one of the lines, at least afford means of comparison. A glance at the table2 will show at once that while the conditions of work on the Glasgow and South-Western Railway and on the Caledonian approximated to those on the great English lines, those on the North British

(1) Of 4,344 strikes in separate establishments in the United States (188186) for "reduction of hours as a single issue, 1,055 succeeded, 966 succeeded partly, and 2.323 failed.-3rd Report of United States Commission of Labour, p 1021. 3,770 of the strikes and 2, 114 of the failures occurred in a single year (1886), the culminating point in recent American labour hist ry.-lb., pp. 1002 and 13. In 1889, in the United Kingdom, dissatisfaction with conditions of work, hours, material, etc., caused 139 strikes. Of these 62 were successful, 31 were partially successful, 42 were unsuccessful, and the results of 4 were unknown.-Parliamentary Report C.6176, p. 30.

(2) See page 66.