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20 4 | | 7;MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE RECORD. STRIKE OF CLYDE MACHINISTS. Glasgow, May 10.--1.1e unrest with regard to wages in the ship building trade, to which I referred in last letter, has devel- oped into serious trouble. The recommendations of the confer- ence of executive councils of the Employers' federation and the allied Trade Unions, which for shortness I will call the execu- tive board, were not only rejected by the machinists in the north east of England and Uiyde districts, but the men declared by bal- lot that thev would strike rather than accept the reductions pro- posed. The proportion in favor of a strike was more than two to one, but the total vote was only a small proportion of the membership of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in these districts, and it is said that the voting was all done by the ) oung and unmarried members, who doubtless fancy that a few weeks' idleness in the spring and summer weather at £1 per week strike pay will be rather a pleasant holiday. The older members with wives and families think differently, and the strike pay is not quite a certaintv. For, in not resuming work on May 1 at the reduced rates, in accordance with the arrangement made by the executive officials o1 their society, the men were guilty of re- bellion against their union and cannot insist on strike pay if the executive decline to pav it. And the trade union executive have been placed in a very awkward and humiliating position by the action of the men. It was they who proposed the terms which the executive board recommended both parties to accept and which the employers did accept. This executive board confer- ence met in terms of the "Conditions of Management" arranged at the conclusion of the strike of 18908. As a provision for avoid- ing disputes it was laid down that in the event of a local associa- tion of employers not being able to arrange a difference with the local representatives of the trade union, reference should be made to a conference of the chief executive bodies, and that therd should be no cessation of work pending the reference. But this executive board has only conciliatory functions. It can recom- mend a course of action to be followed, but it cannot enforce its recommendations. In the present case the recommendations en- dorsed by the joint Loard were those proposed by the representa- tives of the men, and vet they were rejected bv the men. The executive board can' do no more, it seems, in the present case, but tue employers in the district concerned responded promptly to the request of the officials of the Amalgamated Society of Engi- neers for another conference. Unfortunately, however, the men instead of continuing work while the matter was being re-discussed--or some of them--went on strike, and of course the employers would not hold a confer- ence of the character proposed with strikers. 'Tnus, a deadlock has been created and also a serious difficulty in the ranks of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers. It is that society alone, I may say, that is concerned at present. The Steam Engine Makers Society is one of the branches of the Allied Trade Unions in- cluded in the deliberation of the executive board, but they ac- cepted the recommendations of the board and are at work. 'The Macuine Workers' Society was also concerned, but there are no appreciable number of members of that societv at work in this district. Here those machine workers who are not in the Amalga- mated Society of Engineers are non-union men. The dispute, then, is an Amalgamated Society affair, and that society is now very rich. But the executive council of the society objects very strongly to the Civde men for going on strike in the circum- stances, and the general secretary, Mr. G. S. Barnes, has been here endeavoring to talk them into reason. All the machinists as far down the river as Clydebank have been out, but they are working at Greenock, Paisley and a few other points. Whether the trouble will or will not develop into a general engineer's strike cannot be said at present. But naturally it is making ship builders anxious as to the future of the industry. Already it is hinted that the admiralty has paused in consideration of Clyde firms for such of the new naval programme as has to be placed this year. Remembering the delays caused to naval contracts by the strike of 1897-8, they will not again place contracts where there are indications of recur- rence of such delays. The Clyde machinists will thus be doing themselves and their industry an immense injury if they persist in their present attitude. On the other hana, the employers can- not withdraw the reductions because they are bound in honor to the other workers in the ship yards who accepted them. The un- derstanding was that wages were to be reduced all round so as to bring down the labor cost of production of new ships to a point _that would again attract buyers. To give way to the engineers would involve a raising again of all the wages in the "black _ squad" and the "white squad," etc. 'Yhere has been hitherto no revival in the demand for new Suips; that is to say, the new contracts do not even balance the Jaunches. In April, for instance, Scotch ship builders launched twenty-one vessels of 37,420 tons, but booked new orders only to the extent of 30,000 tons. Most of these new orders were in a set of vessels for the China Steam Navigation Co., and of coasting boats for the United Kingdom, only about 10,000 tons being in cargo boats for foreign, colonial and British owners. According to Lloyd's there were only 426 merchant vessels of 974,686 tons under construction in British ship yards at the beginning of April, as compared with 431 vessels of 1,240,344 tons at the cor- responding period of last year. These figures do not include war- ships nor vessels (unless classed) under 100 tons. But they are not figures to induce any workers in the ship building industry to strike, And they serve to remind one that there is no record of [May a2r, a successful strike against a reduction of wages in a declining ition of industry. eae trouble with the men is doubly regrettable just now, for cheaper material is coming within sight. There has been such a heavy drop in pig iron warrants within the last few weeks that makers' prices will have to follow, and with cheaper crude iron, plates and structural steel will also be lowered, though quota- tions are so far maintained. : BIG FUNDS OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS. Glasgow, May 11.--In connection with the strike of machin- ists in the ship yards on the Clyde and on the northeast coast of England it is interesting to note that the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, with which they are affiliated, has a total membership of 93,232, as compared with 90,943 a year ago. There have been, however, 4,988 exclusions and 1,165 deaths in the society during the twelve months. The income for the year ended Dec. 31 last was £353,412 and the expenditure £299,400, comparing with £346,- A62 and £260,635 respectively in the previous year. The donation benefit to out-of-work members was £87,029 in 1902 as compared with £57,167 in 1901. The fund, or capital of the society, was at the close of 1902 as much as £546,367. The executive of the Society of Boilermakers & Iron & Steel Ship Builders (this is another organization that may be involved in the trouble), report that last year began with and was char- acterized by a falling off in trade. There were 2,658 members out of work in January and by the end of December the number had increased to 6,353. 'The membership is now 48,270, an increase on - the year of 257, and the balance, or capital, at the end of the year was increased by £17,914, to £415,088. [he year's income was £185,180 and the year's expenditure £167,266, the latter including £56,814 paid to unemployed members, a large item comparing with £24,840 in the previous year. It is interesting to note that these two great trade unions have between them about a million sterling of accumulated funds. NAVAL ARCHITECTS TO MEET IN IRELAND. Secretary R. W. Dana of the Institution of Naval Architects announces that it has been decided to hold the summer. meeting this year in Ireland during the last week of June. 'This is in response to invitations from Sir Daniel Dixon, lord mayor of Belfast, and from Mr. J. H. Ryan, president of the Institution of Civil Engineers in Ireland. It is proposed to spend the two first days (Tuesday and Wednesday, June 23 and 24) in Belfast, and the two last days (Thursday and Friday, June 25 and 26) in Dublin, the journey from Belfast to Dublin taking place by special train on the morning of Thursday, June 25. 'The Earl of Glasgow, president of the Institution of Naval Architects, will occupy the chair, and strong local reception committees are being . formed in Belfast and Dublin to represent those cities and the various corporate bodies and institutions of the districts. Par- ticulars of the papers to be read, of the visits to works, and of the excursions and entertainments which are being arranged will be furnished later to members of the institution who signify their intention of taking part in the meetings. The Earl of Dud- ley, lord lieutenant of Ireland, has invited the members of the institution and the ladies who will accompany them to a garden party at the Vice-Regal Lodge during their visit to Dublin, and offers of entertainments have been made by the lord mayors of Dublin and of Belfast, the chairman of the Belfast harbor com- missioners, the Hon. W. J. Pirrie, and others. Messrs. Harland & Wolff and Messrs. Workman & Clark have promised to throw open their works for the inspection of members during the visit to Belfast. TONNAGE OF SUEZ CANAL. The following statement, showing the number and tonnage of vessels of various nationalities passing through the Suez canal last year as compared with 1900 and root, is taken from the bul- letin of the Suez Canal Co.: 1900. 1901. 1902. Country Shi t oa Shi aan Sh nie Country. : Ips, onnage Ips tonnage ips. tonnage. United Kingdom .. 1,935 -- 7,771,847 2,075 8,651,015 2.185 9,333,996 ; Germany... te aug ao ae DD, 2,047,280 511 2,452. 423 480 2,871,046 Braces: 20. 285. 1,167,987 281 =: 1,158,077 274 = 1,174,036 Netherlands..... .... 232 704,458 280 709,548 _ 218 727,943 Austria-Hungary 126 467,605 138 555,065 139 569,345 Russia si 35) ae 100 451,152 129 587,085 110 472,946 sot hag Tn aed 63 351,854 57 334,553 61 331,562 btaliyi 2 Sosa, ee 82. 247,167 87 268 329 85 252,091 Spain ass eke. BE84 158,248 35 155,974 30 188,157 OLWAY. 223 i ch 30 90,205 47 102,796. 41 100,780 Deninate oo 97,240 Or 16118 14 55,702 Ottoman Empire... 28 43,125 40 67,871 38 57,863 United Staies. .. 22 78,314 25 65,928 21 67,996 RVOECE cc 214 6 11,617 14 25,370 Belgium. 7.54.2 as aq 16,895 4 7,036 ee es eee Portugal 40.08 :. 8 6,424 6 4,339 8 4,306 Sweden, ... 2 2,996 4 2,729 7 8,284 Argenvina <1 3..5. L 1,777 1 1,777 s Ana Ae Be 1 521 2 1,172 Sarawak..... ee i: 365 Fs : Egyptian 22020. : 1 62 6 6,274 Totals .. 8,441 = 18,699,238 3699 15,163,238 3,708 15,694,385 It is reported that John D. Rockefeller and George J. Gould have bought a controlling interest in the Colorado Fuel & Iron Co.