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Industrial Unrest in Great Britain

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Industrial Unrest in Great Britain U. S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS ROYAL MEEKER, Commissioner BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES\ TVT BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS/ • • ' • INO. / LABOR AS AFFECTED BY THE WAR SERIES INDUSTRIAL UNREST IN GREAT BRITAIN REPRINTS OF THE— 1. REPORTS OF THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO INDUSTRIAL UNREST 2. INTERIM REPORT OF THE RECON­ STRUCTION COMMITTEE, ON JOINT STANDING INDUSTRIAL COUNCILS OCTOBER, 1917 WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1917 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE PROCURED FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 25 CENTS PER COPY Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis CONTENTS. Page. Reports of the Commission of Inquiry into Industrial Unrest................................ 7-227 Minute of appointment and terms of reference................................................. 7 Minute of appointment of a special commissioner............................................ 8 Report by the secretary to the commission.............................. ...................... 8, 9 Summary of the reports of the commission.......................................................... 9-14 No. 1 Division. Report of the commissioners for the Northeast area..........15-32 Causes affecting the general community.................................................... 15-18 Food prices.................................................................................................. 15,16 Liquor restrictions..................................................................................... 16,17 Housing........................................................................................................ 18 Causes specially affecting the working classes............................................ 18-29 Operation of the Military Service Acts............................................... 18-20 Operation of the Munitions of War Acts............................................... 20-25 Dilution................................................................................................20,21 Recording changes of practice.........................................................21, 22 Leaving certificates........................................................................... 22-24 Restoration of prewar conditions...................... ............................ 24,25 Inequality of earnings of skilled and semiskilled or unskilled.. 25 Delays in settlement of disputes............................................................ 26 Piece rates or j>remium bonus system................................................... 26, 27 Industrial fatigue....................................................................................... 27, 28 Shop discipline.......................................................................................... 28, 29 Coalminers............... .................................................................................. 29 General recommendations*..............................................................................29-32 No. 2 Division. Report of the commissioners for the Northwest area— 33-64 General causes of industrial unrest................................................................ 38, 39 Reforms that are taking place......................................................................... 39,40 General industrial condition of the area....................................................... 40, 41 Condition of the cotton trade.......................................................................... 41, 42 Condition of the shipbuilding trade........................................ .................. 42 Causes of unrest.................................................................................................. 42-63 Increase in the price of food in relation to wages.............................. 43-47 Exercise of Government control in local matters.............................. 48-54 Anxiety concerning restoration of prewar conditions........................ 54-57 Local administration of the Military Service Acts............................. 57-59 Liquor restrictions....................................................................................59, 60 Miscellaneous matters............................................................................... 60-63 Conclusion........................................................................................................... 63, 64 No. 2 Division, Northwest area. Supplemental report for Barrow-in- Furness district...................................................................................................... 65-75 The housing problem........................................................................................ 67-72 Causes of stoppages in Barrow........................................................................ 72-75 No. 3 Division. Report of commissioners for Yorkshire and East Midlands. 76-85 Causes of unrest.................................................................................................. 76-80 High price of food........................... ....................................................... 77 War legislation.................................................... ............................ 77 Distrust of trade-union leaders and Government departments....... 77, 78 3 Digitized for FRASER http://fraser.stlouisfed.org/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis 4 CONTENTS. Reports of the Commission of Inquiry into Industrial Unrest—Continued. No. 3 Division. Report of commissioners for Yorkshire, etc.—Concluded. Causes of unrest— Continued. Page. Dilution of skilled labor........................................................................... 79,80 Changes in rules and regulations............................................................ 80 Relations of employers and employed.......................................................... 80-82 Recommendations.............................................................................................. 82-85 No. 4 Division. Report of the commissioners for the West Midlands area. 86-104 Unrest before the war....................................................................................... 87, 88 General feeling of distrust................................................................................88, 89 Military Service Acts........................................................................................ 90, 91 Munitions of War Acts.......................................................... ................. ......... 91,92 Munitions tribunals........................................................................................... 92, 93 Dilution............................................................................................................... 93-95 Inequality of wages between skilled and semiskilled............................... 95-97 Delay in securing settlement.......................................................................... 97 Food prices.......................................................................................................... 97, 98 Liquor restrictions............................................................................................. 98, 99 Industrial fatigue............................................................................................... 99 Shop discipline.................................................................................................99,100 Relations of employers and employed...................................................... 100-101 An industrial code for war time.......................... *......................................... 101 Recommendations............................................ ............................................. 101-104 No. 5 Division. Report of the commissioners for the London and South- , eastern area. ..................................................................................................... 105-116 Causes of unrest.............................................................................................. 105-112 Food prices.............................................................................................. 105,106 Profiteering.................................................................................................. 106 Industrial fatigue....................................................................................... 106 Housing........................................................................................................ 106 Inequality of. sacrifice........................................................................... 106-108 Minor complaints................................................................................... 108,109 Uncertainty as to the future................................................................... 109 Want of confidence in Government and resentment at interference. 110-112 Tribunals............................................................................................. ............... 112 Remedies............................................................................................. ........... 112-116 No. 6 Division. Report of the commissioners for the Southwest area. 117-123 Causes of unrest..............................................................................................117-119 Military Service Acts...............................................................................
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