The Trade Unions directly affected by the railwaymen's strike began
their efforts at mediation on Wednesday week, but after two days of negotiating they seemed to have failed. The Government insisted that the men should return to work before resuming the discussion of the new standard rates of wages. The Government made it clear that the present war wages would be unaffected for six months, and they offered to consider whether they could pay the war wages for a still longer period, They also offered to refer to an arbitrator any hard cases arising out of the proposed new rates. As these offers were rejected by Mr. Cramp and Mr. Thomas, the Prime Minister proposed that the men should return to work for a few days while negotiations proceeded in regard to the new rates of wages. The railway- men's leaders accepted this curious suggestion, but coupled with it the impossible condition that the Government should grant their original demands.
