NEWS OF THE WEEK
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THE strike draws to a close. On the morning of Friday
week, certain influential mediators, among whom were the Lord Mayor, Cardinal Manning, the Bishop of London, Sir John Lubbock, and Mr. Sydney Buxton, submitted to the leaders a proposal that the Dock Directors should grant the 6d. an hour, instead of 5d., the only point remaining in dis- pute, from January 1st next. Messrs. Burns and Tillett accepted these terms for their own part, and promised to recommend their acceptance by the men. The Dock Directors, on their side, thinking that this promise was equivalent to an agreement, yielded the terms proposed, and it was believed that the strike was over. The men, however, as might have been expected—dockers knowing no more about four months hence than about the next century—unanimously rejected the arrangement, which, we are bound to add, their leaders, finding it unpopular, did not heartily defend. The compromise, therefore, fell through, amidst the usual charges of want of good faith ; but on Thursday the mediators tried again, sug- gesting November 1st 'as the date for the new tariff, and securing the men's adherence first. It was believed on Friday afternoon that the Dock Directors would yield, and that on Monday work would recommence. We have dwelt elsewhere on some hopeful features of the strike, but would repeat here that no scheme can be satisfactory to the community which does not get rid of casual labour.
