On Wednesday the Miners' Conference at Scarborough took a dangerous
plunge in deciding not to take part in the Court of Inquiry and not to meet the owners again unless the owners "withdraw their proposals." The demand that the owners should withdraw the notice to terminate the agreement was tacitly dropped. The effect of the proposals which the owners are asked to withdraw would be to abolish the distinction between standard wages and surplus, and also to abolish the national minimum wage, though minimum wages could be fixed by districts. The men have an easily arguable case to place before the country. For our part we are not disinclined to believe in it. But no industrial claim, however sound, is ever made good in the face of popular disapproval. Yet the men are putting themselves in the wrong by evading publicity. We earnestly hope that they will think again before it is too late.
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