Negotiations for the settlement of the tramway and omnibus strike
broke down late on Tuesday night. In response to the demand of the tramway men for an increase of 8s. a week, the employers offered 5s. a week to the uniformed men, with arbitration on the balance of 3s., and also on the entire claims of the men in other grades. The refusal of this offer was based on the ground that the concession of a definite increase applied only to the, outside staffs. Mr. Bev in pointed out that the inside men had accepted reductions, together with the outside men, and that logically they were therefore entitled to share definitely in any increase that there might be. A very interesting question is whether a settlement can in some way be tacked on to, or made part of, the legislation which the Government have introduced providing for the control of London traffic. There was a strong hope at first that this could be done, but every hour the hope has been becoming fainter.
