. It is possible, of course, that the Government have
a perfectly good answer to the coal owners' allegations, and we must therefore suspend judgment for the time. If they have not, we can only say that the result is deplorable. We trust, however, that in spite of this incident the owners will do their best to work the Bill, for we think it is by no means improb- able that the actual effect of the words to which they object will be much less than they suppose. After all, the real safe- guard of the owners is to be found in the fact that the Arbitration Boards acting on the spot will realize that if they fix a scale of wages which is unfair to the owners the ultimate result can only be the closing of the pits. This is a dominant factor to which they are bound as practical men to give the amplest consideration.
