THE BUILDING TRADES AND THE LIMITATION OF OUTPUT.
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] S1R,—Your paragraph on page 180 of last week's issue is, I cannot help thinking, extremely likely to cause an utterly false impression as it reads. To begin with, you state that the words used by Mr. Coppoek, "that there are no such rules, and there is •no enforced limitation," amount to an assertion " that no limitation of output by the workers is suggested or sanctioned by the Unions." I venture to suggest that there is not a breath of denial in Mr. Coppock's words that limitation of output is sanctioned. He merely says that there are no rules and there is no " enforced " limitation. Employers, unfortunately, know that the practice is common and frequent, and I know of two works to-day, .in one. the bricksetters are laying 1,100 bricks for their day's work, in the others they are laying 300.
You omit entirely any reference to what is probably the most important point in the dispute, the question of wages. Pre-War the bricksetter in my district earned about 7d. an hour ; to-day he is paid ls. 54d. per hour, or 150- per cent. above pre-War. Pre-War a skilled fitter earned 8d. per hour; to-day he gets 1s. 2id., or 77 per cent. above pre-War. The cost of-living to-day is 80 per cent. above pre-War. My-firm are not master-builders,-and have no connexion whatever with the trade ; but -it is perfectly clear that " the next most im- portant •thing to cheap food, cheap housing andgood housing," will only be obtained when the building trades operatives realize that the only way to mend the , present unfortunate. position is reduced cost and increased output, increased employment will soon follow.—I am, Sir, .&c.,
January 29th, 1898.
[" Balbus " has certainly formed " an utterly false im• pression " of our view. We by no means assumed that limitation was not practised or tacitly sanctioned, but we wanted' to get at the facts and all the facts, and his letter is a very valuable piece of evidence. It is now up to Mr; Coppoek to tell •us whether in cases where only 800 bricks are laid he or his Union take any steps to prevent, or at any rate to censure, this most serious injury to the welfare of the nation. —En. Spectator.]
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