The pressure applied by the German Government to the coalowners
of Westphalia has been very great. The Emperor told them, in his interview, to " draw their purse-strings ;" and Prince Bismarck stated in the Reichsrath that he could not leave Germany at the mercy of a small province for its supply of coal, which had become as much a necessary of life as bread. That pointed to the expropriation of the mines by the Empire, and the owners yielded, conceding terms as to pay and overtime which amounted to an increase of wages by 30 per cent. The miners immediately returned to work ; but a dispute has since arisen as to the settlement of a sliding-scale in accordance with prices through a joint committee. The owners say they will never concede this, as it impairs their rights as employers ; and the men, considering this a breach of faith, have threatened to turn out again. What we should like to know is, whether the men would like the State to be their owner ; but the correspondents, who report important speeches very badly, give us no hint on this point. The success of the Westphalians has roused the miners everywhere, but especially in Silesia, where fifteen thousand men are on strike, and in Bohemia.
