Railways a National Industry 449 



and October 3, for the purpose of taking evidence, the witnesses 

 examined by them during this period including thirty-four 

 on behalf of the various railway workers' unions, ten non- 

 unionist workers and twenty -three representatives of the 

 railway companies. 



The case presented on behalf of the railwaymen's unions 

 was, in effect : (i) that the working of the conciliation and 

 arbitration scheme had in various respects been very un- 

 satisfactory, and changes therein or alternatives thereto were 

 recommended, though in regard to the details of these 

 changes and alternatives the witnesses did not all agree 

 among themselves ; (2) that " recognition " of the unions, 

 allowing of the labour unions officials with, as was said, 

 their " trained and experienced minds " taking part in 

 the negotiations with the railway companies, was essential 

 to full justice being done to the men, who were either not 

 competent to state their own claims or might have their 

 position in the service prejudiced ; (3) that such recogni- 

 tion would be in the interests of industrial peace because 

 of the increased powers of the unions in enforcing the mainten- 

 ance of any bargains that were made ; (4) that discipline on 

 the railways would be strengthened if the men were confident 

 that there would be an impartial investigation of their com- 

 plaints ; and (5) that, as the principle of recognition was 

 accepted in other great industries, the railway companies 

 were not justified in refusing it to their own men. 



On the other side it was contended (i) that much of the 

 disappointment felt at the results of the awards which had, 

 nevertheless, led to substantial concessions being made 

 was due to the unreasonable hopes raised by the " National 

 Programme," and that, although certain modifications might 

 be made in the conciliation scheme, the principle there- 

 of was sound, while the companies had made a " tremen- 

 dous departure " by themselves proposing, in 1907, in the 

 interests of peace, to concede the principle of arbitration, 

 which involved the " revolutionary " step of taking from 

 the directors the power of deciding what the rates of payment 

 and the hours of labour of their workmen were to be ; (2) that 

 the four unions concerned still included only about one-fourth 

 of the men, and that " recognition " of them would inevitably 

 lead to interference with questions of management and 

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