Railways a National Industry 451 



to prevent the men from obtaining the services of a special 

 advocate before the chairman." 



Much dissatisfaction with the report and mainly so on 

 account of what was regarded as a wholly inadequate exten- 

 sion of the principle of recognition was expressed by the 

 men's leaders and endorsed at meetings of the men's societies, 

 where demands were made for a general strike on a greater 

 scale than before, while the leaders repudiated any suggestion 

 that they had given a pledge to accept the findings of the 

 Royal Commission of Inquiry. A new National Programme 

 of improved conditions was put forward, but simultaneously 

 therewith various of the leading railway companies announced 

 revisions of their rates of wages as applying to the lower 

 grades among their workers. 



In the case of the Great Western Railway Company it 

 was reported that between 20,000 and 30,000 men would 

 benefit from the concessions, the immediate cost of which to 

 the company would be 56,000 per annum, with an eventual 

 cost, at the end of three or four years, of 78,000 per annum. 

 The London and North-Western Company announced in- 

 creases amounting in the aggregate to 80,000 a year, these 

 being an addition to increases already made, under the 

 arbitrator's award, at a cost to the company of 70,000 a 

 year. The Midland Railway Company gave notice that from 

 November 3 the minimum rate of pay for all adult members 

 of their staff would be 223. per week if employed in London, 

 2 os. per week in certain large towns, and 193. per week at all 

 other places, the actual advances thus made to individual 

 workers ranging from is. to 43. the week. 



Material concessions were also announced by the Great 

 Central and the Caledonian, and intimation was given by 

 other companies that they had the matter under consideration. 

 All these concessions were, however, apparently disregarded 

 by leaders of the extremest section among the men, who 

 declared, in effect, that they would be satisfied with nothing 

 short of recognition. 



In the week ending November 4 representatives of the 

 men's unions held a four-days' conference in London to con- 

 sider what action should be taken, and there would seem to 

 have been some hope on their part that, influenced by the 

 threat of a further general strike, the Government would 



