864 AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 



150 strikes of vinedressers took place between November, 1903, and 

 May, 1904, affecting about 50,000 strikers. From a strictly economic 

 point of view the workmen obtained considerable advantages, of 

 which the chief was an increase in wages. But it is difficult to know 

 the exact importance of the results of the congress, because the move- 

 ment has entirely failed as to unanimity in its requirements. 



The question of wages was not the only one under consideration ; 

 that of the evils resulting from the long intervals in the work of the 

 vineyards calling for special attention, and syndicates proposed various 

 plans as a remedy. They also proposed restrictions upon the employ- 

 ment of outsiders, of women and of children, and prohibition of extra 

 hours and of work by the job all with a view to retaining the work 

 for themselves. But on these points success did not follow as in the 

 case of day labour, and the little obtained was very incomplete. At 

 first many agreed to the prohibition of women's work, except for the 

 replenishing of the sulphur cans, and some of the proprietors agreed 

 to employ workmen of the commune. It was invariably specified 

 that extra hours should be paid at the same rate as the daily work, 

 a notable improvement, as proprietors had hitherto expected extra 

 work on pressing occasions to be done either gratis or for a very small 

 remuneration. 



Unhappily these good results were very precarious. At first 

 proprietors had been taken by surprise and they soon sought means 

 of retaliation. The judicial forms stating the agreements were 

 generally very inexact, and a strike was seldom ended by a true col- 

 lective contract. Generally the workmen were satisfied with a written 

 minute, trusting for modifications to local usages, with nothing to 

 show that the parties were bound by any legal obligation. This 

 proved to be the germ of new conflicts which were not slow to break 

 out. 



A second congress of southern workmen was held at Narbonne 

 on the i3th, i5th, and i6th of August, 1904. At this congress 107 

 syndicates were represented. The members seemed very much 

 struck by the diversity of claims and the results obtained since the 

 last strikes. Without taking into account that the customs and 

 economic conditions are not identical in all the vine-growing districts 

 of the south, the congress laid down a uniform system of regulations 

 for all. But while this programme was far beyond the results already 

 obtained, it must be acknowledged that it was in great part a failure. 

 Since the winter the demand for wine had been small and the pro- 



