from an additional profit created by the increased zeal and diligence of the workers under the influence of a system which recognises their right to share in the profit of their labour.
The sources of this increased earning power of labour, are said to be—reduction of waste; better quality of work; lessened cost of superintendence; increased permanency and minimum of change in the staff of the establishment; and the increase of practical information and useful suggestion from those concerned in all matters connected with the business. To these may be added, the effect of a closer identity between capital and labour, and a consequent freedom from the numerous disputes which so tend to diminish the profits of ordinary establishments.
Hours of Duty of Railway Servants
A Board of Trade report bearing on this subject was, very opportunely, presented to Parliament a few weeks ago, just as the great strike of Scottish railway servants was drawing to a close, and in time for the debate in the House of Commons on the same question, which is one of considerable general and economic interest. Mr. Channing's resolution states strongly the ease for shorter hours in railway work from the point of view of public safety, and may be quoted in full:—
'That in the opinion of this House the excessive hours of labour imposed on railway servants by the existing arrangements of the railway companies of the United Kingdom constitute a grave social injustice and are a constant source of danger both to the men themselves and to the travelling public, and that it is expedient that the Board of Trade should obtain powers by legislation to issue orders, where necessary, directing railway companies to limit the hours of work of special classes of their servants, or to nuke such a reasonnble increase in any class of their servants as will obviate the necessity for overtime work.'
Speaking in opposition to the motion the President of the Board of Trade said:—
'I am bound to admit that, in my opinion, formed on the reports of the inspectors of the Board of Trade, the safety of the employés of the railways and of the travelling public is affected by excessive overtime. In the returns of 1889 and 1890 there are 122 inquiries made into railway accidents by the inspectors of the Board of Trade. In fourteen of these cases the accident was found to have been more or less due to excessive hours of work on the part of railway servants, principally drivers and firemen, and twenty-four separate instances of overtime were given in relation to those cases.'
The report consists of 51 pages of closely packed columns of details, and cannot easily be summarized in such a way as to give any idea of the whole of the particulars furnished. The intention of the report is to show the numbers and proportions of certain classes of weekly-paid servants who were, during the months of September, 1889, and March, 1890, on duty on the railways of the United Kingdom for more than twelve hours at a time, or who, after being on duty more than twelve hours, were allowed to resume work with less than eight hours' rest. The classes of servants dealt with are passenger guards, goods guards, engine drivers and firemen, signalmen and examiners. The return shows in separate columns the extra hours worked over twelve, from one up to
