| Show THE ROYAL LABOR commission TUB american press presa is commenting quite elaborately though injudiciously on the royal labor commission appointed u afew few days ago by queen victoria much of this comment assumes the character af prejudice and ill found ed criticism the pere pers onel of the commission is ie harshly judged the appointments point ments were made it to is said from party and personal motives and all these hasty basty judgments are rendered without giving close or serious consideration so the matter conclusions are jumped at which a study of the question does not at all justify fa first rot of all it is proper to learn the scope and duty of the commission its object is mainly to enquire into all questions at issue between capital and labor it is also instructed to inquire into the methods of organized capital as well as organized labor it will endeavor to ascertain how bow far legislation can ameliorate the evils of in labor agitations it has the power to summon labor reformers capitalists and industrial philosophers from every country in the world and pay them expenses by the thea sanction notion of the english government for information pertaining to labor this commission to is authorized to expend and in fact if needed the expenditure is unlimited it will be seen from this that the royal labor commission of england was instituted upon the broadest and most comprehensive philosophic basis on which anything of the kind could be built its aim is in reality an inquiry into the conditions of capital and labor all over the world and it will endeavor to ascertain the tons ions of the best beat minds in every civil iced country on these conditions the commission la is composed of twenty seven members fourteen capitalists and thirteen labor representatives the hypercritical says saya it to la composed compo eed of twenty capitalists and seven labor men this is not correct lord hartington is chairman of the commission it is said that he la in not fit for the place by reason of his position and wealth and because he to is a from gladstone this is all nonsense no sane man would say that john burns of london ought to be made chairman of such a body hartington seceded from his leader because he thought the interests of treland ireland and of england would be better conserved by maintaining the existing union there are many statesmen and citizens who uphold this view and who honest ly believe that such would be the case yet they favor home rule ireland see mm that mat have been so go complicated and mismanaged in the past that nothing short of autonomy for ireland with an imperial federation between both countries will effect political harmony and real union hartington as a statesman has been broad and liberal and as chairman of the commission he will exhibit the same characteristics it has been said that the labor element in ireland was slighted because michael davitt was not placed on the commission this Is folly michael davitt was never identified with labor in ireland he is now and has been for some time a citizen of london he is editor and proprietor of a newspaper there he maintains a connection with irish politics in a factional way he to is it to is sald sad an honest though impulsive fellow and certainly has always advocated the cause of labor he is the man of all others identified with british politics the most unfit for a place in the commission As a witness before it 1 he can give his views and as a journalist he can watch its ita proceedings in both ways he can still be of utility to labor if he is so minded another clique is out of sorts bemuse because john burns the famous london agitator was not placed on the commission every sensible man knows known that such an ointment would be a mistake burns is no doubt doing much service to labor but he be to is too radical too narrow too shortsighted for the scope in view by the commission COM there are thirteen members of parliament in the body four are an conservatives four liberal unionists and five liberals and Home rulers this is certainly a fair distribution of political partisanship tt it to is said eaid that ireland Is ie not depre resented in anyway this la Is untrue sir edward halland hal land the shipbuilder of belfast to is one of the members of the commission he to is the builder of the teutonic and majestic two of the greatest merchant steamers in the world in fact all the W white hite star line steamers were built in ireland the builder of such vessels is surely competent to sit in a board of labor investigators sir edward is not an unpopular man among his workmen another member of the commission Commit ision is michael austin until recently secretary of the united trades association of the south of ireland he has studied the labor problem from the side of labor the personnel of the commission is RS as follows marquis of hartington earl of derby sir michael hicks beach sir john E gors goret t A J sir robert N fowler leonard H courtney sir edwart J harlan joseph cheney bolton william gerald balfour jew jesse collings thomas burt william abraham prof marshall sir W lewis mr ismay david dale george levesey Tur install samuel mr madeley Mad sley thomas mann ed drew mr hewlitt mr tait mr austin and sir frederick pollock editor of the quarterly review it will be seen that in the above list are some familiar names there is a man identified with reforms in shipbuilding that has saved theu thousands sands of lives jesse collings to Is a well known labor reformer prof marshal is a political economist mr ismay to is a director of the white star steamship company thomas mann is a noted labor man mr hewlett is in manager of the wigan coal and iron company mr tait tail to Is chairman of the glasgow trade council in fact there to is not an objectionable man on the whole list and the final report of such a body ought to be of much value as a politico industrial document |
