Mr. Ritchie has not up to the present been very successful in his well-meant efforts to settle the disastrous dispute in the Engineering Trade. Both sides express themselves perfectly willing to enter into the proposed conference, but the masters on the one side, and the men on the other impose conditions which destroy all hopes of an agreement. The dispute is, in fact, one in which th re hardly a possibility of compromise. One jor the other must give way entirely, and unfortunately it appears that neither side has yet suffered severely enough to be inclined for an unconditional surrender. Consequently the trade of the country has to suffer still further. Meanwhile the conviction has been growing that the masters are right in their contention that foreign competition will not allow them to concede the eight-hours day. Consequently it will in the end be the men who must give way.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.