London, June 15.
Apart from the agitation over the reprieve of Ronald True for the Earl's Court murder of a young demi-mondaine, a demand largely "engineered by the newspapers, though participated in by organs from which one might have expectedesomething better, such as the.'"Times"' and the Daily News," the general home situation is distinctly improving.
It cannot be said there is any notable revival in trade, although we seem to be getting some of the orders which Germany, owing to the vast volume of her business, cannot herself handle in reasonable time. After being out for some 14 weeks, the Members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union have now decided to return by a vote of 75,000 to 39,000. They have undoubtedly only gone back because they are nearly financially bankrupt, and funds were not available to obtain any further out-of-work pay. The Government refused them unemployment pay, and hence both the Union and the men themselves were on the rocks: The dispute has been fought with a surprising absence of bitterness, and really, as a matter of fact, the settlement is a compromise one, since while the employers win on the question of introducing overtime, they have to give the men ten days' notice of their intention to do so, and so the whole issue can be raised again at any time. I do not, however, imagine that they will come out with any degree of readiness for some time to come. The Foundry Men have gone back, and now only: the Boiler-MaM@rs are. out. They rejected the employers' proposals by a large majority, but inasmuch as everybody else has returned to work—and the men hastened back with extraordinary energy—they are not likely to maintain for much longer their rather uncompromising attitude.
Tar Unconvertep Prorecrionist.
On the other hand, the prospects of legislation aimed at our trade by other countries are not reassure ing. America is, as everyone mows, trying to get a Ship Subsidy Bill through Congress, while the Chilean Parliament has passed legislation, under which all foreign ships will be excluded from the coast-wise trade in Chile after the beginning of August. This will hit the Pacific Steam Navigation Company rather hard, though it will also prejudicially "affect the United States. If there is an extension of this policy, we may have to consider, sooner or
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.