consent to a reference to arbitration. The answer was that arbitration had been one-sided in its working, as shown by cases in South Wales, and the most recent instance of the workmen of the North, who insisted upon 5 per cent. more than the arbitrators awarded, and the masters were obliged to yield to avoid a fight. But the question of proof was pertinent, and they would submit their books and vouchers to attest the accuracy of their figures to any two workmen appointed by their fellows at the several works. The masters suggested that the men should go to work and continue at the reduction till the 1st of March, to await the result of the spring inquiry for iron, when it was hoped and believed there would be such an improvement as to enable the employers to give back the 10 per cent. with a possible addition. What they asked the men to do was to enable them to tide over the present difficulty until then. But at a meeting at Merthyr the workmen decisively rejected these proposals, and insisted upon old prices or arbitration.
The difficulty was complicated by the action of the coal-owners, who raise coals for sale. The steam coal-owners bound themselves to rise or fall with the ironmasters' pits. A few days after the ironmasters had issued their notices, the steam coal-owners followed with a notice of reduction, and they were followed immediately afterwards by the house coal-owners with theirs. The angry attitude of the colliers led to the withdrawal of the notices at almost all the pits of these classes, leaving the ironmasters alone in antagonism with their It was not till the end of March that the strike was at last brought to a close, after many fruitless attempts at arrangement and negotiation. Meanwhile, the effect upon the supply and price of coal throughout the country was serious and alarming, and no sign of any material improvement in that respect followed upon the cessation of the strike. Meetings, in many instances of a violent character, were held in all quarters, and the effect upon some branches of trade was very depressing, the railway and great steamship companies, even those protected by large contracts, being unable to get their orders executed.
In February the price of coal in London rose 20 per cent. to 50s. a ton. A speech, delivered at Newcastle by Sir William Armstrong, president of a mining and mechanical engineers' institute in the North of England, is deserving of record as pointing out the only true remedy-economy-and the wanton wastefulness with which the great resources of the country have been thrown away.
"For many years past (said Sir William) the consumption of coal has been increasing at the rate of about 4 per cent. per annum, computed in the manner of compound interest. At this rate in eighteen years our present consumption would be doubled, in thirtysix years it would be quadrupled, and in fifty-four years it would be eight times greater than at present. It is clear, therefore, that our consumption has been increasing at a rate which could not possibly last. If nothing else was destined to arrect it, a failure of mining labour would have that effect; but a few years would probably have