We greatly regret the failure of the conference between the
representatives of employers and operatives in the cotton industry. For many years now this industry has earned a reputation for good sense and frankness in negotiations which has been highly honourable to all concerned and has worked to their common advantage in good times and in bad. Of late, times have indeed been very bad for them and coincide with the harvest to be reaped from a mischievous sowing of gross over- capitalization in many mills since the War. Under the stress both sides -seem to have, given way to some intransigeance. Without any inside knowledge it appears to us that the employers were the first to display at any rate this feeling. , Now the operatives have cour- teously but flatly refused even to discuss. longer hours and lower, wages (which no one expected that they would accept) and demand a statutory committee to inquire into costs of production. It is sad that the independent spirit of Lancashire should fall to asking for interference by Government.
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