The miners on strike in South Wales will, we fancy,
lose this battle ; at least we do not see howthey canwin it. Three-fourths of all the men out have no Union, they do not sea class save money, and only a certain number of them can be taken on at the steam coal mines " over the mountain." On the other hand, a large proportion of all the men—three-fourths, it is said—are in the employ of five or six masters; who for years have never made a contract without a clause releasing them in the event of a strike, who are as determined as aristocrats, and who have no reason to fear pecuniary loss. When a man counts his wealth in millions more work is of no moment to him. Unless, therefore, moral pressure can be brought to bear on the masters the men must give way, and there is no hope of this. The sympathy of the class the masters care about is with them, as men who are stand- ing out against labourers demanding not to be highly paid, but to work only three days a week. Note that piece-work does not stop strikes.
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