The terms of the award made by Sir Edward Fry,
acting as arbitrator between the directors of the London and North- Western Railway and their servants, were made known last Saturday. This award, it should be noted, is the first that has been made under the Agreement arrived at in November, 1907, which provides for resort to arbitration when the sectional Boards and Central Conciliation Board have failed to reach a settlement. In this ease the demands of the men, known as an " all-grades national programme," were an all- round advance of 2s, a week in wages ; the fixing of eight hours as a standard day; the guaranteeing of a full week's wages to every worker; overtime to be calculated for each day separately ; Sunday duty to be paid for at a minimum of a rate and a half ; the abolition of " bonus," "classification," and " trip " systems ; and the granting of all promotion by seniority. On the last three claims Sir Edward Fry made no recommendation, as being beyond his power as arbitrator ; but, apart from a small reduction in the wages of certain classes of• cleaners, his award makes substantial concessions both as regards rates of pay and hours of labour to almost all grades of workers. The award, which comes into force on April 1st, and is to continue in operation till January 1st, 1913, has been well received, and is in any case a notable proof of the value of the Agreement, with which the name of Mr. Lloyd George deserves to be held in honourable remembrance.
