The plain man will find this new instance of the.
Prime Minister's versatile diplomacy somewhat puzzling. The police would not have struck in a body if they had not been exasperated by what they regarded as official indifference to their grievances. The wages question did not account for the strike. The policeman was not well paid, compared to the munition worker, but it must not be forgotten that his right to a pension of nearly £2 a week after twenty-five years' service meant a very considerable addition to his real wages such as no ordinary workman can hope for. We cannot help thinking that the matter of pay might easily have been adjusted if the men had been handled tactfully and kept in a good temper. Every captain of a ship, every regimental com- mander, has to face similar difficulties. If a crew or a battalion shows a mutinous disposition, it is natural to blame the captain
or the colonel in charge. In this case, too, we are bound to conclude that the authorities responsible for the police were seriously at fault.
Previous page
