The Era of Amalgamations

Since 1913 the position of the working journalist has been vastly improved by the continued activities of the Institute of Journalists, incorporated by royal charter in 189o, and more es pecially by the influence exercised by the National Union of Journalists, founded in 1907, which is a trade union and has been the means of raising the standard among working journalists and of establishing the principle of minimum salaries.

At first competitive, the two bodies now show a tendency to become mutually complementary, the institute specialising in the professional, cultural and benevolent interests of the journalist, and the union concerning itself primarily with questions of sal aries, hours and working conditions. The institute gives full membership to all bona fide journalists; the union restricts voting membership to journalists who cannot exercise the powers of an employer; thus, generally, editors, managing editors, and director journalists are not eligible for full membership of the Union, and favour membership of the chartered body.

On the side of the manual workers there is also a complete net-work of organisations. The chief federated societies are the Typographical Association, representing compositors throughout the country; the London Society of Compositors; the National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants and Printing Machine Managers. Press telegraphists; correctors of the press; electrotypers and stereotypers; pressmen; paper-makerls and others engaged in connection with newspapers, all have their unions. Beyond the federated societies is a large number of affiliated federations covering Great Britain.

Advertisers have organisations also, including advertising man agers, circulation managers, and, indeed, every one associated with the production and distribution side of the press. News agents combine chiefly in the Federation of Wholesale Newsagents and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents.

The General Strike and the Press.

A development of the coal dispute in England, which came to a head at the end of April 1926, was a general strike organised by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress. An important preliminary incident was a stoppage of work which occurred in the office of the Daily Mail. (See GENERAL STRIKE.) After the first few days certain newspapers began to re-appear in the first instance mostly by photographic processes, in two or four diminutive pages, which were gradually increased in size as voluntary labour was obtained. The Government by voluntary labour issued from the office of the Morning Post the British Gazette, which was under the control of Winston Churchill. It soon attained a very large circulation. The Trades Union Con

gress retaliated by producing the British Worker by trade-union labour. The newspaper and periodical business probably suffered more by the strike than any other industry, as a considerable proportion of the staff had to be retained and heavy general expenses incurred. The general strike was called off on Thursday, May 13, and after negotiations the newspapers resumed normal production on Tuesday the i8th.

After the strike an agreement was entered into between all organizations representing employers and employed which de fines the functions of both parties. The agreement between the Newspaper Proprietors' Association and the respective unions, which was a notable landmark in collective bargaining, is as follows I. There shall be not interference with the contents of news papers owned by members of this Association.

2. There shall be no interference with, or victimisation of, any members of the staff who worked or returned to work during the strike, either in their own or in any other office. Nor shall there be any victimisation by the employers.

3. There shall be no interference by members of the unions with the management of businesses, or with the right of the man agement to employ, promote, or discharge members of the staffs. Nor shall it be necessary for private secretaries or managers of departments not engaged in production to be members of a union.

4. No chapel meetings shall be held during working hours.

5. The strict observance of agreements in the newspaper trades shall be regarded as a matter of honour affecting each individual employer or employee.

Empire Press Union.

An organization which represents not only the Press of Great Britain but of the Dominions is the Empire Press Union, which was the outcome of the first Imperial Press Conference held in 1909. It represents newspapers, either by proprietors or responsible members of the staff. It has branch sections in the overseas dominions and keeps a permanent super vision over such questions affecting cable services and charges, and matters of common interest to the press as a whole. The second Imperial Press Conference was held in Canada in 192o, and the third in Australia in 1925. The first president of the Empire Press Union was the first Lord Burnham, and he was succeeded by his son, the present Lord Burnham. The chairman of the Council from 1915-26 was Sir Robert Donald, who was succeeded by J. L. Garvin, and was followed by Major the Hon. J. J. Astor. The Empire Press Union has insisted continuously on better and cheaper communications with the overseas dominions and has devoted particular attention to the promotion of empire wireless.