Who is to blame?  That is not the question, but—­How it is to be stopped?  Employers will say, “Are we always to give way?” Workmen say, “Employers are making their fortunes out of an emergency of the country; why are not we to have a share of the plunder?” ["Hear, hear!” and laughter.] There is one gentleman here who holds that view. [Laughter.] I hope he is not an engineer. [Renewed laughter.] “We work harder than ever,” say the workmen.  All I can say is, if they do they are entitled to their share.  But that is not the point—­who is right?  Who is wrong?  They are both right and they are both wrong.  The whole point is that these questions ought to be settled without throwing away the chances of humanity in its greatest struggle. [Cheers.] There is a good deal to be said for and there is a vast amount to be said against compulsory arbitration, but during the war the Government ought to have power to settle all these differences, and the work should go on.  The workman ought to get more.  Very well, let the Government find it out and give it to him.  If he ought not, then he ought not to throw up his tools.  The country cannot afford it.  It is disaster, and I do not believe the moment this comes home to workmen and employers they will refuse to comply with the urgent demand of the Government.  There must be no delay.

There is another aspect of the question which it is difficult and dangerous to tackle.  There are all sorts of regulations for restricting output.  I will say nothing about the merits of this question.  There are reasons why they have been built up.  The conditions of employment and payment are mostly to blame for those restrictions.  The workmen had to fight for them for their own protection, but in a period of war there is a suspension of ordinary law.  Output is everything in this war.

This war is not going to be fought mainly on the battlefields of Belgium and Poland.  It is going to be fought in the workshops of France and Great Britain; and it must be fought there under war conditions.  There must be plenty of safeguards and the workman must get his equivalent, but I do hope he will help us to get as much out of those workshops as he can, for the life of the nation depends on it.  Our enemies realize that, and employers and workmen in Germany are straining their utmost.  France, fortunately, also realizes it, and in that land of free institutions, with a Socialist Prime Minister, a Socialist Secretary of State for War, and a Socialist Minister of Marine, the employers and workmen are subordinating everything to the protection of their beautiful land.