Page:Engines and men- the history of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. A survey of organisation of railways and railway locomotive men (IA enginesmenhistor00rayniala).pdf/274

 contemplate the motive for every such action, and January of 1918 brought the full explanation, in the conferences held between the Government and representatives of trade unionism on the further combing-out already alluded to. The conferences, two of which were addressed by the Prime Minister, were to explain the necessity of getting 420,000 more men for the Army and Navy, and in regard to footplatemen. Mr. Bromley had already expressed the impossibility of further diluting the locomotive workers, who had lost 11,000 of the regular workers since 1913. Substitution was the phrase of the day, but it is impossible to substitute drivers and firemen on railway work. Young boys were then being employed with men long past the retiring age. "I sometimes find lads on our shunting engines who have a difficulty in making themselves seen," wrote Ivor Gregory. "Imagine lads who have to climb to look through the eye-glass, and have to stretch to look over the side-door on some of our engines, being jointly responsible with the driver for safe working!" It should be further noted that during this period of draining of men from essential industries for the fighting line, an orgy of luxury spending was rampant in England. The war profiteer had become a real and plentiful person, numbering thousands, and all anxious to display outwardly their new wealth. Motor-cars were booming so much that one popular make was advanced £100 in price per car in a single week. Diamonds and fur-coats were the rage, and the jeweller and the furrier never had such years. Women especially were lavish in their expenditure, and a riot of luxury spending marked national life.

Correspondence was proceeding between Mr. Bromley and Lord Rhondda, then Food Controller, on the inadequate ration for men who were sent away from home unexpectedly. The Ministry of Food handed it over to the Railway Executive, to whom Mr. Bromley pointed out the special need of a larger meat ration to firemen shovelling forward and feeding to the furnace three to eight tons of coal per day, and to drivers of shunting engines exerting full strength every time they reversed the engine gear. On February 27th Mr. Bromley went into the matter with members