Strife | Page 6

have thought they'd have held on like this without support!
UNDERWOOD. Those who know them.
WILDER. I defy any one to know them! And what about tin? Price going up daily. When we do get started we shall have to work off our contracts at the top of the market.
WANKLIN. What do you say to that, Chairman?
ANTHONY. Can't be helped!
WILDER. Shan't pay a dividend till goodness knows when!
SCANTLEBURY. [With emphasis.] We ought to think of the shareholders. [Turning heavily.] Chairman, I say we ought to think of the shareholders. [ANTHONY mutters.]
SCANTLEBURY. What's that?
TENCH. The Chairman says he is thinking of you, sir.
SCANTLEBURY. [Sinking back into torpor.] Cynic!
WILDER. It's past a joke. I don't want to go without a dividend for years if the Chairman does. We can't go on playing ducks and drakes with the Company's prosperity.
EDGAR. [Rather ashamedly.] I think we ought to consider the men.
[All but ANTHONY fidget in their seats.]
SCANTLEBURY. [With a sigh.] We must n't think of our private feelings, young man. That'll never do.
EDGAR. [Ironically.] I'm not thinking of our feelings. I'm thinking of the men's.
WILDER. As to that--we're men of business.
WANKLIN. That is the little trouble.
EDGAR. There's no necessity for pushing things so far in the face of all this suffering--it's--it's cruel.
[No one speaks, as though EDGAR had uncovered something whose existence no man prizing his self-respect could afford to recognise.]
WANKLIN. [With an ironical smile.] I'm afraid we must n't base our policy on luxuries like sentiment.
EDGAR. I detest this state of things.
ANTHONY. We did n't seek the quarrel.
EDGAR. I know that sir, but surely we've gone far enough.
ANTHONY. No. [All look at one another.]
WANKLIN. Luxuries apart, Chairman, we must look out what we're doing.
ANTHONY. Give way to the men once and there'll be no end to it.
WANKLIN. I quite agree, but----
[ANTHONY Shakes his head]
You make it a question of bedrock principle?
[ANTHONY nods.]
Luxuries again, Chairman! The shares are below par.
WILDER. Yes, and they'll drop to a half when we pass the next dividend.
SCANTLEBURY. [With alarm.] Come, come! Not so bad as that.
WILDER. [Grimly.] You'll see! [Craning forward to catch ANTHONY'S speech.] I didn't catch----
TENCH. [Hesitating.] The Chairman says, sir, "Fais que--que--devra."
EDGAR. [Sharply.] My father says: "Do what we ought--and let things rip."
WILDER. Tcha!
SCANTLEBURY. [Throwing up his hands.] The Chairman's a Stoic--I always said the Chairman was a Stoic.
WILDER. Much good that'll do us.
WANKLIN. [Suavely.] Seriously, Chairman, are you going to let the ship sink under you, for the sake of--a principle?
ANTHONY. She won't sink.
SCANTLEBURY. [With alarm.] Not while I'm on the Board I hope.
ANTHONY. [With a twinkle.] Better rat, Scantlebury.
SCANTLEBURY. What a man!
ANTHONY. I've always fought them; I've never been beaten yet.
WANKLIN. We're with you in theory, Chairman. But we're not all made of cast-iron.
ANTHONY. We've only to hold on.
WILDER. [Rising and going to the fire.] And go to the devil as fast as we can!
ANTHONY. Better go to the devil than give in!
WILDER. [Fretfully.] That may suit you, sir, but it does n't suit me, or any one else I should think.
[ANTHONY looks him in the face-a silence.]
EDGAR. I don't see how we can get over it that to go on like this means starvation to the men's wives and families.
[WILDER turns abruptly to the fire, and SCANTLEBURY puts out a hand to push the idea away.]
WANKLIN. I'm afraid again that sounds a little sentimental.
EDGAR. Men of business are excused from decency, you think?
WILDER. Nobody's more sorry for the men than I am, but if they [lashing himself] choose to be such a pig-headed lot, it's nothing to do with us; we've quite enough on our hands to think of ourselves and the shareholders.
EDGAR. [Irritably.] It won't kill the shareholders to miss a dividend or two; I don't see that that's reason enough for knuckling under.
SCANTLEBURY. [With grave discomfort.] You talk very lightly of your dividends, young man; I don't know where we are.
WILDER. There's only one sound way of looking at it. We can't go on ruining ourselves with this strike.
ANTHONY. No caving in!
SCANTLEBURY. [With a gesture of despair.] Look at him!
[ANTHONY'S leaning back in his chair. They do look at him.]
WILDER. [Returning to his seat.] Well, all I can say is, if that's the Chairman's view, I don't know what we've come down here for.
ANTHONY. To tell the men that we've got nothing for them---- [Grimly.] They won't believe it till they hear it spoken in plain English.
WILDER. H'm! Shouldn't be a bit surprised if that brute Roberts had n't got us down here with the very same idea. I hate a man with a grievance.
EDGAR. [Resentfully.] We didn't pay him enough for his discovery. I always said that at the time.
WILDER. We paid him five hundred and a bonus of two hundred three years later. If that's not enough! What does he want, for goodness' sake?
TENCH. [Complainingly.] Company made a hundred thousand