Patience Wins; or, War in the Works, by George Manville Fenn.
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The boy hero of the book, his father and his three uncles live in
Canonbury, London, and run a factory in Bermondsey, the other side of
the Thames in London. But they feel they need to expand, and they buy a
steel working business in the North of England. Here they try to
introduce various profitable practices, such as improved methods for
working the steel, and various ingenious and new items of factory
equipment.
But these new ideas are objected-to by the Trades Unions, and the
despicable behaviour of the work-force is due to this attitude. All
sorts of the most dreadful and wicked deeds are perpetrated, and
unpleasant things are done to the few workmen who seem to be coming
round to sense. The Uncles reflect on how much more amenable and
sensible a London workforce would have been in the same circumstances.
But eventually various incidents occur in which it can be seen what
excellent people the hero and his Uncles really are, and the whole town
starts to welcome them. Hence the title of the book--"Patience Wins".
It's not a long book, but there is plenty of action. It is not in the
general tradition of Manville Fenn books, but it is a very good read.
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