The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-06-08 00:00:00

THE LANCASHIRE STRIKE.

A settlement of the dispute in North LancaFlire
still seems to be remote. A meeting of the Blackburn
Weavers' Committee was held on Friday night in last
week, and it was resolved by nine votes to eight to
recommend the acceptance of Alderman Pickup's pro-
posal. At a general meeting of delegates, held at
Acciington, this recommendation was repudiated;
but the meeting adopted a suggestion that the opera-
tives should submit to a 5 per cent, reduction for three
months, this to be followed by a further drop of 5 per
cent, should trade not have improved in the meantime.

BURNLEY, Monday.

Mr. Lindsay, the Conservative candidate, has written
against the course taken ily the operatives in striking at the
present time, but has sent a donation of £25 to relieve the
distress in the borough, in addition to a donalen of £2O from
Mr. Fielden, of Manchester. A general effort is being made
to raise a sufficiency ot funds so that the children will not be
alloued to starve. During the past twelve days no less than
14,000 children have been supplied with a free breakfast, for
which purpose ward committees have been formed. In the
meantime there are large additions daily to the number of
those who are seeking parish relief, and there can be no
doubt that poverty, it not actual want, is felt in hundreds of
homes.

The Blackburn correspondent of 7he Times, writing on
Monday says : "The adjourned meeting of the Weavers'
Committee was held to-night, to consider the resolution of
Friday evening last, to accept a l() per cent.reduction on the
terms proposed by Alderman Pickop. It was stated that
on Friday night the resolution was not carried by a ma-
jority of the meeting, as there were 19 present, leaving two
neutrals, with nine votes for and eight against the resolu-
tion. The chairman said the matter was of too great im-
portance to be decided by animosity of nine out of a com-
mittee of 23. At to-night's mee,ing the committee fully
endorsed the action taken by the delegates at Accrington,
on Sunday-, and decided that under no circumstances could
they agree to Alderman Pickop's proposal. Not a single
vote was given against the resolution passed at Accrington.
It was also stated that the report of last Friday bight's
meeting was an unofficial one, and that the resolution was
not regarded by the chairman as a final one. Ihe feeling
of many of the operatives in Blackburn is still very strong
against accepting the 10 per cent. reduction."

The following letter has been sent by Mr. Jackson, and
received by the Mayor of Burnley in answer to the letter of
the latter proposing that the operatives should go in at a 5
per cent. reduction for three months, and at the end of that
time if trade improves that they should have another 5 per
cent. taken off :
"Blackburn, June 4.

"Sir,—ls it possible that you are unacquainted with the
fact that resolutions have more than once been passed
the Employers Association to the effect that the mills can-
not be re-opened excepting at the full reduction in wages of
10 per cent. Until there is a clear indication that they can
be so, it is the general wish of the employers that the Asso-
ciation should not be called together. Permit me to express
my regret that, owing doubtless to your lack of information
as to the past hi,tory of the strike, you have been led to
take a course which can: have no other effect than to pro-
long further the suffering inseparable from the protracted
cessation of labour.-1 am, Sir, yours faithfully, R. RAYNS-
FORD JACKSON."

The Bishop of Salford, preaching at Bolton on
Sunday, advised the operatives to return to work on
the masters' terms. He denounced the workpeople's
dependence on charity rather than submit to the reduc-
tion as a scandal and an outrage to conumon sense and
to common honesty.

A "Milk Producers' Association" has been formed
at Westchester county (America), and not a siligio cow has
been admitted to membership.

THE MASTER OF THE TEMPLE ON
SOME RECENT DEATHS.

The Master of the Temple (the Rev. Dr. Vaughan) re-
ferred on Sunday, in the Temple Church, to the deaths of
last week in the following terms :
The shadow of Death is all around us as I speak to-
day. We have seen him this week, in a moment of
time, sweep away by hundreds the brave sailors of a
new great empire on the very threshold of our own
shores—for once, against their will, inhospitable. We
have seen him entering the banqueting-hall of our
nobles, and strike down the wife and the mother,
whose loss is desolation to more than the husband and
the children. We have seen him enter the council-
hall of our Legislature, and suspend, by the authority
of his presence, debates awed for once into harmony.
We have seen him strike down at last the veteran
statesman, whose life spans the wide chasm between
a France Republican in terror and a France Repub-
lican iu tranquility. He lingered on into a genera
tion not his own ; to be the shadow of a great
' name, to. be the memory of an illustrious
chieftainship ; fortunate in many things—in the
association of his name with many legislative
triumphs and great historical achievements—not
equally fortunate, perhaps (like his greatest rival), in
this one thing—" the opportuneness of his death. For
it could not quite be said in this instance that "the
eye was not dim, nor the natural foree abated." Nor
has Death, these last days, spared the young. We
have seen him enter the home—unvisited for many
years, yet swept bare once—of the chief minister of
our own Church of England; laying low the one only
well-beloved son, on the very threshold of his ministry
and his marriage, and awakening (in the beautiful
words which we all read yesterday) "the hope of
thousands, both of clergy and laity, that the Primate
will be sustained in this severe bereavement, and that
he will find consolation and support in the continued
and energetic persistence in that high course of states-
manlike policy and Christian beneficence which
renders his life so inestimably precious to his
Church and country." Last of all, Death has
visited us cf this church and house; and I speak,
I know, to
,a sympathising audience, when I
characterise this as a stroke keenly felt by
all who can appreciate high ability, inflexible honour,
noble disintAestedness, and, unostentatious piety.
The name of Russell Gurney has but to be mentioned,
in the profession, in Parliament, in the City, or in
the world, to secure for it a meed of reverential
honour. The son of a just judge, the brother of an
eloquent, a devout, a noble-hearted clergyman, he was
worthy—more can scarcely be said—of the name he
bore. If he rose not, in rank and title, to the highest
judicial office, it was less, I believe, for lack of oppor-
tunity than for lack of will. Again and again, in diffi-
cult emergencies, he undertook, at no small risk—it
may be said with truth, to the shortening of his life—
the foreign service of his country. Men turned to
him instinctively, in his later years, when a task of
unusual delicacy, legislative or international, was in
question. This generation will hand down to the
next the memory of his service and of his example; a
service independent of selfish reward, an example re-
dolent of the best virtues of history, fruitful in
suggestion, and I trust also in attraction, to the future
of his profession, of his country, and of the world.