The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-01-11 00:00:00

"A mass meeting of guards, shunters, and eointholders,
employed in the Midland Railway was held at teatley, neat
Birmingham, on Saturday, when resolutions sere passed
declaring that the men vreuld resist to the ut,ermost the
reduction of wages, which it was said would amount to
from Os. to 10s. per week. It was stated that the men had
often to word twenty hours for a day's pa:, and in
some cases 100 hours for a week's work, receivng only a
small remuneration for overtime. One guard stated
that he had worked forty-three hours and received
10s. 10d., including 23. expenses. Other men said ley had
been on duty for twenty hours at a time, and the) thought
the public safety was endangered. Toe meeting ex-
pressed its determination to have the old system et hours
—viz , ten hours per day on week days, and eight tn Sun-
day s.
"A meeting of employes was held at Bradford last evening,
and largely attended by all branches of the service. Ex-
planat,ons were given of the recent attitude of the directors
towards the goods guards, and it was ultimately unanimously
resolved to assist the men on strike."

A eonsiderable number of men presented themselves at the
goods office of the Midland Railway Company in London on
Monday morning, seeking to be employed in the place of the
guards and horse drivers on strike. Large numbers also
offered themselves for similar employment at the chief
stations all along the line. Amonget these are many men
who have had experience of railway work.

Ruby being only a branch station on the Midland system,
only a few goods guards are employed there, and they have
not struck with the rest of th,,ir fellow guards. On Monday
bill,. were freely circulated in the town, offering constant
employment to "steady men, with characters," to replace
those on strike.

On Monday the Midland Railway Company forwarded the
following for publication :—" The goods traffic of the Mid-
land Railway Company continues to be carried on wit 1 its
usual regularity, save as regards coal and heavy minerals.
All important goods trains have arrived an i been despatched
without interruption at the app,inted hours in charge of
thoroughly competent and experienced guards. The coal
traffic, which had begun to accumulate at certain points on
the line up to Saturday, was to a great extent cleared away
and disposed of between night and this morning,a large stall of
the company's servants 'being employed for the purpose. In
tact, as regard the inconvenience to which the heads of de-
partments have been put owing to the suddenness of the
strike this ill-judged movement has failed in its object. No
report of any train accident or serious ddliculty has yet been
beard of by the authorities at St. Pancras. Numerous ap-
plications for employment are being made by able-bodied
men al lover the line, and it is expected that every vacapcy
will be filled up In the course of a day or two."

At Nottingham, on Monday night, a meeting of the Mid-
land Railway servants was held in the Market-place to pro-
test against the proposed reduction in the wages of certain of
the company's employes. Owing to the extreme coldness of
the weather there was only a limited attendance, and after
be3ring a statement from the chairman (lir. Hague) the
meeting dispersed

Another well-attended meeting was held at heffield on
Monday night to hear the report of the delegate who
had attended on the deputation to the directors. The
Sheffield men bat been told that they must accept the
terms by four o'clock on Monday afternoon or they would
only be treated with individually by the company, but
the men took no notice of this condition and waited for
the report of the deputation. The deputation reported,
as the result of the interview, that the directf-irs stuck to
the terms announced in the bill, and particularly on the
question of trip trains were very decided. The deputation
therefore recommended the men to stick together, and
resist to the uttermost, no matter what might be the conse-
quences. A guard moved a resolution to the effect that the
men refused to go In on the new terms. The resolution was
carried unanimously.

The following is from The Times of Tuesday :
"An interview between the leaders of the strike and the
directors of the Midland Railway was held at Derby yester-
day afternoon, when the men stated their objection to work-
ing 66 hours per week and asked for the withdrawal of Mr.
Aliport's notice; making the changes they required :—(a)
The abolition of the trip system; (b)that 60 hours shoald con-
stitute a week's work; (c) that ten hours should be reckoned st
day's work; (d)that each day's work should be reckoned sepa-
rately; (e) that Sunday time should be paid for at the rate of
eight hours per day. These propositions were duly considered
by the chairman the directors, and the officers of the company
present, and the men were informed very courteously, but
decidedly, that the directors had determined to adhere to
the terms of the notice. At the same time, they said they
regretted to see so many old servants taking part in an ill-
advised movement, which must result, if they were obsti-
nate, in the loss of their situations, which would necessarily
be the case if their places were tilled up by new applicants.
The men retired without giving any tangible indications
of their intentions. A telegram received at head-
quarters last night from rue of the districts reports
'that trains will be despatched to time as usual, and that a
guard can be spared if required.' This may be taken as an
index to the state of affairs. Public sympathy at Derby is
by no means with the men, and the geeeral belief is that the
strike will be speedily got under. A deputation of engine-
drivers waited upon the locomotive superintendent
yesterday afternoon and stated that it was untrue that
they were supporting the guards On the contrary,
they were desirous of assisting the company as far as they
could.
" The Leicester delegates to the conference between the
directors and the men's representives at Derby on 3londay
were empowered to agree to 66 hours. provided the com-
pany abolished the trip system. The announcement that
the directors would grant no concession has caused great
disappointment among the men at Leicester, and they have
determined to continue to resist, and that nothing he done
without communicating with other centres. The poiutsmen
and enginemen have promised liberal support, but the men
are.icaperfectly organized, and have little or no funds from
which to draw. Great exertions are being made to induce
the signalmen in the district to accept the reduction, which
comes into force on Thursday at midnight, and the officials
of the company are having interviews with them individually.
They, however, are determined to act unitedly, and nothing
will be done until a meeting of all the signalmen has been
held. These men complain that hitherto it has been the
custom to hold conferences with the men before any changes
were adopted ; and it is stated that in November, 1873, the
date of the last conference, it was agreed by both parties
that no alteration should be made in the terms of service
without first holding a conference between representatives
of the company and the men.
"The impression among the Midland Railway officials at
Sheffield is that the men will not return to work on the new
system ef not charging for overtime until the guards have
made 66 hours per week instead of 80 hours as heretofore.
The company at present have not received very many ap-
plications as the result of the placard they issued on Satur-
day for good steady men to act as goods guards. It is
generally believed that the struggle will not be a long one.
Other railway companies are offering guards and shuuters
to the Midland Company to help them over the crisis, and
with supernumerary assistance the traffic hi the Sheffield
district has not been greatly delayed in consequence of the
strike.
"Birmingham has not experienced much inconvenience at
present from the strike of the Midland Railway guards, as
only about 100 men—SO guards and 50 pointhoiders and
shunters—are concerned in the strike at present, and
their vacancies have all been tilled by a selection from
the new candidates for empleyment. Every train sent
out has had perfectly qualified men in charge of it,
although they are, pephaps, not so experienced in deal-
ing with the intermediate traffic as file regular goads
guards, and several men have been sent from Bir-
mingham to other parts of the line where the traffic
was most affected by the strike. The London and
North-Western Company and the Great Western Company
are rendering assistance to the Midland Company at various
points on the line, and by the work in other districts the
diffieulty has been considerably lessened, and the traffic
carried on with despatch and regularity. A meeting of the
men on strike was held at Saltley yesterday. Numerous
instances were given by guards of the excessive hours which
they were compelled to work under the old system, and by
adopting the new plan they argued that they would be most
scantily paid for their services .
"The strike has produced no alteration at all as yet at the
Leeds terminus: in fact, the trains have arrived with euch
regularity that it could scarcely be supposed aere was
anything wrong. The company's notices for steady men to
apply for situations have been responded to at the Leeds
station to a remarkable degree, but it has not been found
necessary to make many fresh engagements. The passenger
guards have shown great readiness to assist in working the
goods traffic, and so expeditious had been the management
that yesterday at Normanton, the largest station in this
district, the lines were always ready to receive the new
arrivals. The Leeds portion of the goods guards, shunters,
and horse-drivers held a meeting at an early hour yesterday
morning, and it was communicated to the meeting that the
men were as firm as ever, and communications received
both by letter and telegraph from all parts of the Leeds
district promised a protracted continuation of the strike.
Last night another meeting was held, but no change in
the situation was announced, and it was determined to
await information from the delegates Who had been sent to
Derby."

The Times of Wednesday gives additional particulars re-
specting the Strike, from which we make the following ex-
tracts :

"The strike is regarded by the officials at Derby as prac-
tically at an end. At Derby Station yesterday more than
2,000 applicants were received for places vacated by guards.
They had come from nearly all the stations on the Midland
system, having been forwarded with free passes by re-
epective stationmasters. The men were subjected to the
ordinary examination, which applies chiefly to the eyesight
and education of the applicants, and it was found that
the great number of them had previously been in the
employment of the Midland or other railway com-
panies, and had considerable knowledge of the duties of the
situations they sought. So much W.IS LlllB he case that 50 per
cent. of the guards vacant places have ben already filled
up, and the traffic by night was working with little incon-
venience. Applications were so numerous that various
stationmasters were instructed to forward no me re men to
the central (thee. It appears that on receipt of the litter
from the men yesterday morning, stating that they had
decided not to return to woik neon the new system, a tele-
gram was sent to the stationmaster at tee Toton sidings,
asking him to tell the men to send in tiler clothes and to
pry them off at once. At that station alone the company
had yesterday supplied 65 men out of SO required.
"A deputation from the goods drivers at Sheffield
waited upon the loeornotive superintendent yeiter-
day to assure him that they did not as a body
sympathise w ith the guards on strike, and they re-
gretted if rs. few indiscreet men of their nuleber had in-
ceutiously said anything that might appear to favour the
guards, Mr. Allpurt emphatically dent d that inefficient
men had been put on to work trains, thereby endengeoing
the lives of the public, and said all the new men were
worked under the supervision of head guards, and under
suea an arrangement there was no danger wmtever. The
effi.dals have no al.prebension of difficulty with pointimen,
who are asked to submit to a reduction of is. per wade,
and not 53. as has been stated.

"The 102 guards on strike at Leicester and Wigston, and
all the other guards in the distiict, are derermitied!to re-
main out until the company agree to abolish the ' trip '
system. Theee men declare that they would be perfectly
Willing to work 66 hours per week, providing the ' trip '
system were abolished; but neither side shows any indica-
tion of giving way The officials stie e that they have got
a full supply of competent men; but the guards on strike
contend that this is impos.ible, inasmuch as in ordinary
circumstances it takes from four to ['ix yea's to make a
competent goods guard. Generally speaking, he begins as
a point-holder, alter which he would be transferred to do
the duty of an under shunter, and after the lapse of some
time be would be promoted to head shunter. The next
step is that of under guard, and after tie has acquired
some experience In this department, he is made head
guard, and as such takes out a train on his own responsi-
bility. The Wigston and Leicester men held meetings
yesterday and, unanimously agreed to remain out on strike.
The traffic on the line is being conducted a little better,
and more trains passed through Leicester yesterday than on
any day since the strike began ; but still the number of
trains is far short of the 400 which In ordinary times pass
through in 24 hours. The mineral traffic is accumulating
very fast, and the colleries are suffering in consequence. The
signalmen in this district have received a reply to their
memorial to the directors, and the directors are willing to
meet the men on the 14th inst. Notwithstanding this the
men are very firm, and are determined to strike unless the
notice of a reduction should be withdrawn. The action of
the signalmen will have a most important bearing or this
dispute, and both sides are waiting to see what they will do.
The company are making every exertion to induce the signal-
men not to strike.

"The authorities at the Leeds Terminus state that the
trains work with the usual punctuality and that there are
In reserve a number of eiticient men, for whom at present
they can find no employment. All the goods traqrs have
arrived and been despatched with due regularity and no
accidents have happened. It has been stated that ip
carr)ing
out their arrangements the Midland CompanY
have been assisted by men in the 5.0-vice of other com-
panies, but there seems to be no fi,undation for this state-
ment. Ills as nearly as possible a certamty that the signal-
men will strike OD Friday, and on the part of the company
every possible precaution is being taken egablet such an
emergency It was intended by the Leeds men to hod a
meeting for the purpose of exciting public e)nrpathy, and it
was hoped that the pretence might have be gls obtabled of
niehiberii Of the Town Connell add oier gelitlembn th pro-