The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-03-08 00:00:00

THE MATTER REFERRED TO ARBITRA-

'LION.

A meeting of weavers was held at the Town Hall
on Monday night, for the purpose of taking int.)
consideration Messrs. Briaton and Co.'s proposal to
refer the dispwe as to the price to be paid for or k
done on the Aloxon loom io arbitration.

The Secretary (Mr. Coate) having read the cor-
respondence bearing upon the sul.ject,
Mr. Cooke (the Presi lent) said he honed thcs,
present would express their views on the subject in
a manly and straighl fo .w.ird manner, and that they
would listen patiently and quietly to those who
might differ from them. Meetings of the moo en-
gaged upon Messrs. Brinton's and Messrs. Hum-
phries' firms had been held, and at each a resolution
in favour of submitting [-the matter to arbitrationt
had been passed.
Mr. Grove proposed that the matter in dispute be
referred to arbitration, as sugg, sted by Messrs.
Brinton.

Mr. Marslen seconded the proposition, awl added
that the next bnsiness would be the appointment of
a represeatative of the men to plead their cause be
fore the Court of Arbitrath n. He thought Mr.
Thomas Hughes, who " was acqw-linted with the
technicalities of the carpet trade, should represen
the men.

Mr. W. Holloway supported the resolution.
Mr. C. North thought they ought to consider
whether they should be justified in accepting the
offer of arbitration after the manner in which they
had been treated. LThe men made a conciliatory
offer to accept 4d and 10 per cent. per yard, and
that was rejected. He thought if Messrs. Brintou
had been in the right they would have suggested
the reference of the matter to arbitration at the time
when that conciliatory offer was made. Notwith-
standing that, he (the speaker) was willing to submit
the matter to arbitration, and hoped the mee, ing
would decide to do so, and thus show Messrs. Brio.-
ton an example. As working men-they could con-
sistently refuse to submit the matter to arbitration,
because Messrs. Brinton had pushed them to the
very extreme point of threatening them with a
strike before they offered the alternative of arbitt a •
tion He was ready to accept the latter because he
felt they had a good cause. One of the other manu-
facturers in the town had set apart a Smith's loom
for improvements, and he (the speaker) had been
informed that a Yerkshire woman had been there
teaching another female in the town to work this
single-tap loom. He did not think the female was
at work at it at the present time. One of the other
tapestry manufacturers had said if Messrs. Brinton
had consulted him he would have been willing to
have supported them in getting a reduction of wages
amounting to 10 per cent
Mr. Parker, shop secretary at Messrs. Hughes's
said the statement about the single-tap loom was
incorrect. No Yorkshire woman had been there,
and Messrs. Hughes had a man at work on the
loom who was receiving the ordinary wages.
Mr. Underwood and Mr. N. Cook also addressed
the meeting in favour of submitting the question as
to the price to be paid on the Moxon looms to arbi-
tration, and the motion was put to the meeting and
carried, seven only voting against it.
The question ot appointing a representative of the
men was discussed, and, as it was thought pessible
that Mr. Thomas Hughes might :be selected as the
final arbitrator, it was decided to ask Mr. George
Howell, a meta n. of the Parliamentary Committee
of the Trades Council, to represent the men; and in
case from any unforseen cause he could not be pre •
sent Mr. George Potter would be requested to supply
his place.
The followinm:were appointed as the delegates for
the men: Messrs. C. North, N. Cooke, S. Sweet-
man, E. Marsden, J. Dugard, and I'. Clayton.

LYE.
RRLIEF OP THE POOR.—On Saturday, January 11th,
a meeting of the employees of Messrs. T. Rhodes and
Sonslronplate Workers, Lye, it was resolved to make a
weekly colectim for the poor of theneighbourhood, Mr.
J.
J Jenkins, foreman of the works, being ap pointed secre-
tary. The first subscription was paid over to the Lye
relief committee, but receiving no e i
ckoowledgernent, the
men decided to carry out the relief n their own way.
Three of their wives therefore were appointed to seek
out the moss deserving cases of distress, and to leave
tickets for bread, oatmeal, &c. In this way £ll 31 63
has been collected since the above date, and distributed
in the shape of 500 41b-loaTes, and 701bs of oatmeal.
The subscriptions were discontinued last week.
A. BATCH or AssAuvra.—A.t the Stourbridge Felice
Court. yesterday. before Col. Fletcher, Messrs. R. L.
Freer, and J. B. Cochrane, Jane Kirton was charged
with assaulting Sarah Ann Collins, on the 4th inst
Mr. Wall appeared to prosecute, and Mr. Waldron de-
fended.—Henry Kirton and John Kirton were charged
with assaulting Samuel 'Johns, on the 4th lust, and
Samuel Collins was charged with assaulting Mary Jane
Kitten on the same date.—Complainant said that Mary
Jane Kirton was making use of filthy language to her
son, and without anylprovocation defendant came into
her yard with au apron full of stones, threw some at
her, and struck her wtth one on the face. This was the
evidence in the first case. A. number of witnesses were
called on both sides and the Bench said their evidence
was very contradictory, and bound all the parties over to
keep the peace.