The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-28 00:00:00

THE " NINE HOURS' MOVEMENT.

The success of the Nine Hours movement at Sun-
derland and Newcastle is beginning to tell on the
whole North-Eastern district (remarks the Daily News).
If the concession made by the employers of labour in
those towns does put them at any disadvantage in com-
peting with their neighbours, the disadvantage will
not 1.04. It seems probable that nine hours will be-
come the workitg day if the more laborious trades in
that district • and probably ari much work will be ,lone
in the nine 'hours as in the ten hours. On one de-
velopment of the Nine Hours movement the pulilis
have every reason to congratulate themselves. The
directors of the Ninth Loitern Railway have adopted
the Newcastle compromise, and will begin hi
January next to work their servants only nine
hours a day. It is difficult to say which will profit
most by this wise arrangement—the public, the rail-
way servants, or the shareholders. The public will
gain a new security in railway travelling. 'lie-re will
he fewer sleepy overworked pointsmen, guards, or
drivers, on the North Eastrnt Railway, and accidents
which are Inc, to overwork of the official, will be avoided.
We commend this example to the directors of other
railways. The North Eastern line is one of the
largest railway undertakings in the kingdom. It
cover, nearly the whole of the north-eastern
r, wiser of the island, from York, Leeds, and Hull
to Berwiek. It has to rarry on an active cianpe-
tftion for the Scotch traffic will the line on the west
Icoast, and will soon have to ilo so with the new Mid-
land line from Settle to Carlisle. If such a line can

adopt the Nine flows aystern, all other lines can do
the same. After the revelations which have been
Lately made of the long hours the pointatorn work on
some more southern lines, and the evident connection
between those long hours and the long list f railway
casualties, this step on the part of a great railway de
serves public recognition and thanks.

Mr. earl, M.P., in apologizing for non-attendance
at a meeting eld on Monday night in Leeds, in favour
nf shorter ours of work for railway servants,
wrote :

"I have read carefully the letters which have appeared in
the public prints, and have noted the statements by Mr.
Baas in regard to the long hours the servants of the railway
are kept on duty. The conclusion I have come to—whieh
every other person seeing the evidence must also have
arrived at—is that a very string case has been made out in
favour of the men, and for a reduction in the time they are
kept on duty. I know of no clear gd men who are kept so
nnieh on the stretch, mentally and bodily, as are enginemen,
guards. pointmen, aingalmen, and other railway employisi.
A slight dereliction of duty -a few moments of inattention—
may at any time lead to consequences, both to themselves and
to others, id the moat serious and disastrous kind. Thin
constant, momentous attention to duty is far more
difficult and far more exhausting than onlinary every-
day work. The scattered and isolated positions
of railaay servants deprives them if the powers of combina-
nation which many other trades poweas, and a strike among
them Involves more inconvenience Lithe general public than
does a strike among any other class of workmen and I have
no doubt this has its influence in deterring them from using
that means of getting shorter hours or higher wages. They
are so largely the eel, suits of the public a bile they are the
servants of the railway C. that the public will ;Lb
ways take a strong interest in their welfare, and help them
to obtain redress for any grievances they may have to com-
plain of, or to obtain that position in respect if hours of
labour which other workmen are fast obtaining by mutual
agreements with their employers."