The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-27 00:00:00

The LOCK-OUT of FARM LABOURERS.

The following is an extract from the letter of the
Special Reporter of The Times :
NORWICH, Monday.
The Norfolk farmers have not been quite free from diffi-
culties about labour. In the Spring some of the men gave
notice that they should require a rise of a shilling in wages,
and there was a strike upon the farms of Mr. C. S Read,
M.P., and Mr. Lerman), among other employers. A few la-
bourers migrated to the north, but the majority seem to
have soon returned, and the old story was repeated here;
they came back with minds cleared of a good many false
notions about ',hat was to be done or gained outside their
and, farmer said• to me to-day,

... _
own villages, and, as one -ruler 5ue....., so-uay, the l
-- —7
&
they were worth Ps, or St more a week to him than amongst
:--
they were before. "Seeing the world," as it may Ron was submitted to the meeting
be seen in any large manufacturing town, appears, " We, trades unionists of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and
indeed, to be here, as it often is elsewhere, an ex- Cheshire, assembled at the Pomona Palace in public meeting,
cellent discipline and corrective The East Anglian in. knowing that certain employers of agricultural labourers
bourer, as a rule, does not take kindly either to the severe have locked out their men for joining a Union which has for
toil, or the rough language and ways of the northern work, its objects the general advancement of its members, and
man His is a softer, gentler nature, and for this reason, in believing that union of labour can alone secure them the
many cases, he has found the new companionship Into which possession and enjoyment of their rights, resolve to sustain
HARBoUR OF COUilllbi (LOAN) BILL. he has been suddenly thrust quite uncongenial, while a new the men no unjustly locked-out, by contributing to their
This bill was read a third ti i.e and passed. I experience has dawned upon him-- that higher wages do support by efforts again and again repeated„. until the right
I not necessarily mean a change for the better. Such in- , of union has been conceeded by the farmers.
WILD BIRDS LAW AMENDMENT BILL. I stances have occurred in
Earl Delawarr moved the second reading of this bill, the han in Norfolk, though less com up as
monIP Mr. Arch, who sported the resolution, w received with
' t the sister county because the rate of wages is
objsct of which he stated was to amend the Act of 1872 by , higher here, and the ind,ucement therefore has been the ' loud cheers. The Timee thus reports his speech :
ells nding the protection accorded by that Act to wild birds, 1 greater to leave well alone. The bulk of the Norfolk He said that agricultural labourers were made
to their nests also, aild bird nd to include
d withinbreeding the protection I farmers are now paying 15s. a week nominal wages; like other men; they had feelings like other men,
given by the act all ws uring the season, ' and I was assured by several farmers to-day that the and knew how t., appreciate goodness ; and the
excepting those the praservation of which might bets- I earning,
and of their ordinary labourers, including hay-making, expression of sympathy which 1.1 that day been
jurions. , harvest, piecework at other seasons, will average El a n.ade by the trades organizations of Manchester and
The Mahon of Gloucester supported the motion. - week all the year round, while the Tim:quilt's rent for a the surrounding towns would never be forgotten by
The Earl of Morley thought that some modification in the , comfortable cottnse, with 20 issis of garden or allotment, is
them. If there was anything that he should take pride
details of the bill would be requiresl £4 105. a year. As to piecework I am told that increased
After a few words from the Earl of Malmesbury and the
day wages here have made the men much less eager for it in when telling his children of what English philt
than they used to he. They are satisfied to earn 151. a week anthrotists had done, it would be to tell them that on
Fart of Kimberley, in the ordinary jog-trot way ;or it may be that the ralea the 20t of June, 1874, thousands of hard-working men,
The Lord Chancellsir hoped their lordships would henitate I fixed for what they call " taking work " have not risen pro- az well as true philanthropists, had met him in Pomona
the little before intraNcing to a familiar acquaintance with 1 portionately with the rise in day wages. and are not, there-
the criminial law the juvenile male population of the country I tore, sufficient to tempt them into extra exertion. That gardens to support his cause ami that of his class.
(hear, hear). Ile thought that the previous Acts had pro- I the labourers are now better off than they have been Cheers). The object of the great demonstration that
tected all the birds which it ns desirable to encourage i ' for a long time past-perhaps even than they have day was to show sympathy with the agricultural
and if this bill were advocated esimply
cruelty t imal f
shoulor the pd bear upon Hundreds of trevention of I ever been before—the farmers strenuously declare. labourers because they had not theirrights,andbecause
o ans, it was absurd that it he men round Norwic h came to see their rights had been denied them. (Cheers). Should
the faee of it some glaring exception& the County Agricultural Show, held here this week, it be written on the pages of English history that
The bill was read a second time. sacrificing a stupor half a day in doing an ; and some tithe before the farm labourers obtained their rights they
I am told, paid as. for the dinner or luncheon which was
CANADIAN STOCK (STAMP AND DUTY ON were obliged to move the hearts of great cities like
provided for the visitors. In some cases the farmers sent
TRANSFERs) BILL. them in waggons, and many employers used in former years Manchester, London, and Liverpool? In this nation
The ~.&5..15, stock (Stamp and Duty on Transfers) Bill ,to pay the men's expenses into the bargain. "No more of of tweeted freedom, ought they not to take the
was, on the motion of the Duke of Richmond, read a second ' that for me, thank PM! 'said one fernier to-day. "II he blush to their cheeks who had kept the tiller of the
t wants to see the show, Mr. Unionist must pay soil in serfdom long
for himself
time.i so . (Hear.) The farm labourer
BOARDIRG OPT PAUPER CHILDREN. and get there, he can." For that matter it Is better that I
both Unionists and non- Unionists should pay for themselves had not courted poverty or ignorance. He resented
Lord De La V. after expressing approval of the system his poverty and grieved on account of his ignorance as
and feel, in this and other things, that they can now enjoy
of boarding out pauper ehildiTll, moved for returns of the
number of pauper children boarded out on the lot of June the unaccustomed luxury of independence. much as any man, and when poverty and ignorance
mat in different Unions of England and Wales, of the number Altogether, it will be gathered that the Union labourers had been forced upon him against his consent and will,
of pauper children in each of the district schools of Anerley, .in Norfolk have had les& reason for striking than their cum- and it was impossible for him individually to extricate
oe
Plashet. and unwell at the same date, and afeeei the average : ratios in Sufi lk, where the general rate of wages ist la& in- himself, was it not just and right that he should cons-
oat of each child to the ratepayers. , stead
the
of 15s. The exceptional troubles, however, which did lime with his fellows in order to better his condition?
arise with men in and the example of
The motion was agreed to. still greater troubles ismie by, theirLincolnshire, southern neighbours, (Cheer& ) He had no doubt that what he said at this
LIgUoR STATISTICS. • induced the Norfolk farmers three months ago to found an meeting would be criticized by some and denounced
On the motion of Lord Aherslare, an Address was adopted .
t association, the objects of which were "to defend the in- by others, but it must be accepted in the main. He
terests of the occupiers of the soil against the oppression of was there to speak the truth, and if millionaires, and
praying for returns of certain reports to the Home :Were-
tars on the working of the licensing Act of 1672. the Agricultural Labourers' Union, or any other combination landlords and farmers did not like it, they had
, cd a similar nature, and to preserve the principle of freedom
The other business being disposed of, their leedsifiP. ,of contract between employer and employed : and " got to lump it." (Cheers.) When he came to the
adjourned. , rally to act together in all matter' relating to labouratoe- fr.onit
,in 1872 he had striven to tell the truth, and
protect against threats or intimidation, those agricultural Wnl e ins opponents had severely criticized his state-
labourers who are not membern of any Union or other cons- rnents, the bitterest of them had not been able to
hination which mp attet&ctate bitrary terms to prove that he had told a lie. (Cheers.) The union
. _ . . Coto . ar. . tale— based up, the rock of

INTOXICATINO Ligt:ohs BILL.
In the lIMIsx Oa Loans, June 23, this bill was brought up
from the Commons, and was read a first time.
MARRIED WOMEN'S PR4VERTY ACT (1870) AMENDMENT
BILL

This bill passed through committee, with some amend.
went.

CATTLE DISEASE.

In the HOusE 07 CoxiMoWx, Mr. Cogan asked the Vice-
President of the Council whether the resolution which it ha/I
been stated that the Lord President had arrived at of re-
quiring a more stringent Inspection of animals imported into
this country from Ireland had arisen from the prevalence of
any cattle disease ii that part of the United Kingdom.
Lord Sandon said the proposed inspection of animals
Imported into this country from Ireland had not been
directed on account of ally outbreak of cattle disease among
animals sent from that part of the kingdom, and it was not
proposed to place any further restrictions upon such impor-
tation, but merely to carry out those already in existence.
The Lord President was only acting in accordance with the
recommendation of the Select Committee of 1573,

employers as welia-s-iiirkee-laboure-rT;trhoT-beintiinembers oi
a Union, may desire to withdraw from it ; to compensate
the members for loss sustained in resisting the coercive
demands of the Agricultural Labourers Union or other
shatlar combination."

of -farm labourers were upon Zn., __-
justice, and he felt satisfied that oil the opposing forces
of the country could never overthrow it. If the farm
labourers' question were merely a matter of an advance
of wages by a shilling a week, it would be a paltry
affair to come to Manchester and discuss it. He knew
that the upper classes, and, speaking generally, the
people in the towns, had not been awake to the dis-
content which had been growing among the agri-
cultural labourers during the last ten years. Writers
had come into the rural districts and had written
eloquent descriptions of the beautiful thatched cot-
tages in which the labourers lived; they had ex-
patiated upon their woodbine bowers their
nlietvleer egneteeareninitCrirdedlesir(laTel (laughter) andt lived with
themi rm (Hear, troarralimWklmittr.hme,e
rhewgloitrgo isrsoedugiliiire
rural districts was that these honourable gentlemen
should stay a mouth among them and live with them.
("Hear, hear," am' cheers.) It was all very fine for men
, who were fond of the picturesque and the beautiful
; to adn.ire the antique cottage of the labourer, but let
them enter into his hardships and his sorrows, let them
try to exist on his 10s., 125., or 13s. a week, and he
was satisfied that they would then write down the
positive facts in the words of the metaphor of Holy
Writ—that the cottage might be beautiful without,
but inside it was full of death and misery. (Hear,
hear.) The question before the people of T.'ngland—
' for it did not merely concern a handful of landlords or
farmers—to-day was, Shall these labourers have their
freedom or shall they be slaves The artisans of the
towns hail struggled for and obtained their freedom.
Were the labourers in the fields a less important class.
("No, no i '') 'sVero they less useful to society?
("?so, no!') Let them go into the dwellings of the
rich and see their tables groaning under a load of the
good things of this life, and ask who had laboured to
provide those dainties. They were told that they must
respect Capital —Capital had done this. and had done
that. He sap! that Capital was the offspring of Isalsour.
Labour WWI the parent; Capital the child. He main-
tained that it was dangerous to the interest, welfare, and
security of any country when the child began to strangle
its parent. (Loud cheers.) Mr. Halliday in his speech
had put forward a grand idea which had been present
to his own mind for many years. If the working men
were to put their mites together in the large towns and
buy up the land ot the country, and let the labourers
till it, what would be the effect of it? He said, fearless

on Tuesday night a meeting of working men was held in
Liverpool to express sympathy with the apiculture'
labourers in the southern counties at present locked out
Delegates from various trade societies attended, amongst
them being Mr. George Odger. The meeting was addressed
by two locked out labourers from Suffolk, who gave an
outline of their experiences. Mr. Odger in addressing the
".othitt, said that Canon (lirdlestone deserved the grati-
tude of the lebourers for his efforts on their behalf. With
regard to the spread of trades unionism generally, he ex-
pressed his conviction vhat combination had now reached
such a point that no Government would dare say the Unions
timid(' cease to exist ; and it was fortunate for this country
that neither the present nor the preceding Government
had attempted to do such a thing. The Unions had been
formed in the teeth of every opposition, and it was Impos-
sible to do away with them. They were the safe-guard of
this nonott)'s peace and tranquility. Ile urged the work-
men of Liverpool to assist in maintaining the struggle of
the anticultural labourers, however desperate it might be.
Resolutions in support of the niorement were unanimously
adopted.

THE SOUTH AFRICAN COLONIES.
It, A. MCArthur asked the l'nder Secretary of State for
the Colonies what steps had been taken by the Government
of the Cape of Good Hope in regard to the question of the
ensfecleration of the several Colonies and States of South
Africa, and what course of action bad been adopted by her
Majesty's Government on the subject.
Mr. Lovrther said the Government had taken any
steps on the subject referred to to the question, but her
Majesty's Govenimr•nt was fully impressed with the advan-
tages that most arise from a confederation of this kind.

THY ELECTORAL DISABILITIEsi OF WOMEN,
Mr Forsyth asked the First Lord of the Treasury,
whether, considering that upwards of one thousand peti-
tions, containing snore than three thousand signatures, had , -----------
been presented this session to the House of Commons in
favour of the bill to remove a.: electoral disabilities of SALE OF MR.
women, he could hold out any expettatjon that an OVIINER'S EFFECTS.
oppor-
tunity would be afforded to read the bill a :gond time in
the present session. The sale of the furniture and household effects Of
Mr Disraeli :I am anxious so far as it is in my power to the late Mr. Sumner, at Washington, on the 3rd inst.,
givbf e opportunities to hon. gentlem terest but my h
en to hring forwon i
ard any seems to a. have r: Ised no little excitement in that city.
sueee in which they take an in frend , --); ,
must feel that It is premature rather ,to press ass for any .he spectators of the calo were, according to the New
more distinct answer to his question than that it is only York Tribune, divided into four tiaewa :
recently that the House, with great liberality, confided to First, the devoted friends 01 Mr. Sumner, whA Why«
the Government the opportunity of carryitig on pubde anxious to secure some souvenirs of the departed scholar ;
business on Tuesdays. When that public business is secondly, the curious ; thirdly. the speculators ; and
more advanced I shall be able to speak again upon the fourthly, the professional aisetion-coers. The small articles
subject. I have already referred to the subject of Home of a miscellaneous charactor 40414. It ig gtggted, " extrava-
Rule, and I must not forget that! has.: made a promise to gant andunprecedented sums " The salebegan 10 thekitehen,
the hon member for Londonderry (Mr. p Lewis) with I and thecommonest kind of kitchen utensils, which Mr.iumner
respect to his motion on the Income-tax, and also to another proabbly never saw, fetched" frightful prices." For instance,
lion gentleman who has a motion upon the paper with jelly and ice cream moulds, worth Ac. or I dol., Ilre ught from
reference to waste lands. Therefore I cannot give any 6to 10 dots. The dining-room was next sold out. Afterthe
further assurance to the hon member, except that in this sideboad was told for 200 dols thP dining-table, —the seat
case as in any other it would be most gratifying to us to of as liberal and reined hospitality as was ever dispensed."
assist him, brought leo dols., a "colonies oat:Mg," one of Mr. Sumner's
favourite friends, being the purchaser. This dining-table
FACTOR!RS WEALTH OF WOMEN, &C.) BILL. Was, says Ow Tribune, "an especial oblect of attention and
The main business of the evening was the Committee on remark, kies4kee being very elegant m finish, around it
the Factories Bill before going into committee, Mr. W. Gloaters mutt 'want history
arid many memories. Poets,
Holmes moved that the bill should be extended tette matiu• artists, philosophers,. scholars, politicians, presidents,
facttums and employments to which the Factory Acty Fess,. and princes, foreign diplomats historians, and states..
Mon Act Is applicable ; but Mr. Cross pointed out how unfair area have sat at that table it was 00 this table that