The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-12-07 00:00:00

rhe STRIKE of the LONDON GASMEN.

The Tines, of Wednesday, thus narrates the proceedings
In coonexion with the strikes the London Gas Stoke
The gasmen who have gone on strike with the am-
bition of leaving London in darkness did not succeed
last night. Some of the places about London were
wimewhat dim, and the London, Chatham and
Dover etation at Ludgate, not at the best of dines an
over-biilliant place, was in fact in darkness, Bo for as
gas was concerned; and this was, of course, clearly
traceable to this unprecedented strike. The
daily newspaper offices, which must work at night,
had been lorewarne-1, and had made provision by
means of mineral arri other oil lamps, which, by reason
I of their cheapness, enter so largely into competition
with gas by 940 among even the middle classes of the
surbruban districts, and the general population in
small towns, where attempt,' are made to charge high
prices for gas. rho large use of these applanees and
substitutes for gas, and the inclination of the public
to assist the companies, by reducing the consumption,
against an attack of this character, strengthened the
position against the men, who yesterday entered on
the etrike "with good spirits," and hail the audacity
to expect public support in the attempt to inflict a
public wrong.
The state of the theatres last night wee the test hew
far the gas supply had beenliminiphed and the luxury
of the public curtailed. At Drury lane 'Theatre the
performances proceeded as usual, and the interior was
only a slight degree less brilliant than ordinary. On
the stairs and in the corridors the gas was lowered ae
much as possible, and the light was eked out with
oil lamps. At Covent garden there was also less britliancy. The management of the Gaiety Theatre had
prepared for the worst, and had excellent lamps all
over the corridors, while in " front " all was
ready for a special illumination of a novel cha-
racter, which it is said will be carried out this
evening if any doubt should exist as to the supply of
gas. At the Oteira Comique the gas was in its
normal condition, that theatreibeing, fortunately, sup.
plied by a company whose men have not struck, and
therefore the brilliant performance of this pretty
house was not in the slightest way dimmed. TheStraud
Theatre was also brilliantly lighted. Further west-
ward all was not so well, for people coming to other
theatres reported the St. James's as closed, that
another had to wie candles in "front," and that a
third was in a state of considerable dimness. On the
whole, up to a late hour, the public have not suffered
the inconvenience the workmen who struck desired
should be felt.
Affairs did not get worse as the night wore on, for
Ludgate-hill Station was later at night lighted up, lind
that generally dismal station, aided by the extra lames,
and with its normal lighting restored, was unusually

taking c
severa.l

Mr. Harry Chubb, secretary • f the impetial Gas
Company, wtites to to (The Times) with reference to
our leadine article on the strike of the stokers at the
metropolitan gas works. He says that sin, e last
September, when all the men employed by the several
London eompanies combined and established "a
Stokere' Union," there has been a growing spirit of
insubordination among this company's men which
has been at times almokt intolerable. The men
openly boasted of their power to put London into
darkness whenever they pleased, and, knowing that
to some extent they had that power, especially at
thin season of the year, the managers of this company's
works have felt it to he their duty to submit, as far as
possible, to many irregularities rather than provoke
any collision with them and precipitate a conflict. In
the matter of wages the directors have been obliged
to be liberal almost beyond reason, and the men
admit that in this respect, as well as in all others.
they have been dealt with most conk lerately and
even kindly by their employers. The directors them-
selves met delegates representing the men at each of
this company's three works, shortly after the strike in
October last, when the directors informed and assured
them that they were always ready personally to investi-
gate any grievance the men might have, 80 that they
might rely on even-handed justice. On that occasion the
delegates expressed regret that the October strike had
occurred, promising in futute to accept the offer of the
directors, and see them before resorting to such a pro-
ceeding again. The open speech and behaviour of the
men since has, however, betokened mischief; so much
so, that the directors of this company have felt it to be
incumbent upon them to be on their guard. Accord-
ingly, s system of organizing has been in hand, by
means of which bodies of men could be drawn from
various sources at short notice on any emergency. The
particular circumstance which occasioned the present
strike was one of gross insubordination on the part
of a labourer engaged in carrying coke at the
Fulham works. He refused in an insulting manner
to obey a reasonable aed necessary order within the
scope of his duty, and it was clearly a case which could
not be overlooked. The chief engineer himself investi-
gated the circumstances, and, in presence of two dele-
gates of the men, satisfied himself, and, as he believes,
the delegates also, that the man could not, with any de-
gree of propriety, be retained in the service. The stokers,
howet or, who were then assembled outside the wcrks for
night duty, absolutely refused to commence work until
the dismissed man had been restored to his employ-
ment, and the man put in his place, who happens to be
a non-Union man, turned off. At that time (Friday
evening) the supply of gas for the large demand of
Saturday night depended upon the ability of the com-
pany to continue the manufacture steadily without any
cessation. Of this the stokers were perfectly aware, and
no doubt relied upon the apparent helplessness of the
company's position to endeavour to coerce the engineer
into accepting their terms. The question would admit
of no delay ; the demand of the men was unreasonable
and unjustiiable, and all the authority needful for
the proper conduct of works of such magnitude as those
at Fulhem would be utterly at an end if such a demand
were conceded. Maters we,e thus brought to an
issue, the men refused to work, and steps were imme-
diately taken to supply their places. On the follow-
ing morning none of the men required for the day work
presented themselves until about seven o'clock, when
they came, not for work, but clamouring for their
week's pay. On the following evening (Saturday) the
men at this company's St. Pancras works, at the insti-
gation of the Fulham men, quitted their work without
a moment's warning, within an hour after they had
commenced their duty for the night. On Sunday
night the men at tbe Hageewton Works did the
same, but so complete have been the arrangements of
the company for procuring other men, that an ample
supply has been obtained. There is no difficulty in
getting men at the wages the company pay ; the only
difficulty has been in training them for the work. But
every hour they are becoming more skilful, and the
places of the men who have struck will very soon he
filled by other competent men glad to leave their
ordinary occupation for such comparatively high wages
as the stokers receive. It is one of the rules of the
Union that no man shall sign any paper relating to the
conditions of his employment, and especially that he
by no means agrees sot to quit work without notice.
1 his rule is so obviously objectionable, and gives the
men so great an advantage, that the present oppor-
tunity will be taken to refutes employment to all men
who will not enter upon temtracte for a limited period.
It is because the men see that they have been so
thoroughly beaten by this company that they have
now struck at the other nut tropolitan gas woe to.
The Union assert that tie men at Fulham
have been locked out by this company, and they
demand their immediate re-employment ; but
this statement of a lock out is Atm ly untrue.
The company will certainly not re-employ any
man who has suddenly quitted his work, or who
has not presented himself for duty at the ap-
pointed hour, unless he will first sign a con-
tract agreeing in future to give or receive a week's
notice befit, he quits. There is no lock-out whatever;
the question at issne now is simply whether the
managers of the works or the stokers are to be masters.
There has not been any singling out el men for perse-
cution, no tyranny, no deficiency of wages, or other
grievance. All that is required is reasonable obe-
dience and a week's notice before quitting. This
the men will not consent to, and in the interest of
the public the directors of this company feel it to be
imperative upon them, now that the battle has begun.
not to allow matters to remain in such a position as
that the same unjustifieble conduct on the part of the
men may let repeated whenever they may choose. Mr.
Chubb adds that the new men work most willingly,
awl will soon become practised hands ; and if matters
go on even as they are at present, there will not be any
serious deficiency of gas in the district which the Ims
penal Gas Company undertake to supply.

Mr. Robert Porter, managing director of the Gas
Generator Company (Limited), writes with reference
to the strike that it may be some comfort to the public
to know that the London gas companies have now under
ci neideration a mechanical arrangement by means
of which the depemlynce of the gas supply of
London on manual labour may for the future be,
to a great extent, avoided, and steam power and
machinery substituted, with great improvement in
the quality of gas, for the rough and primitive process
which iii, to this thee has prevailed in the retort
houses of our numerous gas works. To these managers
of gas works who are now quainted with the new system
referred to, he offers every information, and an hispec•
tion of the machinery in operation.

Bytctem

The "CAMBERWELL GHOST" SETTLED!
At the Snrrey Sessions, Maria Morgan, aged 19, described
a a servant, was indicted for stealing a watch and chain, the
property of William VVells, at Camberwell.
It appeared from the evidence of Jaws Dam,
a detective sergeant, that for some weeks a great
deal of excitement had been caused in the neigh-
bourhood of the prosecutor's house. No. 131, Camber-
well-road, by a report that a " Ghost " was com-
mitting all sorts of damage. Flower-pots were
thrown about, trees damaged, and persons struck
with various missiles, without the origin of
the mischief being discovered. Detectives Puttock
and Neville were engaged to detect the perpetrator
of these dangerous freaks, and on Monday, the 18th
ult., they went to the prosecutor's house, when
they ascertained that the mother of the latter had just
been struck by a broken flower-pot and cut on the
arm. A vine was also cut down, and a water butt over-
turned. They saw the prisoner in a very excited
state, and she showed them a bruise on the forehead,
which she said had been inflicted by a man she
found in the wash-house. The officer searched the oleo-,
but failed to find any trace ot a man. During the
time they were searching the place flower-pots were
thrown ale of in a most mysterious manner, and then
the prisoner screamed out, and begged to be allowed
to leave the house, as elle was afr.ild to stop. Just at
that time a watch and chain were mimed from the
breakfast-room, and the detectives, having a .mspicion
about the prisoner's conduct, followed her upstairs.
She ran into a bedrOom, followed by the officers, who
found the watch and chain concealed in the bed. They
too:. her into custody.
Martha Platt, a girl in the prosecutor's employ,
said that on the Sunday evening previous the prisoner
came to bee and said, "1 must do something to make
minus believe somebody has got into the house." The
prisoner then opened the kitchen window, as though
it had been forced, and told witness to scream out
and call for the young mast-r. Witness went upstairs
and called him, and a little while afterwards the
prisoner told her not to say anything about what
was done, and to throw some flowerpots out so as to

property

-alarm the house. She, however, declined tri-dO SO. On
Monday the prisoner said, "I must do something else
to_rnake reissue think a man is in the plsoe," and then,
'-, up the head of a broGra stick' struck herself
_A heavy blows on the forehead, causing bruiseB.
She afterwards struck herself with a flower-pot and
cut her forehead. Shortly afterwards she rushed in
from the washhouse screaming, and said lb man con-
cealed there had struck her.
The prosecutor said the prisoner had only been In
his service six weeks, and for the last fortnight great
damage had been done by flower-pots and other missiles
being thrown about. The whole neighbourhood had
been thrown into alarm by the freaks of the "Ghost.'
The jury found the prisontr Guilty, and the Deputy-
Chairman sentenced her to twelve months' hard labour.