The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-01-18 00:00:00

THE STRIKE IN SOUTH WALES.

2s. T I Ilk 8 palilieh.a the knotting letter on Hominy :
Having read your article on the strike in the coal
and iron trade of South \Vale. in The Times of lester.
clay, I venture to give yon a statement ot my own case,
to show on that I did not give notiae of reduction of
Whee, withiint jnat cause.
On the 4th of December I had not a single order for
rails or bars on my book, having worke 1 all I had
taken, I wrote to my London agent, desiring him to
do all heron d W procure me an order, so as to keepmy
men employed. His reply to me was, "I cannot hear
of an order in the market." I wrote to him again,
telling him to call on one of my best and ohlett
rust i mere, and to offer him 2,000 tons at 30a.
per ton under what I hail sold at last. Ile did so,
but could not obtain an order without sending
a cable tneitiage to America. It took a week or
nine days before this order was contioned. In the
meantime I was obliged to keep my men employed by
working iron for making rails, and also on rails for
stock. Not liking to work notch for stock, I wr, te
my agent to try and sell auother 2000, tons at the same
price as the former 2,000 tons, provided be could semi
rue the order and specification at once. Ile succeeded
111 doing so, awl I was enabled to leave off working
for stock. The price I sold these rails at was £9 Ills.
per ton, nix mouthe, being £"J 2s. 5,1. per ton net, less
brokerage and discount.
When the ininmaaters met the working men in
Cardiff I explained all this to the men, telling them
that as soon as ever the price of rails advanced, and
the masters commenced working on the advanced
price, the reduction would be given them hack; and
asking them if it would not be much better for them
to work in the intervening time than bc idle. After
some further talking on both eiden, I was asked if I
had any oajection to show my books and trove that
what I Mai stated was true as to price ,if rails. I
replied, I wan quite willing to do so, and if the non
found I had made a false statement. never to believe
me avdp. I never intended allowing my books to
be examined further than ti prove what I had stated.
I firmly believe I lose money by selling rails at
E 9 2a. 5,1. net, with the present rate of wages and
materials, and I would rather let my works remain
Idle than work at a loan. It is almost impossible to
make out the exact omit of the make of a ton of rails
until the year's end, which occurs in the Wm trade
amounts on the 31st of March, but by what I can
make out and judge by last year's cost of materials
and wages, and with the advance that has oc-
cnrred in both these, I am convinced rails coat me
£9 per ton ,a upwards. What need is there, them-
fore, for arbitration in my case? I will only just
nay a word or two on what you ray as to " increased
trade means only increase idleness and debauchery."
My make of rails and bars has fallen off lito tons per
week since the advance, in W,hs.. The Monday after
the pay day as many as tal furnaces have been idle
through the men not coming to their work through
drinking. I am, of course, urn Ii annoyed at being
obliged to stop my works and shall lose a large sum of
money ; so it is not likely I shonid have pursued the
comae I have done if I had been able to carry them
on at even a small profit. I can only repeat what I said
to the men at Cardiff —that sa soon as the niaatere
are able to c immence working rails on an advanced
price the reduction of wages will be withdrawn, and
that my books are open for them or any disinterested
person to see that what I stated as to pricee if rails is
correct. The lowest price I sold rails at before the late
rise in price was 2+. tid, per ton, six months, being
£5 18s. 9tL p r ton net, lees brokerage and discount,
which giver' the advance on rails 58 B.lllthe per cent.
I have alvancel my steam coal eilliers 101 per cent.,
anti all my others (rim 47 to 101 per cent., so that
wages have been advan- ed by me nearly double We
advance in the price of trots.
I have every reason to believe by what my men tell
me, who come to me every morning with some request
or other, that if there hail been no Union and to etranger
delegates to interfere with the miin, they would have
been satisfied and content with my explanation, and
have gone to work. They also nay that if it were put to
vote by ballot to go to work or te it, work would com-
mence to-morrow morning. Eight out of ten of my
men are against the strike, hut are intimidated by the
Unionists. I have 14 eolliere working at the old rate
of wages, cutting coal only to keep my pumping engines
at worlc. Last night, at a meeting of the !halm
men it was ordered that these men should not he al.
towel to work, although at the old price: and that the
works should be flooded. The Unionists do not only
keep from working themselvee, but forcibly prevent
others by intimidation. It is now a reign of terrorism
In trio chstricta where the Union is established, and
thousands will suffer amt are suffering from the action
of comparatively of few, and the leaders of these few
will only reap advantage from it.—l am, &e,
ROBERT CRAWSHAT,
C'yfarthfa Ironworks, Jan. 10.

The following are extracts from the letters of the
Special Correspondent of The Times at Mei thyr
_--
_

One of the best and most popular employers in South
Wales Is Mr. Crawshay, the propristor of tOBO works, and
yet it le against him the first real ,yr reprehensible act com-
mitted by the men haa been directed by order of the dele-
gates, who have the conduct of the strike. For the purpose
of keeping the pumping engines g lag, and so saving the
mines from being flooded, Mr. Craw shay continues to pay
the full wages to a number of firemen whose business it was
to cot coal for those engines This was simply a
salvage working iu which the men who were out on
strike were interested almost as much. lf not acute
as much, as the owner himself. If the strike is not to last
for ever the men will want to descend to the pits some time
or other, and they cannot do that if they ace filled with water,
hit, the Vuhm" having determined probably that the wu
should be male as terrhle as possible. Its fiat went forth
against salvage work in the miser of one of the largest and
most benevolent of employers, even though the men
engaged In it were bald the fall scale of wages
demanded by them and their leaders. On Peed., his
firemen got the Ortitlr to go In no more. To their
email& be It said, that all or wine of them remon-
strated, saying that it the pimping were stopped the
mime would till with water. The reply nf the rapes,.
seritativse Milne helms Is SIM to have been, "Well, let the
mind' drown." The firemen, for some reason or other
best known to themselves, but which the public will
probably not find much dittioulty iu imagining, obeyed
" the Union," and went out yesterday morning, leaving the
miners to the mercy of the wastrel. Perhaps, from the
Union " pAnt of view, this was very high policy, because
at the very time hat Mr. Craw shay and his property
were treated in this way, that gentleman was lending
10s apiece to the Moot deserving of the ironworkers
out on strike against him, and finding employment for
others of them In drainage and other works set on foot by
hlia in the demesne of Cyfuthla Castle, expressly for the
Ramose of Ihrsing something o for them to o which "the
nbin" could not possibly object to. The lesson Intended to
be read to the masters may be this—" If thus early in the
strike the proprietar of the Cyfarthlt Works is treated In
this manner, what many others of Jon not expect if you do
not come to our terms And pot an end to this strike.' . . .

The Ironworkers out on strike expect to receive funds to-
morrow from their sympathizers to the North of England,
and within a day or two after the fiat week's allowance of
105. a head will he looked for by the Unionist eiDiers lo
neither case will money come before it is wanted. Distress
has already made itself ominously apparent Families
who u ed to tee- lye from the meager* coal at the rata of
14 him red of 140 la to each hundred for Xs, td., are paying
• for one hundred weight. Msny have no money.
Some masters who would advance c oils on credit
have et .ne to advance. This being the case at the
mot of the first week of the strike, what may not
be anticipated tithe men remain anti another tit weeks.
or for two months r The mastam may have no right V)
complain of the nay made by the men of extraordinarily good
wages as long as the work is dine which thy haven f iir
right to expect in return for the wages paid, but lithe remit
of such wages has beer. to indece large numbers of the men
to remain out from work for two or three days in each week,
while serest portion of the horse, steam, atol furnace power
• ifficient to keep them all at work haa remained waste, to
as great leas of the employers, Dieu it can scarcely be
coat laded that the ma4tera have not some hing to say
to tho use made by the men of the roomy which they
bays paid them. In a somewhat elmilar manner. should
it incomes necessary to make an appeal to the public Sr
pecuniary guidance to the men out on strike, the men can
scarcely complain if the publi, should require to he put in
pomession of statistics, the result cd impartial inveat•gatien,
initial will enaiile it t judge as to whether those who ap-
peal to It for practical eyinfiathy availed themselves fairly
of the opportunities elicit the very high wages of the last
Dll months gave them to make provision for their main
tenance while engaged Ins struggle to compel the masters to
accede to what they contend to ne a just 1N1111.1311. It might
be as well for till !coders of the I: ohm not to lose sight of
each considerations.

lo another letter, dated January 13, the Correspondent of
The Times writes:—

In the hope of having their views stated to the pub-
lic chruugh the columns of The Tomer, a deputation of
the ironworkers of the Dowhais Works have called on
roe this evening. They say they are at direct issue
with the masters on a question of certain figures, and
that it is on' this point, and this point only,
they ask for arbitration. They repudiate the
idea that they want an examination of the was
ters' books for the purpose of ascertaining the
profits made. by the masters, or for the uurpoee
of having a decision by arbitration as to what those
profits ought to be. They hglieve that the rate of wages
after the 10 per cent, reduction would not bt or the Came
ratio to the prices now received by the masters as did
the rearo of wages paid by the saine masters at
different antecedent periods to the prices received by
them at thorn) periods. '1 hey submit that the assurance
of this fact is a fair subject for arbitration, and
that it in no way involves an offensive inquiry
into the affairs of the masters, or an attempt
to dictate to them as to the profit they ought
to be allowed on their colliery ironworks. If the
result of much an arbitration should be to show
that the waged offered by the masters bear the came
ratio t the pric-s they rec-ive as the wag, pail by
teem at certain antecedent periods bore to the prices
received at those periods. the men would accept the
reduced scale. They would ar,u,e to the nomination
as arbitrator of any independent and competent
.gen-
tlen.an. The deputation consisted of seven 1.
workers, all Unionists; and their principal spokesman
was Mr. David I'rice, a very intelligent workman.
who with coosiderable ability addressed the aggregate
wittier of ironworkers n hl byre on Thursday last.
The deyntation desirril to thank The Times for the
impartiality it has displayed in reference to the great
Strike.
The correspondent of the Daily News writes

Of course matters grow worse eery I lay, and should
the strike coutiad. en ether fort:dant a fresh complica-
tion will :aim:. li,ght t. utl,s of the workmen live in
cottages owned by their Oilaploynrs, and we shall
see whether the masters will permit their former
workmen to continue to occupy their cottagea when
they canuot pay tl,e rent and wi'l not accept the work
that would enable them to do co. There is another
fear, of which pope do nit like to talk, hot wl,ich
will have to be fa ad if the strike continnes. "Fonine
fever,' of which we havebeen hear login Loudon lately,
is not in known in Merthyr. Accudiug to the la.eu
reportaf Air Dy ke, medical officer of the Local Board
of Keith, eighty families of paddlers were attacked
by this disetwe iri the °ours of a year paemed under
ordinary ciromistances. Mr. Dyke writes on this
subject :
A carefal inquiry itito the condition of each of the families
pun! &pried. 11 • lei me to conclude. that want_ of

food did not to any al,. k Aft. Extreme Indulgent'
-.in drilling biter lonot.g other e‘o octet,
want if dunitstis rumfurts, tha ahsence of"these
. sensed to be the twat promtneut predieposing tallet
in hanae atilt house t/le 'sine stets were o,en how,
and more 'members of a family hwthiled In the -neer
.d a room, lying on filthy Am.- IWO broken straw. In one
il.stance the only toenails.. in. !In•ho cc was a it one,ci 1 to
3 chair or table fowl yet the hone) Wet cut; ..3111 at
least 25. a week, and hag on,y de, and two
small children to aupport Ti. is the naval average of
week,y wages earned I.) the la, of men olio have specially
antlered from this form of fe.ur. flue house rent will nut
exceed hatha-crown a week, coal Is very cheap, the wages

wOild afford the fnmtlies of inch vrorkmen enroteh of orn
nary food hot of het nod liedillne and tie ninal roniforts of
a Louse tile Lililren were deprived by tho Improvident
habits of the poems.
Superaolfiefl to the normal hick of the "domestic
c..triforrs " referred to by Dr. I/t ke, we have absolute
want of food. the prospect is not & eheei ful one.
A correspondent of The S,andurd writes :

--
Yeeterdey evening Merthyr looked abmlutely cheer-
ful. Instead of the groupe ot men standing every-
where, talking quietly tuget ier, the 'Anew were
filled with young women and girls, laughing, chatter-
ing, and bandying jokes with their acquain-
tance,. Care did not seem as yet to have
set it. mark upon them, and they had c 'me
out from their houses to speed Saturday even.
ing, as usual, in gossip and chat, and in making
their unwontedly scanty purchases. Except that
the public houses were comparatively empty, the
streets altogether free from drunken men. and the
shopkeepers for he moot part etanding idly at their
doors inneead of being overwhelmed with customer..
Merthyr last night resumed for a few hour, its ordinary
Aspect. It may be weeks before it a_,ain relapses into
forgetfulineee of the grim present, for by next Sa3und.y
big tit Ihe hand of famine will begin to press too heavily
to be ignored even for an hour, and the question of
absolute starvation will begin to whister with nip-
palling distinctness to very many. Even now, short,
as has been the duration of the strike, there are
many whose Sunday dinner will only be a piece of dry
bread. The 40,000 or 50,000 ironworkers, and the
families dependent upon them, already feel the cum
v. I ttenced of the cienduct of the colliers. Mr. Crawshay
awl the other inonrumters keep as many of their
hands employed about the yards as possible, but the
on k men 0 kept ie are as nothing before the Lumber
standing in forced hileneee. I have to-lay been at
atthfa talking to the ironworkers there. They,
poor fellows, are longing to return to work upon
the mestere' terms. They may. "We have worked
here five, ten, or tweuty years." as the case may be
"anal we have always found Mr. ersiwehay a good
meeter. WI:1 want nothing better than to go to
work for him. We never wanted to stop work; but
what are we to do? The colliers have struck and there
is no coal. We cannot, much as we wish it. We me
our wives and children without food, fuel we are kept
idle by the action of the uniuniate." " Why," I asked,
"do you Lot hold a great meeting, and mix Mr.
Crawmay to put half the nrournme minere into the
coal fete, and thus work at least half the fuinaces?"
• We shall be only too glad," was the constant reply,
"but we have no one to come forward and take the
lead." Tale is the ditficulty of the thousands who
want to work, . .

There is no organisation, no leader. Were the Craw-
shays arid the other great ironnuawers wise they would
come forward now and orsau.se so auti-union, a great
frieualy society of mutual help and assistance. This
would bal +nue the power of the union, and w 'old give
the men natural lead. s who, in a crisis like this, would
enable them to etand together and save themselves
and their families from being sacr.fiond to the selfish-
ness ,d this comparative handtul ‘,l wen whose greed
and ambition are causing the found ul misery. It is tueleas
for the masters to write or to speak as Mr. Fother-
gil writes about the union. They must admit it, ex-
istence and meet it as an en. my, not by refusing
to deal with it, but by creating a counter force.
The Crawshays. the Guests, and the Itrogdens
have got power over their wotkpeople. They
have been good masters, and did they lead the
movement and render it assistance they might set
the union at defiance. Were they to say to morrow
"We will henceforth have no man employed upon
nr works who will look upon the union rather
than upon us as his masters," they might be nbliged
for roue- little time to keep some t,f their furnaces idle,
but in the long run they world have reason to congra.
talato thrmselvea upon h icing met, faced, and con-
quered a danger which threatened at ke the prosperity
of the Welsh iron trade and the happiness of the whole
of the work people of their busy valleys.
A correspondent writes to Vie Pima

The ballot and strikes appear to be established Insti-
tut! ma of the ifteseut age. Why not adopt one with
th other, and let the tenrklne c's.ses use the ballot to
ascertain the feelings of the ntajority in each 6rade bet on
vieg no strike, tnatead of being le t blindfold by • few
Persons whose interest it is to promote such calamities. and.
lam satisfied, in many Instances against the better sense and
judgment of the maj•dity ? The ballot-box could be plan • d
in the hands of hl4ll, reap (table persona who would com-
mand the contlence of all ; and I an tel to think that on
many occasions great advantage w,u1.1 result not only Gotha
pub le, but to the win,.andfamilies of the workmen.
.. , . .

I oilght also surg.-st thst it female suffrage is ever to be
permitted this would be suitable u.:eas•ou to let the wives
of the workaleli filtered.' have a race lu the matter."