The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-03-15 00:00:00

_
THE STRIKE IN SOUTH WALES.

The following extracts are from The TMIC9' "Own
Correspondenee" letter, dated Merthyr, March 9:—
.

Yesterday I visited the principal works, and found evi-
dence not only that the back of the Strike had been broken,
hut that It was on the eve of & general dissolution. At
Biseimvon, on the extreme verge of the coal and iron dia.
tricts of South Wales and Monmouthshire, the men, as a
body, still maintained an attitude of resistance ; but at the
works of the Nantyglo and Blaina Company. in the adjoiuing
valley, the movement which commenced there ten days ago
has continued to grow in strength daily, no that the com-
pany are in s fair way towards a general resumption of
activity in all departments. It was a cheerful spectacle,
after so many weeks of dreary, monotonous idleness, to see
the b.cometive, with its Haiti of laden coal waggons, wind-
ing along the railway which skirts the mountain side, bringing
its freight to the works where willing hands are smiting for
fuel only to resume their labours. . . . Au old adage tells us
that •• example is better than precept," and this atrike has
shown its value in a remarkable manner. The ex-
ample of the men at Blaine infected those of Beau-
fort, and it is probed° that the tritlmg circum-
stance of one of the Leanfort collieries being situ-
ated Immediately above Ebbw Vale had much to do in the
precipitating of • decision at that place, for the moment that
colliery aria reopened colliers and miners from Ebbw Vale
ffmked to it for employment, and who knows whether it
might nut have occurred to them thct it would suit their
purpose better to work in their own company's collieries than
in those of another firm tithe rates at both places were the
same? At all events, the Ebbw Vale men, who have be-n so ,
quiet during the struggle until now that nobody had a word I
to say to them, when they saw the Beaufort folks descending
to work, thought it was high time to move themselves. De.
putatiorm of colliers and ironworkers waited upon their se-
veral managers, but, as the colliers asked for terms which
could not be conceded, nothlog arose from either luterview.
On Friday, however, the collier, moved again, and some halla
dozen of them from the Victoria Collieries of the company,
which are attached to the sections of the works of that name,
waited upon his. Darby, the resident Director, with the view
of discussing the terms of settlement. They were cordially
' received by Mr. Darby, and a good•humoured smile played
over their countenances as he shook 'hands with them, bra
day or too previous, when the Ironworkers called on him
Mr. Darby pleasantly observed that their hands were as
soft as his own ; next time he grasped them he hoped
they would have their horny honours restored. The
colliers proposed a compromise—vim, that they should
return to work upon a reduction of 5 per cent. for
three weeks, which Mr. Da by declined, and added that,
as they represented only the Victoria men, it would be
desirable that they should bring representatives from the
Ebbw Vale pits as well before doing anything. They then
left, anti repaired to a meeting of Union colliers which was
then being beld, and communicated the result of their visit,
adding Mr. Dart y'a invitation to the Ebbw Vale colliers to
join them. Two 44 these workmen were then elected to zc
company the Victoria men, and the whole party returned.
Among them was an old workman named Heal, who attracted
Mr. Darby'a particular attention. "How long have you
worked underground, asked Mr. Darby,"" Fifty years,.
replied the old collier "twenty-one years in the Ebbw Vale
collieries, and the time before that In the Somenetshire
pits." " Well then," Auld Mr. Darby, "you know something
about us ; when we had been unfortunate enough to have a
dispute with pin in past year., was it your custom to bring
in strangers to dictate a settlement for you, or did you settle
for yourselves?" " Oh ! no, Sir, replied the old marl; "we
always fought the battle ourselves, and made our own terms
with tem masters." Just so," Mr. Darby ad-led ; "and why
should they not try to settle their dispute now in the some
was ?" It was late in the evenMg, however, and, rzther than
do anything hastily, he suggested that they should see him
again next day with a larger number of men, so that it eoulil
be said they were, Indeed, representative workmen em-
powered to settle the question.
Oa Saturday the ticputatt in was Increased to fifty in
number, and about midday it proceeded to the Mikes, fol-
lowed by an imomnse crowd, Mr. lb Jordan, the colliery
manager at Ebbw Vale, was present when Mr Darby re-
ceived it. The workmen at once proceeded to business, arid
asked whether the conmstiy could not abandon the position it
hail taken open the question of reduction and accept their
otter to work three weeks upon a reduction of 5 per cent. only. '
Mr, Darby Bald he c mid riot accept their seggestion, and re-
newed his proposal to return to work at 10 per cent, reduc.
lion for a fortnight or three weeks—say, till the end of
March, when the add rate would he restored. Ile advised
them to acc.pt the offer, wits an assurauce that it would be
to their ultimate advantage to do so. After a brief dia-
cusdon It was agreed by the workmen to accept the offer—
the old rate of wages to be restored on theist of April, and
any further advance to be the subject of consideration at
another meeting, after they were working upon the old
rate.
On both aides there were oxlip redone of gratitude that the
stniggle was over, and one of the colliers, following the pre-
cedent of the ironworker., before leaving, intimatim to Mr.
Darby that, after such a long absence from the works, the
colliers would he delighted t drink his health, a hiet which
Mr. Darby received in a kindly spirit and responded to hand-
somely. After this the deputation retired, and communicated
the important and anxiously awaited result of their
conference to the crowds of their friend in the vi-
' chitty, by whom it was received with joyous accla-
mstions, arid forthwith the brass hand was ordered to
proclaim the general happiness of the people. The
brass band had not conimenced Its peregrinations
when I left, but the glad feeling of the people ovorfiowed
their hearts. There was quite a rush of women to the tele.
graph office, whence telegrams were despatched to their
hushanii. in various places requesting an immediate return
to work near their domiciles, arid no perom who had seen
Ebbw Vale while it laboured under the overwhelming mis-
fortune of a complete Bullpens!, n of labour could have felt
for a moment any 41olibt of the immense relief which the
settlement brought to the whole population. I have heard it
said by considerable numbers of people during this strug-
gle that the women were as resolute and inveterate as
their husbouls and suns in their hostility to their
routers' tenses I should not like to tap that the statement
was wholly and aesolutely uutrue, lint a hether at Blaine, at
Duelats, at Ebbw Vale, or at any other place where the us'
happy Strike has beau brought to a close by what rational
wipee,r,7i
bt
esov,idl ijuti
indeednly ;Lite ;nada.:
ado.:
yg swomen of ,t
then whostee ch
siet,
sense of a self.resPect and the retie-m.o'lMm of their posi-
tions in fife. It is a matter to On deßply regretted that the
Ebbw Vale blast tannage are all out and sold. The awn-
piny have ao• at this Moment • shigle furnace alight

at either Victoria or Ebbw Vale ; and when it
is remembered that several weeks must elapse be-
fore any metal can be withdrawn from a blast furnace
Mittel afresh, it wiU be evident that the Ehhw
Vale Works, under the most favourable circumstances,
will not have resumed their wonted fulness of activity
for some time to come ; but, in time, like these, we must
be thankful for small mercies, and the event at Ebbw
Vale is something for which we may be specially thank-
-01 I was unable to ascertain whether the settlement
accepted by the E,,bw Vale and Victoria workmen extends
also to those on the Sirhowy and Abersychan establish-
ment of the company; but it may be presumed that the
terms conceded to the former are open to the latter also,
and probably to-day or to morrow we shall find that
they have been accepted at those places. The settle-
ment at Ehbw Vale is of the same healthy character
as those at Blania and Dowlais The workmen have shaken
off the trammels of implicit and unreasoning submission to
the mandates of an Erecutive Council speaking through Mr.
Halliday, and non-Unionists and Unionists acting together
for the attainment of a common object, have once more veri-
fied the prediction of their employers, that if they could
meet face to face without the presence of executive officers,
agents, or delegates to bias the men, there would be no diffi-
culty in the way of settlement which could not be conquered
by mutual goodwill beforerthey departed-.

" Our Own Correspondent" of The Timee, tinder date
Merthyr, March 10, also writes :
•

. ,
This morning about a thousand of the Ironworkers re•
sumed work at Dowlids, where two mills and two forges
were darted, and & considerable number of the same class
of workmen also commenced work at Tredegar. At neither
of these place., however, has anything up to this moment
been done with the colliers. At Dowleis there le
something below the surface keeping these men in
a continual movement, and knowing that there is a
large minority who are desirous of accepting the
company's proposal, one must be prepared fur a very
sudden decision. No good can come of the meetings
that are held only to he rendered Ineffectual by the counter-
measures of the men in favour of further resistanee, and our
hope lies mainly lii the same process which has been crowned
with success at other places. This aiternoon, Mr. Halli-
day addressed a meeting of the Dowiais Union collier.,
but he did not advise them to fall in their employers'
proposal. On the contrary, he maintained, in a speech
of great length, the necessity of their adherence to
the proposition which he had mentioned at Merthyr last
week, which was not to return until they could do so
upon the December rate. This speech was mainly a laboured
defence of the threat so frequently made by the Union—
that the workmen would be transferred from this district
to Eughsh centres of mining industry. An advertisement
has been issued by the Miner.' Association, inviting all
who are desirous of moving into other districts for em-
ployment to forward their application to the °dices of the
Association, where they will receive attention. The railway
and other travelling expenses are to be defrayed out of
the funds of the Association.

At a meeting of the West Yorkshire coalowners,
held at Leeds on Tuesday, it was resolved to adhere
to the original resolution to give the miners an advance
of ten per cent. en their present wages, aud to refuse
their demand for an increase at the rate of fifteen
per cent.

The Birmingham Port states that "On Tuesday a
strictly private meeting of the Northern and Southern
Committees of Irontnasters was held at the Queen's
Hotel, Birmingham, to discuss the wages question in
the iron trade. The meeting was adjourned from
the London meeting and the committees were as-
sisted by representative irmmasters from Derbyshire
and North Staffordshire. There was 'much and
anxious discussion ;' but the difficulties in the way
of a uniform basis of wages were regarded as very
great if not insuperable, however much this may be
desired by the masters. Nevertheless, the negotiations,
it is said, were ' sensibly advanced ;' but, as the meet-
ing was keit titivate, and as no resolutions were curn.
municated to the press—if, indeed, any were to come
—we cannot say how far this statement is well founded.
We understand that the furl difficulty places serious
impediments in the way of the desiredarrangement,
certainly in the direction of an advance."