The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-01-22 00:00:00

IRONWORKERS MEETING AT _ B RIE RLEY
HILL.

A mass meeting of ironworkers in the 13ri, rley
Hill district was held in the Town Hall, Brierley
1411, on Monday morning, to take 411 t) consideration
the award of the arbitrator, the wages criestion,
and the Employers' Liability Act. There was a
fairly good •attendance. The works npresented
Primrose Hill, Round Oak, Cradlay, 0 d Level,
Hart's Hill; Cornereaves, Br two aad Frser's,
Brettell Lane, Stourbridge, Brom'ey, Brier'ey,
Brockmcor, Tinworks, and Seven Dwellings.
The Chairman said it was infe:red from the bill
published calling the meeting Oat to award of
the arbitration was in accordance with the evidence
laid before te last meeting of the Wages Boar].
The ::perative memoers were exempted Irani any
blame actordrag to the ta ading of the bill, and if
there was a wrong committed it was thrown upon
the shoulders of the arbitrator. He (the Chairman)
did not, howev,r, approve of that. He th tight it
was foly on the /sift of any wo:le,rea a fottn:ght
age) to lay down their tools and stop the mills and
forges, and not honourably abide by the decision
on the wages scale. If there was a wrong existing
and he though there was, and that it wanted alter-
ing, strikdig was not the way to altes it —(hear,
hear). Their best course was to call meetings and
agitate until they got a proper basis to work upon.
With re erence to the Employers' Lability hilt his
own opinion was that they had better allow that
subject to rest to-day t s the masters were preparinis
a scheme, through Mr. za Jones, and he aheug tit
would be time enough when it was cumpl, ted to
consi3er it. The letter of Mr. J. Capper, which
has been made - public, criticising . the con3ust
of the Brierley Hill and Bilston ironwo:ke,s at
their last meeting was read.—The Chairman after-
wards stated that he was inclined to think the
difficulty of a fortnigh' aso was now nearly sited
over, but if the_e was anyone present who had a
better scheme to bring forward than .the present
one of settling the wages disputes he should thank
him to state it at once. If no such priposition was
brought forward he thought the best course would
be to adjourn that tneetiny, until Mr. Capper could
attend, so that any objections to the slid:rig scale
could be stited in hie presence. He thought it
would be hardly fair or honourable to say anything
in his absence as to the letter which he had written,
&c. If he were present he would be able to defend
himself against any assertions'. In the course of
some discussion which followed those who had been
loudest in their ohj ,ctiofis outside were a; pealed to
come forward and pnblicly state their grsund ot.
opposi•ion to the Arbitration Board—(A. Voice: I
say stnnsh it up),—The next speaker opposed the
breaking up of the Board, and said it was useless
throwing it over until there was a better scheme
propounded. Neither Was the present' ime the proper
occasion to strike.—Another speaker urged that
those who said" smash up the Board" ought to
be prepared to institute something belter in its
stead. He believoi sthe Board had leen a geeat
boon to the men—(hear, hear). When the reduc-
tiem in the pdee of iron took place in the former
, part of the qnartcr, if the men had been without
the Boat d uttdoul tedly their wages would have been
lowered two months ago, as the matt era would not
have eontinued the lew prices without, also br.ne
down the wages. He believed the Board was
calculated to do good. They, as workmen, were
not in a position to strike as they were years ago;
in fact, their present position in that res Tee: was
worse than ever. He ttought it was their bounden
duty t.: abide by the d,cision of.the Wages Board,
and if they felt that it was not doing Justice to-
wards :hem toy should devise some ::tlaer means
of settling their disputes He urged, however, that
if thy ‘seinted tt break up the Board they should
take the legal course and give three months' notice
to do so. If they did otherwise they would be
condemned ty the public as well as the toasters
—The next operative expressed lars opinkn that the
sliding scale was working detrimentally to the
interests of the men, and contendsd that the
Northern Wages Board paced the mon in a better
posidon than the men of this district, whilst their
average in the north w::s nothing like that in this
dist] ict. The thought the Arbitrator should be
askF d to reconsider hia awned, and if he di I not
then they seould ask for an alteration of the sale
and make it the same as the notthern kettle, as he
felt sure if they were working according to the
latter they would be about Is. per ton better off. He
was not in favour of breaking up the Board, but he
believed the sliding scale on its present basis was
working against them.—Other speakers also ex-
pressed this view —The Chairtnast pointed out that
there was no complaint made by the men when they
were teceivieg tore than the ironworkers in the
north, and that it would be almost inaposaible to
regulate the two scales so that the wig, s would
always be exactiy at the same rate. has was
wanted was she old system of s' filings fel. pounds,
and he believed the president of the B ard would
•grant this evetdually.—After further discussiot. it
was, proposed '' that the meeting be arijourned until
next Monday, and to invite the representatives of
the Wades Boatd and Mr. Capper to be preseat."—
This.resolution was not, however, seconded, and the
m, eting broke up on the understanding that the
representatives of the Board and Mr. Capper should
be wri: ten to asking if they could attend a meeting
the date of which should be made known.