The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-07-02 00:00:00

SATURDAY, JULY 2, lBBl.

wrtaght disastrous effects upon the local shop-
keepers, as imeiness was nearly brought to a stand-
still, nailtualiing being the staple industry of the
district

On Monday a conference of nailers' delegates
was held at the Star Inn, Ilalesowen.

Mr. J. PrEce presided, and there were also pre-
sent deputations from Bromsgrove, Sedgley, Gornal
Hasbury, Spring Hill, Wombourn, Old Hill, Hales
owen, Rowley, Blackheath, Lye Waste, Dudley,
aid Long Lane.
The proposed strike was discussed at considerable
length, and it was resolved to declare a general
ees,ation of work forthwith. lialesowen has
generally been looked upon as the ht.adquarters of
the nailing industry, and strikes have usually been
decbtred there.

Up ~n the termination of the conference a mass
meting of operatives, including a number of men
and probably a gretuer number of women and girls,
with sleeves turned up and arms folded, was bad
in the s reet opposite the Inn where the conference
had taken place.
Mr. John Price, of
_Rowley, told the meeting that
_ _

it had been resolved by a conference of delegates
from all the nailing distriel s that a strike, which •
should be general througheut the trade, eho ,ld Le
forthwith declared, in consequence of the advance
of 30 per cent, which had been demanded not
having been conceded. The present meeting was
being held for the purpose of formally declaring the
strike. He reminded his hearers that many of the
masters were inclined to support thtm, and
expressed a hope that the strike would be brought
to a speedy and successful termination.
A resolution declaring a strike on part of the
whole of the nailers of the Black Country was put
to th, meeting and carried unanimously.

In the afteinoon meetings were held- in all the
nailing districts. The action of the Halesowen
operatives and of the confermnce was announced,
and at each place resolutions to join in the strike
were carlied.

An open-air meeting of nailmakers was held on
Thursday morning at Halesowen, but there was
not a very large attendance. Mr. Jo-eph Price, of
It,wley,.addressed the meeting and stated that he
had been told a number of the men and women wet e
off in pea-fields and so that accounted for the small
number that was there. They knew that the first
week they always found a number of weak-
minded people going in to work and making a few
nails, but they would come out. They were coming
out for a certain purpose and that was to protect
the interest of their labours against the great re-
duction that has been from time to time tak"g
place. They saw that the masters had te'e'n 15
per cent. off their:very low wages and " was !le"
,
knowledged:by the large masters that-
1h reduction
ought not to have taken place. :me), had a number
6.,At them and would be
of masters that would not
„4-,,,s would come forward, and
glad if the other ma
cnange the nr,..ut state of the nailers, as they were
willin, s, give them the list they were asking for,
be+ coil-1d not do Eo as long as the others stood out
and under bought them. If they went to work,
down, down they would go below where they were
now and that was deplJrable, but if they would
stand out for a short time the masters would make
a concession and make them more happy and com-
fortable by paying them a little more money. He
proved that a. man and his wife had got to work
from early in the morning till late at night all the
week for the paltry sum of 13s and after they had
paid the different expenses they only had 7s. to keep
themselves and their fatuities. They did not get
half so much a head as the inmates of a bastile to
subsist upon. He n-marked that the nailmakertl
were responsible foe this state of things, because
when they were receiving the 1875 list they would
not pay one shilling out of their earnings to protect
th a list. Ile then referred to the hoard of Con.
cilliation aad said that during the whole time that
was in existence not 1,000 of the 10,000 nailmakers
came forward to help it and it w:ts broken up
and so the present state of things came about. The
masters stated that tivre was nu better curse that
he could adopt than cause a cessation of wok and
he had come upon a principle, as a mediator between
masters and men, to ask them to cease work, Ho
did not believe they would be out above a month
before they would get something, as there was a
good demaad for their work. He hoped that not
a breach of the paace would occur during the strike.
He had been at all the other districts and with the
exception of Netherton all seemed to be very fair.
They had nothing to fear and the masters would
sympathise with them and give them their reason-
able demand. A resolution was then pasvd to
continue the strike.