The Express.
London, England, 1852-01-17 00:00:00

I could have written more satisfactorily. I promised yes
to make "7 Bonsations which might near to me, but la
trath I can think of none. I only heartily bops that the
atm may not take a step so very injurious to theaassims
m that which the sweat of affairs seem to threaten.
Believe me, my disc lard,
Yours very faithfully,
CRANWOItTII.

THE MASTERS' STATF.NIENT.
The executive committee° of the Central Associa-
ioeor ErapMyers of Operative Engineers yesterday even-
ing teased a representation of their erase. in which they say:
" On `Saturday the establietimente of all our members were
closed. We are reluctantly reconciled to a certain heavy
Ur by the conviction, maturely weighed, and painfully
staved at, that our well-disposed vawkinen had better
patiently bear a present burden than linger under a per-
inanent apps. aeon. All we want is to be let alone. IV tilt
km than that we shall nod be satisfied. Until we aCemn.
plish that, we shall not re-op. it our establishments. With
every reepeet for noble and ! guiplied rfcrss, whose
arbrration has been tenderest to us, and with no reeeou to
doubt that their award would he honest, intelligent, and
latlsfactnry, we Mast talc- leave to say that we alone arm
the competent judges of our own keine:es; that we are re-
epeetively the masters of our own establishments ; and
that it is our tirm den riiiiiiatien to remain so. 'to this
principle we recognise no exception:. Ours is the reepons
ability of the details; mars the risk of loss; ours the
capital —its perils, and its enemeements. We claim, and
are ea...bred to assert, the right of every Hatiah subject
to do what we like with our own, and to vindicate the i!
title of our workmen to the same constitatiouel privilege.
awsle that we work against tune,
s wine of us under act .al penalties., ell of us under peril of
the loss of trade if we fail in punetsavlity, lettuce the men.
When tile Master is in his greatest 4bitteulty, to take edam-
tage of his usesseities touring [rem lam humiliating and
unjust comeatina, which lease hiei without peru, ur
threaten hint win' loss. Afraid to subject 'Masai to the
repetition of practices which present to hint only the alterna-
tive betwixt heavy tines for f Mute of contracts, or lose of
business-character, and exorbitaut remuneration for in-
terior skill, the neater declines otherwise prothahle orders,
draws bit uperatiwie narrower, mid di 111 l eddies the demand
for labour; and this dread, eprenlitig generally through
the trade, mid bio :imply justified by offensive its:enervate.,
forced upon cue ry master, induces tt universal dispieitient
to decline the moat salu.ible custom, and themey
seriously to depress the business, and circumscribe
the employment of the country. It will readily
occur to all who have the slightest acquaintance
with commerce, that productiou earned on almost
entirely to order and limited as to time in its com-
pletion, raided be conducted • ithout over-time, in a great
measure as systematic as the punctuality of the time.urde is
received—that as masters are taxed from to 50 per cent.
more fur toe extra hours, when the service in least valu-
able, nOtliing hut necessity would induce them to adopt
the practice—that from the very nature of mechanical
operatiu-s, which are almost so dependent on cacti other,
and as successive in their processes as the Maininate
machiuery they fabricate, the nun-completion of uoe ar
title may keep many perenus idle alto are waiting to cum-
miser eume department of machinery to which the former
is indispensable ; and that as the machinery and tools
used su engineering involve vast outlay of caplet —the
uuly option tett to the employer is to week one set of tools
beyond the usual hours of labour, or to erect another wet
at an exorbitant expense-, which, even if it would serve
the same purpose, which it could nut, must coins. out glebe
price sit the work it executes; in which Case demand is dis-
couraged, and customers are driven to foreign markets, soil
by their withdrawal the demand for employ umi t destroyed.
many amass:la s have traced tin it rise trout the cuude
time of rhe employed to that of employers to the uppur.
tunities afforded by piecework, which enabled theta to
become Mall contractors, and thereby to avail themselves
of the rewards of their dieseling skill. As it is the fairest
and least talliblO test id the ahem of labour, and best
ambles the master to mike his estimates with security, so
it is the line which measures oir the expert and industrious
workman from the lazy and unekilled ; and, above all, it
is the lever by which patent merit and superior intent
grace Man awl( above the surrounding level, and enables
society to reward aid to profit by meebiusical genius and
energy, WI well as respectability of character. All classic,
in pearly every avocation, have megaton:ill to work user•
time—the l'ame Minister perhaps the most—the successful
physician or the greatest lawyer the must slavishly. !list
men of any meat voluutariey set the task to tlicinselves—
tho, of the mechanic class earnestly desire it; suit so far
is either that or piecework from Meng regarded as an op-
on , our experieuee us master. is, that in the eye. of
reactivates, as a body, it is viewed as a positive objection to
an est iblishment that it does not afford opportunity for
working overtime. The real objection to piecework, we
tear, is, that it protects the musters against those who are
indisposed to give a (air day's work, for a fair day's wages.
To all of us it has been a subject of the deepest pain to be
compelled to visit upon the innocent the common punish•
mint of the guilty. We can hut answer, that we punish
ourscite% the mot severely of all by the loss ot interest on
our capital, anti of profit on our bueiness ; that ae have no
mums us distingut hing those who maintain their indepen-
dence, and render us faithful service, from too many who
treacherously apply the wawa they receive from our hands
to feed the mutiny against us; and that many who helong
or contribute to these %MOM, have the meanness to conceal
ur the mendacity to deny it. IViitu the great body of our
attains' are sincerely desirous to act with fidelity
towards us, and to assert their own independence,
there is no doubt that, there being a will, there
will M. found a way. if they plead coercion, in-
timidation, even danger to their personal safety, the more
thorough and energetic are the measures which are Called
her from their employers. It may be indeed that even these
may nut ue effectual. The artssaus in other trades are in-
voked to take part in the common conspiracy of labour
against capital ; and the lime may have arrived when, drive%
to stand by their order, this association will have to Ito
extended to and embrace all denominations of employers.
This only the association will at present define as the Miles•
pciteable bass upon which they will alone consent to re-
sume their avocation*: I. The undoubted and unrestricted
right of every labouring man in this Inc kingd to follow
any honest calling in which employers may desire to engage
him. 2. the utiquestiouable prerogative *revery employer
to make what arrangement', and engage what workmen lie
pleases, upon whatever terms theyebuose mutually to agree.
.1. The imperative necessity of providing such securities fur
the full accomplishment sod permanent establishment of
these conditions so shall frustrate all attempts of self-consti-
tuted and irresponsible bodies by intimidation, conspiracy
and dietahon, to weaken the rights of employers, tor the in-
dependent privileges of labour.