The Express.
London, England, 1865-03-13 00:00:00

THE LOCK-OUT IN THE IRON TRADE.

There is little or oo ohmage to report in the
mediae of this unfortunate sages. We tiara that the
executive committee et Briefly Hill reed the annonmemmt
that an effort is to be mad, by a few maaters to set the
North Staffordshire worksjgosag, by Weal the men from
other pr to migrate there, as an lodiostioa that the
gewal body of masters is &nth Slaffordehare maid wel-
come say arrangement whereby they might be able he
their works without breaking faith with the masters
inricreth Staffordshire. At this the executive are gratified,
believing that upon themselves, as the government is the
parliament of the operatives, devolves the responsibility, so
tar as the men on their part are coommed, to suggest
some practical measure for terminating the present
disputa in a manner which shall be Inaba
lag to neither side. whilst at the same time it brought •
pareasneet good out of a paean). evil. Such • stated tbiap
they do not believe would result from a step which even if
it should prove viable would almost inevitably lead to
serious breeches of the peace, arrests, sod heavy musty ex-
penses, that would only aggravate the Tomes to the general
public of Staffordshire which have already resulted from the
lock-out. The executive believe that m arrsagemeet
might be seers to whereby the danger of frequent strikes
sad sounter-strikes may be prevented. They mom is
the suggestias which has been thrown out to the offset
that both cadre should arm upon a scale of wagon which
shall not vary dozing • specified period, and which shall be
founded upon the average payments daring the periods Is
I which the iron trade expo/teems a 000ditioe of prosperity
sad depression. The subject has bees already dis-
cussed, and it was received with favour by every
member of the committee present; but as two of
the members including the chairman, were 'beset
on the occasion, it will have to be agaia brought
co. If, when it is again introduced, the pre.
longed consideration doss not give ties to attend views
by the prenatal= of insurmountable difilooltirs, a mos-
sure founded upon the principlkof,merages will be pretested
to the delegates at their next meeting, with the view of
appointing a committee to ascertain if the committee ci the
Ironmasters' Association are prepared to entertain peacefal
negotiations bud upon such a possible armagemeet. If
the delegates aocept the measure, end the meters am as
willing to entertain peaceful overtures as the executive
believe they are, then the details whereby if neeemary eves
at every works males of wages is conformity with the pest
prises of those works might it is thought be arranged
to the mutual satiaction of both masters and
moo. It is further thought that at the meet-
' ing in London on Wednesday next, the Landes
trade societies will recommend that every effort at a
peaceful lettlemeat of the dispute shall be made; and that
if the suggestion of a committee to negotiate this new
arrangement should be mentioned at Mat meeting it will
' I meet with unanimous approval. The aid OM is the ext-
. cutive, if not indeed the whole of the committee—for the
chatiuma is sunned to mac= with his brother committee-
-see no other way by which a panful settlement can
be brought about.