The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-01 00:00:00

SERVANTS AT MANCHESTER.

Our Manchester correspondent says t The ser-
vants of most of the railway companies in Manchester have
t!.reatened *es strike for wages. 'fie combination is said to
have spread among the
;Potters (in the goodi department)
of the Lancashire sad Yorkshire, the Manchester and Sher.
field, and East Lancashire. The London and N nth
Western Company, however, appear to have taken a wiser
policy than often guides employers under these circum-
stances, and it is said that C ,ptain Huish, their chief
manager in London, is disposed to listen to the just
and moderate demands of any of the servants, at
the tams time that • most rigid determination is
to be followed for resisting anything like extortion or
tyt.,nny. It appears that on Wednesday a small portion of
the men in the goods department at the London-rood sta-
tion of the London and North Western Company in Man-
chester did assemble together in one of the leading 'rah"
where goods are deposited before tt:^ •• to notstca on the
late, to ',molt the
prudence of turning out for wages,
hut the old and more exp.frieneed portion of the company's
servants kept aloof from this movement. The foreman
seeing them thus assembled, and losing much valuable
time, requested them to go to their work, but at the same
time told them that if they had anything to complain of to
go at once, and explain it to Mr. Salt, the company's
goods manavr and superintendent. Yesterday morn-
ing the men held another meeting at 9 o'clock, at which
they expressed a wish that Mr. Salt should be asked
to meet them. To this request Mr. Silt replied that he
could not attend, but he was willing to receive • deputa-
(ion. The answer of the porters was that they could -nut
mud a deputation of two or three, because such men might
be marked out for ren,:eitice, an! be discharged. Mr.
Salt said the fear was very torah but not justithld either
by his own or the company's conduct. However, his racni
was large, and all might come in a body. To this the men as-
, *Wad, appearing ias was otv.erred by one of the formuen)
to think their strength lay as much in this, as did the
strength of Samson in his hair ; and about halt-past eleven
o'clock yesterday the interview took p!ace. Tho total
number of porters employed in these arches is 127. whose
earnings vary from I.ls. to 31h. per week. On the workmen
being introduced—

M. Salt :wiled—Aro all our men here ?
Redfern, of No. 10 arch, replied—No; some of the men
in that arch wars busy at work, and desireu him to repre-
sent them.

_
Mr. Salt now desired to know what it was they wanted.
One of the workmen gait the men were desirous of having
an advance of wages to the amount of 6.1. per day, to have
their hours limited to 13 hours per day, and to he paid for
all hours above that number. Several specified 6d. per
hour as the overtime they d d.
Mr. Salt then addressed the men, expressing his regret
that they had taken their present mode of attempting to ad-
vance their wages. He was not displeased with any man ask-
ing at any time fur an advance to which he was M fairness
entitled, if they sought it in a proper . He admit-
ted their plea that wages were advancing in some other
places, and that provisions were somewhat dearer, and he
thought that they deserved as much as any other men who
performed the same audit. He believed them to be
amongst the most saber and steady working men of their
class in the eouutry ; but he must say that he thought they
had always been treated as such, and he did not know that
ever he was more surprised than when he was informsd
that they had been meeting together in a dark arch on the
previous day, and brgan to talk of strikes. This was most
unfair. 'They never asked for anything yet that was just
and reasonable but that it was granted, whilst they ware
always treated with cons;eleration and respect. (Hear,
hear., Then why adopt such an unmanly course
on the present occasion ? Their wages were rot
reduced when those of other establishments were;
he hoped they bad not forgotten that. If they
had come iu a proper manner at once, he could then
have gone honourably before the board of directors and
have represented their wishes in the best light; but instead
of that they had held threatening meetings, and written
anonymous lettere, thereby invitirg a spirit of opposition
rather than trying to conciliate the best feeling. For his
own part he would never countenance strikes in any form.
If they wanted what eu reasonable let them come in if
reuonable mann. r and say what it was; but it must be evi-
dent that the present demand was not reasonable; it was im-
possible that the company could advance thewa€ es of all alike,
more than that they could pay all alike. He saw men before
him worth treble the money that others were. This anony-
mous letter was from some man, perhaps, who
received 17.. per week, and on behalf if some who
could not write or were half worn out before they came
into the service. He saw a man named Chester—perhaps ho
was the writer?

Chester—No, I am not, sir.
Mr. Salt-110w lung have you been in our employ ?
Chester—Since last July.
Mr. Salt—Where did you work before?
Chester—ln the country.
Mr. Salt—And what wawa had you?
Chester—l had lie. per week.
Mr. Silt—And how mach now ?

Chester-1 have 17s. per week.
Mr. Salt—Well, you have been with us seven months.
There are men hire who have been with us ten years or
more, and these men can tell you that they have been ad-
vanced, according to their merits, from 17s. to 218.,
24.., 211., or 305.; and I think for a man to come to rne,
and ask for the vane wages as those who have been as
many years as he has months in our employ, and who have
earned our confidence by their exemplary conduct, is most

Chester—But I can do as mush work as other men.
Mr. Salt—And you are at liberty to get another situation
if you can mend yourself. But mind, I do not intend this
as a dismissal, I am @lying it to remind you that though
we do not pay new servants as well as old ones, we do not
oblige the new toes to stay will us at a sacrihee, if they
eau improve their position. Here is a man who gets 17..
whilst before he had but 15a.

Chester—But thet:una;e longer.
Mr. Salt—l shall speak of hours presently. Here is
William Redfern, who has been with us moor fears. I do
not object to the pert he takes, but it is most unreasonable
for men who have been with 111 seven months to be asked
to be placed in the same pectins. I object to such men
leading others to adopt improper courses and threatening to
strike— _

Here some of the men inter,oeed that they did not intend
to strike.

Mr. Solt—Did you not say that you would strike if your
wages were not raised by .Saturday ?
Workmen—No, no. We wished an answer by Saturday.
Mr. Salt—Now tell me honestly, what should you do if
yeerdemaLds wc re not acceded to ? Did you not in that
cue mean to strike ?

Workmen (generally)—No.
Mr. Salt—Well, I wish to have the thing right end up-
permost, and know the truth. And now u to your de-
mands, I can only promise you that 1 will lay your wants
before the directors. There will be a meeting of the board
next week, and I will avail myself of it to mention your ap-
plication. lam sure they will give it all prove considera-
tion, and I can only amuse you that I will do all I can to
second your endeavours for all that is fair and reasonable.
[Voices—Thank you, sir; thank you.] But mind, no
strikes. If any men try to induce others to strife, I will do
without them, whatever the consequence. Do uot suppose
we are asleep, more than yourselves. We have men to
supply the places of those who will not work, alreiuly
to the number of some hundreds. And mind,
cannot promise an ; I can only recommend
to the directors, and I cannot recommend them to
advance every man aixpenee a day, whatever his present
wages. If they were disp,eed I should not be justified in
doing that. The wages paid are from 15e. to 305., and this
offers a good field of promotion for steady and industrious
men, which those who do not like will have to leave. And
then, as to 13 hours a day, there is no hope of that. We
have work to do and it must be done. Sometimes you
have not eight hours a day, and I do not think the average
is more than 12, taking off the idle hours in the middle of
the day. When you have deserved extra remuneration it
has been given. Wlisy asked me for some last week, and
Is. extra was given to some, Is. Gd. to others, and 62. to the
boys. You must give up these extra hours.
One of the workmen said they had told him this. They
worked long hours sometimes, but in this respect they had
improved. lie recollected when they worked all Saturday
night, and met people going to church as they left on Sun-
day morning ; but that was not so now.
Nearly all the men began to exprese an opinion that this
demand was unreasonable.

Mr. I tell you that I make no promise, but
I will luy the eve before the directors; and I have the
authority of Captain Iluish to say that all reasonable and
proper demands shall have their favourable consideration.
(Hear, hear.) If you are satisfied with this promise, and
wiling to return to your work, say so by holding up your
hands.

The workmen all held up their hands, and appeared to
leave the conference with feelings of great satisfaction.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT GLASOOW.—On Tuesday
forenoon an accident occurred in the goods station of the
Eainburgh and Glasgow Railway here, which terminated
fatally to a stoker named Robertson. There are three
lines of rails in the goods station, with crossings from one
to the other. At the time mentioned Robertson had left
his engine near tha tunnel, and, for some unexplained re•-
•on, was standing at the angle where the erouinge meet.
There were trucks on ell the three lines, but with room
for waggons proc.eding out of the station to clear those on
the other rails. Unfortunately, when the train was put is
motion, Robertson was caught and jammed in tie angle
against one of the stationary trucks, which prevented the
train waggons moving onwards without the others. The
other sufferer, James Stewart, wee coupling two of the
trucks together when he wu unexpectedly jammed between
them, and had his arm fractured. Poor Robertson was thus
I not only a sufferer himself, but caused Stewart to be in-
jured also. Robertson bad no business whatever to be
whero he wu at the time, but upon his engine ; and it is
therefore one of those cases of pure accident which will
occur in spite of soy precautions on the part of the railway
officia:s. Both sufferers were at once eonveye I to the In-
firmary, where Robertson died in the course or the after-
noon.—Yortfs Braids Daily Mail.

RIOT AT A PLACE or WORSILIP.—On Sunday,
Mr. I:Tyre., an expclicei minister, haring been announced
to p:each in the Wesleyan Chapel at Ytarion, near Leeds,
..ml le .rg prevented Acs I. all proem, a numher or On
r torn, r. ntt.irk• d thc h to, of the rha: r, amt
1., : a hr..ak ,rs win.!ows, when a nun was
dipcharnrd from within, and one of the men wounded in the
legs. C.natsbles having been called in, took five men who
were in the home into castody.—Ezeter Flying Post.