The Express.
London, England, 1867-05-16 00:00:00

THE TAILORS' STRIKE.

Yesterday evening an aggregate meeting of
trades unionists, convened by the Working Men's Imo-
ciation at the request of the Operative Tailors' Committee,
took place In the open space in TrateJgaroquare,in front
of the Nelson Monument. The numbers present may be
safely stated at about 5,000, end the aspect of the assembly
from • pedestal of the column, which was occupied by
the speakers, was very striking, especially when, se the
evening advanced, hundreds of earnest faces were made
distinctly visible by the glare of torchlight. The proceed-
ings were throughout of a very orderly character, though
by no means without enthusiasm. It had been announced
that • procession would be formed in Hanover-square
and march thence to the place of meeting, but it was
deemed best by those who organised the meeting to omit
this part of the arrangements. There were two banners
unfurled on the stone platform occupied by the leaders in
the gathering, one being that of the City Branch Opera-
tive teflon, the other that of the West End Branch.

The okai4 tonse the ordinary phrase, though not strictly
applicable, was taken shortly after eight o'clock by Mr.
Geopkr Porno. . _

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, said that
meeting had been called for the purpose of giving the
tailors of London an opportunity of explaining to
the trades generally their position with regard to wages.
Some trades unions were now occupying a very import.
ant position. The press was making vigorous attacks
upon them, and their opponents were very anxious to get
the legislature to pass an enactment whereby they would
be limited or crushed altogether. (Groans.) He then
strongly complained of the course pursued, as be alleged,
by the Times, in giving only the evidence taken before the
commission which tended to damage trades unions, and
contended that the existence of such bodies had been an
immense advantage to the industrial classes of the com-
munity, and had not injured any other class. As re-
garded the tailors' strike. his impression was that the
master tailors were aggressive. (Cheers.) Last July the
master tailors thought that a universal time log would be
an advantage to the trade, both masters and men.
At one of their meetings they embodied that opinion in a
resolution. The men coincided in it, expressed • wish
that it should be carried out, and offered to meet the
master tailors with that view. The London tailors having
amalgamated with what were called the Amalgamated
Tailors' Association, which extended throughout the
country, the two bodies elected a committee to meet the
masters' committee. It was arranged. and it was, he be-
lieved, an honourable engagement on the part of both, that
the two committees should discuss the tune log, and that
if any dispute arose it should be referred to arbitration.
The two connuittees met. The first day's proceedings
were amicable and satisfactory, and he believed the prioe
to be paid fur making a frock coat was settled and agreed
to. The next morning the master tailors refused to discuss
the matter any further. They wanted the London tailors
to separate from the country ones, and to discuss
the question with them alone. The London tailors
refused to break their compact with their colleagues,
and the men ceased to work solely on account of the con-
duct of the masters. The men did not desire a strike.
(Loud cries of "No.") They did not anticipate a
strike, and what occur was caused entirely by the non-
fulfilment of an engagement made by the muter,.
(Cheers.) If the public sympathised with the master
tailors they sympathised with those who were in the
wrong. Mr. Poole was a sample of the master tailors.
They all knew what be got for a frock coat r- it was about
six guineas. (Cries of ' Over that.") Well, that was
enough. (Laughter.) He did not suppose that the cloth
used cost more than 17s. 6d. a yarn, and two yards at that
price would be 1/. 15a. He (the chairman) would allow 10s.
for the trimmings and lining, making 21. sa. ; and
11. for wages would raise the cost to 31. is. Where
did the 3/. ls. go ? (Cheers and laughter.) 3/. was •
very good profit on • frock coat. (Laughter.) If six
guineas were charged for • frock coat, the public should
feel some interest in this matter ' • and he did not see why
they should desire 3/. to go into the pocket of Mr. Poole.
(Cheers.) Mr. Poole said he charged so much because
some of his customers did not pay him ; that he made
those who did pay pay for those who did not. He (the
chairman) did not see why men should work for low
wages because some gentlemen did not like to pay
for their coats—(cheers)—nor why gentlemen who did
pay for their coats should pay for those who did not.
The men had offered to submit their case to arbitration.
(Hear.) They were willing to resume work to-morrow
and abide by the decision of an arbitrator, if the masters
would consent to that mode of settling the question. If
the masters did not accede to that proposal, it could only
be because they wished to inflict punishmeut upon the
men. (Hear, hear.) If arbitration should not be accepted
meetings would immediately be held in Birmingham,
Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, and all the other large
towns ; and he believed the trades unions throughout the
country would support the strike. In conclusion, he
warned the London tailors against violating the law by in-
timidation, and thereby affording the masters an oppor-
tunity of using the law against them, and said it would be
• disgrace to the trades unions if they did not support
their brethren. (Cheers.)
Mr. DRUrrr, president of the London Tailors' Asso-
ciation, in giving • history of the strike, said that the re-
sult of the first discussion which took dace with regard to
the log, or the number of hours to be occupied in making
a frock coat, was that the filial, to be allowed was increased
with the consent of the masters by half an hour, adding
that after that the masters declared that they would not
come to reason except on compulsion. (Cries of "Shame.")
He added that there was reason to believe that but for an
article in the Tiff/dor the 3rd of May, in which the masters
were told that they had a right to combine to crush
the men, the dispute would have been settled.
There was now an attempt being made to
smash the tailors' unions, and indirectly all the other
unions were interested in supporting the tailors' strike.
He held in his hand an offer of the tailors to submit the
dismte to the arbitration of Lord Shaftesbury, Mr. J.
S. Kill, and Mr. Thomas Hughes, but the masters would
not pay any attention to it.

M. XPLISOM, president of the Amalgamated Talton'
Society, also defended the strike on the principle of combi-
nation for protection in trades unions. The question
before the meeting was not simply one of the time log
for tailors, but one in which all the unions were in-
terested.

Mr. Gir.monz, mason, moved the following resolution :
" That this meeting having heard the statements of the
Tailors' Deputation as to the origin of the existing strike,
and their vnllingnesa to submit the 9uesLion in dispute to
arbitration, hereby declares its opinion that the strike was
fully Instilled by the cireumstartoes, and that it is the
bounden duty of the trades' societies throughout the king-
dom to render every possible moral and pecuniary support
to the London Tailors' Protective Association ; and is
further of opinion that the conduct of the employers in not
embracing the opportunity afforded them of settling the
existing dispute by arbitration, but by oontiouing their
resistance to the men, and advertising for non-unionists, is
evidence that they are acting upon the base and insidious
recommendation of the Tines newspaper, in an endeavour
to break up the unions of the men—their only safeguard
against the encroachments of capital upon the just rights
of labour."

Kr. W. NEAL, president of the City Branch of the Ope-
rative Tailors, seconded the resolution, which was put and
carried with great enthusiasm.
Mr. Hairrwatt moved the following resolution :—" That
as pecuniary support, to be useful, must be given at the
time it is required, this meeting recommends every trade
society, where practicable, at once to vote a NUM from it.
funds without waiting for the formality of a deputation
from the tailors themselves, and also recoinmends the
immediate collection of a weekly voluntary subscrip-
tion in every factory, workshop, and yard, in order
that the London Tailors' Association may bo sustained
in protecting itself from the attempts of the em-
ployers to break it up." He remarked that there
were 2,500 men and 500 women included in the strike ; and
that if they were only enabled to hold out for a few days,
the masters, who bad large orders on hand, would be corn•
pellod to accept the offer of arbitration.
Mr. Bitnaturrnor, bricklayer, seconded the resolution,
which, after being supported by Mr. C. Murray, boot.
maker, Mr. Lawrence, secretary of the West-end branch
of operative tailors, and Mr. Partridge, a tailor, was
carried unanimously.
The proceeding■, which lasted about an hour, termi-
nated with a vote of thanks to the chairman, accom-
panied with several rounds of cheers in approval of the
strike.

A meeting of muter taih re was held at Liverpool
yesterday, to consider the new time log proposed by the
Amalgamated Association of Journeymen Tailors. The
following towns were represented :—Manchester, Birming-
ham, Preston, Chester, Shrewbury, Derby, Belfast, Ox-
ford, Burnley, Stafford, Malvern, Bath, Liverpool, Brad.
ford, Bolton, and Wigan. A number of letters were read
from other towns, stating that they would be willing to
adopt any course withal this meeting might suggest.
Amongst the speakers were Mr. Storrs (Liverpool), Mr.
King (Manchester), Mr. Magee (Belfast), Mr. Foster (Man-
chester), Mr. Foster (Oxford), Mr. Fowler (Man-
cheater). Mr. Philips (Shrewsbury), Mr. Crosby
(Stafford), and others. A thorough sympathy was
esprened for the London masters in their opposition
to the demands of the men, and several masters stated that
' they were fighting the trades union only, and not the
workmen themselves. They believed that the
majority of the men were at heart o to
the strike. The following resolution was unani-
mously adopted " That this meeting, sympathising
with the London master tailor in their efforts to frustrate
the unwarrantable strike of their workmen, who, at the
dictation of the trades union , are seeking to make. the
master tradesman the instrument to inflict on the public
an unjustifiable and uncalled-for increase in the cost of
clothing, pledges itself to reject every consideration of the
time log presented 'by the Amalgamated Workmen's
Association, or any other time log not based on a just re-
gard for the interests of the public, and an equitable ad-
justment as between employer and employed," The
meeting was adjourned to the 3rd of June.

AN UNFORTUNATE PROSECUTION.—The Kettle-
burgh church Menses, inoonneetion with which Mr. Grant,
who refused tom the Me, now lies in Whitecraae•etreet,
has entered coin unexpected phaae. The churchwardens
cannot get the ma,/ to pay their expense, ; Mr. Grant
cannot pay them, and no one else will. An appeal is there-
fore marts to all eonsaiontiona churehenen to relieve than
of their diffiaulty.