The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-26 00:00:00

OPERATIVE BRICKLAYERS.

Last night, a meeting of the operative bricklayers of
Liverpool, was convened at a room in Circus-street. Shortly
after eight o'clock, at which time about 150 persons had
assembled, Mr. GEORGE LACICHAM was called to the chair.
He commenced his observations by regretting the smallness
of the number of persons present, as compared with the
total number of bricklayers, which was very great, in the
town, and the lukewarmness thus shown by not more inte-
resting themselves in the affairs of the trade. The objects
for which they had that evening met were, to take into
consideration the best means to be adopted in memoralising
those masters in the town—and he was happy to say they
were but few—who had made the attempt to reduce the
wages of the bricklayers to the level of 1852. This reduction
was not only unfair to the workmen, but it was also unfair
to those masters who were paying a higher rate of wages.
The second object they had in view was to strive to adopt some
measures to subvert the present system of the masters taking
apprentices for less than seven years, without such appren-
tices being bound for that period ; and lastly, to induce all
those bricklayers, who were not already members of the
society, to become so without delay.
The next speaker, John Stephenson, after detailing the
various contingences to whioh the trade had been subjected
to for the last few year, by the conduct of a fPur nf tbo
wine nrms who were, he said, paying the
journeymen 265. per week, while the other masters in the
town were paying 28s. per week, and some as much as 30s.
Other persons having briefly addressed the meeting, a
resolution to the following effect was proposed and
seconded :

" That this meeting condemns the conduct pursued by a
few masters in reducing the wages to the level of 1852, such
reduction being injurious to the masters generally who
were paying a much greater rate of wages."
An operative objected to the word " condemns ;" but,
after an explanation, and some little discussion, the resolu-
tion was carried unanimously.
The second resolution was then proposed and carried,
which was to tLis effect :—That the meeting composed of
journeymen bricklayers, do memorialise those masters who
were paying the lower rate of wages, to make an advance,
and thus place themselves on the same footing with the
other masters.

Upon this resolution being put, considerable discussion
took place, many of the speakers being adverse to memorial-
ising the masters, as they had not given an answer to a former
memorial which had been presented to them with regard to
the subject of apprentices, and an amendment was proposed
That the men working in those shops, the masters of
which are only paying 265. per week, should leave such em-
ployers in an amicable manner, and seek for employment
elsewhere," This amendment was considered as amounting
to a strike, which the chairman said the society altogether
repudiated," and upon being put only one person was in its
favour, therefore the original resolution was carried.
The third resolution was to the effect—" That the meet-
ing expressed its disapproval of the present system of the
masters taking apprentices." A committee of the members
of the society and non-members, was appointed to Prepare
a memorial to • the employers, after which the meeting
separated,

INHERITANCE.-A functionary. attached to
the administration of one of the Flemish provinces has just
come into possession of a considerable fortune from a very
singular circumstance, His wife, who belonged to a rather
numerous English family, had on her marriage embraced
the Catholic religion. A relation of this lady, who had
made a similar abjuration, had just died, and doubtless sup-
posing that a certain number of the members of her family
had followed her example, divided her fortune by will into
two equal parts, one to go to the Protestant and the other
to the Catholic members of it. As the wife of the function-
ary is the only Catholic among them, she will only inherit
one of the portions, amounting to about 3,ooo,oool.—Gdig-
non' t Measinger.