The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-05 00:00:00

THE NORTRERN DAILY TIMES.

THE PRESTON STRIKE

MEETING OF THE MASTER MANUFACTURERS

(FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.)
PRESTON, FRIDAY NIGHT

The associated masters met this morning, and after having
been in deliberation for some time, passed the subjoined re-
solutions, from which it will be . seen that, taking in con-
nection with the tone manifested by the operatives, there is
not the remotest prospect at present of a settlemept of the
dispute. The resolutions passed by the masterd are as
follow :

At a general meeting of the Masters' Association, held
at the Bull Hotel Preston, on Friday, the 4th of November,
1853,

It was resolved—

" That whereas an advance of wages was offered to the
operatives of Preston and the neighbourhood, on the 19th
day of August last, which offer was dictated more by a
desire to preserve the harmony and general good feeling
that then prevailed in the town, than by anything in the
state of trade warranting such advance ; and whereas, the
same has. not been generally accepted by the operatives,
through the interference of the same mischievous and
irresponsible parties who have been the cause of all the
distress brought upon the town, and whereas, the prospects
of the trade have materially altered for the worse.

.
" It is, therefore, the unanimous opinion of this meeting
that, whenever the time shall arrive for the re-opening of
the mills, the rate of wages shall be the same as was paid
on or before the Ist of March last, subject, however, to
such alterations as may be recommended by the committee
in particular cases.
" That this meeting, on its rising, do adjourn to Thurs-
day, the Ist of December next; but that the committee be
requester to call a meeting at an earlier period, if they are
of opinion that it would be conducive to the settlement of
the question on the basis of the foregoing resolution,
provided also that they are satisfied that the general body of
operatives are prepared to emancipate themselves from the
dictation of parties who have an interest in prolonging the
unfortunate dispute between the employers and the em-
ployed. "

MEETING OF THE OPERATIVE WEAVERS

A meeting of the weavers employed at the nine mills,
still at work, was hold in the Temperance Hall, last night.
Mr. RICHARD ASHTON in the chair. There was a large
attendance. _ _

The CHAIRMAN stated that the meeting was called for
the purpose of exciting the sympathies of the operatives in
employment, that they might contribute as much as they
could spare for the relief of those who were suffering through
the effects of the strike.
Mr. SWINGLEHURST said, during his travels he had an
opportuhity of hearing the opinion of the public upon their
struggle, and he could assure them that the sympathies
of all classes, that were not tainted with cotton, were with
them. He had had some conversation with Mr. Ashworth,
of Bamber Bridge, and that gentleman intended to open his
mill on. Friday. Mr. Ashworth intended to give the " ten
per cent." to the spinner and card-room hands, but not
to the weavers. This would not alter the state of affairs,
as the mill would have to be closed again, because the
weavers would not consent again to resume their work upon
such terms. The great bone of contention amongst the masters
was their union. If the operatives would consent to abandon
the union and their leaders, they were told that the masters
would open their mills. But the masters had called the•
union into existence by their tyranny ; because in the com-
mencement of the agitation, it could not be called a com-
bination. It was then, the sympathies of the poor were
called into operation by the justice of their request. But
now it was the combination of the workers to obtain their
right from their grasping and merciless employers. A
Baptist minister, at Bacup, had expressed to him his entire
concurrence in the views of the operatives, and had also
said, that " sooner than he would submit to the arbitrary
requests of the masters, he would suffer himself to be
starved." The hands were willing to resume work if the
masters would let them, only they stipulated for the " ten
per cent." The speaker, in conclusion, requested the hands
to contribute as much as they could, and sat down amidst
great cheering.
The CHAIRMAN' made aiew remarks upon the propriety
of paying wages to the speakers, and then introduced
Mr. OLDHAM, who condemned the placard the master
spinners had issued, remarking, that there was a want of
truth in their statements, which was evident to those who
understood the question. The hands at Bashall's mill did
not receive an advance of one penny per cut; and as to
Messrs. Birley Brothers, if they would give the advance
spoken about, the hands, he would undertake to say, would
resume their work. But the union was the sore place ; and
let the masters talk as they may, and write as they may, the
question was now, whether or not, their union should
perish ?
Some one in the crowd proposed a levy. of one shilling
per loom next Saturday, which was carried, though not
with any great show of enthusiasm, only about one hundred
and fifty hands being held up.
The CHAIRMAN then said that the meeting was at an end,
and thc, cumoraldaso quic.bly Icctirt.A.

The following return of the payments made to the unem-
ployed operatives
_is from the Preston Guardian of this day.
Power-loom Weavers' Committee.

M. relieved. Amount.
7420 Weavers, at 4s. each.
826 Winders and Warpers, at 4s. each 165 4 0
216 Twisters, at 4s. each
24 Dressers, at 4s. each 4 16 0
783 Helpers, at 2s. each . 7B 6 0
10 Reachers, at Is. each .. •.• 0 10 0
_ _ Spinners and Self-actors' Committee.

843 Svinncrl and Minders,-at 7s. each .... 295 1 0
773 Piercers, at 3s. 6d. each 135 5 6
762 Bobbiners, at 2s. each.
•

Card Room Hands' Committee,

1276 Hands, at ls. 6d. each.
981 Do., at ls. 3d. each. l7 11 3
312 Do., at Is. each. .. ........ ... • .. 15 12 0
Throstle Spinners' Committee.
361 Hands, at ls. each. .. ..
61 Do., at 9d. each
17 Do., at 6d. each 0 8 6
Tape Machine Sizers' Committee.
48 Hand at Bs. 6d. each .
3 Do., at 6s. 6d. each 0 19 0
Power-loom Overlookers' Committee,
170 Hands, at ss. each. . . 42 10 0
1 Do., at 35... - ...

14,707

£2,460
.2 6

Present week—number of hands 14,707 . £2460 2 6
Previous week do. do. 13,43 Q 2311 9 0

Increase 1,268 £l4B 13 6
=—Preston Guardian of this day.

At the meeting of the board of guardians this week about
double the number of applicants for relief appeared before
the board, nearly the whole of them being factory operatives.
Agricultural employment was given to the able-bodied, with
out-door relief.

REPLY OF THE OPERATIVE WEAVERS

TO THE • MASTERS MANIFESTO

The following reply of the operative weavers to the
masters' manifesto was placarded this evening :
" GENTLEMEN,—An address appears upon the walls of our
town, purporting to be from the Committee of Associated
Masters, to the public, in which an attempt is made to prove
that misrepresentations have been made of the causes which
brought about the present unfortunate dispute.
" Gentlemen, your Association is of long standing ; our
organization is but the natural impulse for mutual protec-
tion and self preservation, having no existence anterior to
the', present dispute ; your committee, conscious of its supe-
riority, by the long existence and experience of the power of
combination, has treated this question hitherto as beneath
argument, and unworthy of explanation ; but you have now
thrown off this reserve, this ice-bound silence, and we trust
that you will not consider us out of our province (however
short our existence may have been, or inexperienced we may
be in the secret of combination), if we, 'the Committee of
the Preston Power-loom Weavers,' enter into some explana-
tion of the statements you have made.
"If the statements you have made be the cause, the im-
pelling :motives of the 'lock out,' we think that it will only
require some little explanation and forbearance on the part
of the masters and workpeople to bring about an amicable
arrangement. You attribute the 'lock out' to three causes:—
" lst.—Because certain masters had disputes with their
workpeople.
" 2ndly.—Because you consider that an attempt was in-
tended to be made to establish ane equalization of prices; and
" 3rdly.—Because acts of insubordination had taken place
at certain mills in the town.

"Now, gentlemen, there are but four firms that you specify,
where the weavers had any disputes, (we leave the other cases
to those whom they concern) and we might enter largely
into causes, as verified by the workpeople of each firm ; but
we do not wish to cause more irritation than already exists,
we will therefore take a cursory view of each case.
"You say that at Messrs. Birley, Bros., ' they were allowed
to be amongst the best paid in the town ;' we will only
say at present, that we are surprised that gentlemen of
your experience should have been so grossly in error, it
being too well known that the prices paid here was less
than most places in the town. But though your statement
as to the advance offered may be partly true--but not
correctly so";.—it was not the amount advanced, that was
alone the cause of the turn-out; but it was the way in
which they were treated,' which induced them to believe
that advantage was being taken of their position as females,
to deceive and impose upon them=they did not' receive
the consent of the Weavers' Committee to stop work.
"In Mr, Basball's case, they did not receive an advance,
or premise of an advance till after they had struck -work,
so that your statement is anything but correct...
" In Messrs. Taylor's case, we find upon comparing the
weavers' statement with this published statemefiti-that there
is a serious misunderstanding,, because it is evident from the
Juastere•Akwnarords,-..that,therezro other eircuthstanoe4 beA
side the question of wages, which caused the hands to turn-

out. Had Messrs. Taylors received the deputation that
waited upon them, instead of driving them from the works,
we have no doubt but much ill-feeling might have been
avoided, and a satisfactory arrangement come to.
"In Messrs. Swainson, Bros.' case :—the disputes be-
tween them and their hands was brought before a public
meeting of their own, weavers, and it, was then and there
agreed what course to pursue, the committee was never
asked for a decision upon it, so that this statement is with-
out foundation.
" But each of these hands have endeavoured to come to
an explanation with their employers, before the ' lock out'
but were refused. You wish to infer that because all the
hands who had struck work, receivedsupport from the funds
collected, that consequently they had turned out at the
bidding of the committee, we assure you that such was not
the case, they received support, not because they had obeyed
any rule, but because each and every body of mill hands,
did, and were entitled to be the judges of their own position
and actions,—and you now make it a serious ground of
complaint, that we endeavoured to keep them from starving.
If you had made reasonable proposals for an arrangement,
and.they had refused every overture as you have done to
them, then they would have received no support, sympathy,
or countenance from their fellow workers or the public.
We think that after this explanation, without giving any
opinion as to who was to blame in these unpleasant affairs,
the conduct of the masters (or masters' committee) in pre-
venting an arrangement, justified the public protection be-
stowed upon them.
" Gentlemen, we have looked in vain through all the ad-
dresses, manifestoes, and resolutions, together with all the
proposals that have been made by the weavers' body, with a
view to an arrangement, and we can find nothing that can
imply that we ever intended an equalization of prices ; it is
nothing but a phantom conjured in your imaginations, so
that your second cause is founded upon error.
"And with respect to your third cause, you do not specify
when nor what that insubordination was, you may have
just cause for complaining, amidst the excitement that
existed, much may have been said both by master and work-
people, that was wrong; and you must not forget that
before- any strikes took place, or were contemplated, people
were thrown out of employment, for only asking a civil
question, for an answer to the memorial, and perhaps this
has -much to do with that insubordination you now com-
plain of.

" Gentlemen, you omit to state your reasons for refusing
to allow the different firms where disputes existed from
coming to an arrangement with their hands, it has appeared
evident that your committee was the cause and only cause
of non-arrangement, and it would be well if you wonld
explain why you cannot agree to our proposals for mediation
or arbitration.

" You say that you cannot hold out any hope of a resump-
tion of labour until the hands abandon our present leaders.
We beg to inform you, that they are but our servants, ren-
dered necessary by the position you have placed us in. If
any of those servants be either strangers to the town, or
traders in agitation, come to an honourable arrangement
with your workpeople, and their occupation is gone.
" Gentlemen, the eyes of the world are upon us, let us not
disgrace the name and character of our town, `by prolonging
unnecessarily, this awful state of suspense and anxiety. We
have adopted every means, and made every proposal that we
thought likely to lead to an arrangement; but you have
taken none, but treated us as aliens and outcasts of society.
" Let us, as reasonable creatures, liable to err, adopt some
means to thoroughly investigate the grounds of dispute ; and
if misunderstandings have taken place, let them be explained;
if errors have been made, let them be candidly acknow-
ledged ; let disputants come to an arrangement, and the
cause of the lock out' being removed, let the mills resume
their usual work.

"And if, gentlemen, after this, you are disposed, we are
desirous to endeavour to establish some means that will pre-
vent a recurrence of such unfortunate disputes in future.
"We have no desire, no interest, and no feeling to pro-
long this dispute ' • but, we must say, that everything appears
to favour us with success, public opinion and sympathy are
with us, every .post encourages us with fresh supports ; new
channels of assistance are daily, yea, hourly, opened for our
assistance, but we here publicly declare, that in spite of all
this, we are now, as we have ever been from the first, willing
to submit to reason, justice, and equity.
'. Preston, November 4th, 1853."