The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-15 00:00:00

TO THE WITOR OF THE EXPRF.S.s.

Sta,—Some weeks since it came to the know-
ledge of the undersigned that the men engaged in
the building trades complained bitterly that they
could not get a hearing for their case as to the
questions now at issue between thew and the mas-
ter builders, that the true facts of the dispute had
been distorted, and that no notice is taken by the
leading journals of their meetings, and of the
statements and documents to which they appeal.
They complain that their cause is not only con-
demned, but stifled.
Whether there be ground for this complaint or
not, we have taken pains to sift the men's state-
ments ; we think it right to do what we can to met
them a fair hearing and to put their case ou tts
real merits.

We have convinced ourselves of the following
facia :

In the first place, the present movement on
behalf of the men is not for what is termed "the
nine hours system." The demand of the masons
(the only trade generally on strike) is simply for
ten hours' work for the brat five dap of the week,
and foe • half holiday after five and a half hours'
work on Saturday. In the next place, there is
little or no question of money in dispute. The
masters offer • rate of payment per boar which will•
give for 504 hdurs per week the same wages (33e.)
which the men demand for 5& hours.
The real question is whether a change shall be
nude from the old system of hiring by the day to
the system proposed by the masters of hiring by
the hour. ft has been attempted to be shown on
behalf of the masters that this change will not in-
jure the men, will leave wages as they were, and
will only allow to each man freedom to work as
many or as few hours as he pleases. Against this
the men allege :
1. That the change will lead to the extension of
the hours of labour, and make any future reduction
of them impoesible.
The masters desire long hours, the men short ;
the men feel that the present day (ten hours of
actual labour, involving twelve or thirteen of ab-
sence from home) is long enough, if not too long.
Their experience is that a fixed day of ten hours,
corporate action, and frequent united remonstrance
on their part, are means barely sufficient to prevent
masters from extending labour beyond ten hours
per diem, and are the necessary basis for any future
effort on their part for any further reduction. It'
is felt that under the hour system, when the master
will treat individually with each man and will be'
checked by no recognised standard, he will be able
at his discretion to prolong the hours indefinitely,
and that so far from each man being free to work
as many or as few hours as he pleases all will be
obliged to work the long hours. In support of this
view they appeal to the results already exhibited
by the hour system where it has been introduced ;
more than one of the masters who are enforcing
the hour system have plainly told the men that
they will not employ men who will only work nine.
In many mass the men are systematically working
twelve hours, and even more hours, per diem.
Of course we assume here that the number of
hours of labour, like the rate of wages, will be ad-
mitted to be a matter to be settled by the master
and men, and not by the master alone.
2. That the change will produce actual money
loss to the men, and money gain to the misters by
the abolition of "overtime." Overtime is a custom
which has been denied, indeed, on behalf of the
masters, but is positively asserted by the masons
and bricklayers whom we have examined. Details
have been given us satisfying us that, in many
instances at least, the rule has been enforce&
Under the practice of overtime foe every hour
worked beyond the day's work of ten hours
the men claimed " time and a half ;" that
is, the usual rate plus 50 per cent. It
had two objects. First, and principally,
to operate as a prohibitive tariff to the master and
• protection to the men against overwork.
Secondly. If extra work was unavoidable, to com-
pensate the workman for the greater expenditure
of vital energy which the prolongation of his labour
necessitates, and for the sacrifice of a portion of
that leisure which becomes more valuable to him
the less of it he has left. Under the hour system
both of these advantages vanish. The actual
money loss to the men (which is considered a lesser
evil than longer hours) is easily calculated. Sup-
pose a man works two hours extra : under
the old system he received three hours' pay or
Sx 60. =UV. ; under the new he receives but
two hours' pay, which, even at the increased rate of
7d makes but 14d.

I -3: That the change will take away or jeopardise
other of their privileges under the day system
which have been the subject of long struggles.
The men had the right (not indeed always enforced)
to a day's pay or dismissal after three or four
hours' work. The carpenters also had a customary
'allowance of a fraction of a day at the close of a
job for sharpening their tools.
Generally, with justice or not, the hour system
is felt by the men as a humiliation, reducing them
to the level of dock labourers. At all events it
clearl tends to slacken still further the tie, already
very loose, which binds the employer and the
employed together.
The statements of the men appear thus to show
that they have good reason to apprehend logs from
the adoption of the hour system. We may add
that they have offered to refer the matter to arbi-
tration, which the masters decline to do, and that
they allege themselves ready to accept payment by
the hour, if 10 hours are, as before, recognised as
a day's ork, with all the old privileges.
Now, as to the method in which the present
movement has been conducted. It is conducted
by committees of the five several branches of the
building trade (viz., the masons, bricklayers, car-
penters, painters, and plasterers), each of which
acts independently, and has in fact pursued • dif-
fereut policy.
Each of these committees has been elected for
this special object at a general meeting of their
own trade, at which both unionists and don-
unionists both spoke and voted, and may be dis-
solved or changed by a similar meeting at any time.
The committees are all composed of union men,
but are responsible not to the union, but to these
general meetings. The funds are subscribed by
and distributed amongst non-unionists as well as
unionists. The committees are composed without
exception of working men, every one of whom was
at work a few weeks since, and is ready and desirous
to go to work again u soon as this dispute is settled.
The highest payment which any member of
these committees gets is the ordinary day's wages
of his trade ; a large majority accept much less.
Lastly: Though all the great firms are endea-
wwing to enforce the hour system, it is expected
that those of the men who have accepted it without
protest form a very mall minority of the whole
trade, and with some exceptions are very inferior
workmen. In some twee, in consequence, a less
elaborate style of work is said to be adopted.
Great works we at a stand-still, though many men
have been brought up from great distaimea, and
even these, it is stated, are retained with great
difficulty.

The above statements are made by us from per-
-11013111 inquiries amongst the workmen, members of
trade societies—and in one case from one who bad
left his union and disapproves of its proceedings--
from examination of their committees and leaders,
from inspection of documents, reports, and ac-
counts, which have been freely thrown open to us.
Sever of us have also attended their general
meetinp, and carefully watched the action they
adopt. We guarantee our belief in these state-
ments by signing our names to this document. If
the facts are true, the men's case has been wholly

misrepresented ; if false, they have only to be
made public to be authoritatively contradicted.
THOHAS ErCHLR, Otd-square, Lincoln's-inn.
RICHARD BOLT Horror, Brick-court, Temple.
J. N. LUDLOW, Old-square, Lincoln's-inn.
Taos. RANDLII Br.riarrT, Kieg's-bench-wralk, Temple.
E. 8. BURLY, Univenity College, London.
R. B. Lrrenrixt.n, Hare-court, Temple.
GoDFRRY Lusausaror, Doctors'-commons.
F. Hamemoa, New-square, Lincoln s-inn.

MUSIC.