The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-14 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN DAIIX TIMES.

14HE PRESTON STRIKE.

MEETING OF THE MIDDLE CLASSES.
[FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.]
PRESTON, TUESDAY.—With the view of obtaining in-
creased support from the inhabitants generally, the leaders
of this movemement deemed it expedient to convene a meet-
ing of the middle classes, in order that they might be made
acquainted with the origin and present position of this dis-
pute. That meeting, which was called by circular, took
place in the theatre last night. The spacious building was
crowded to excess in every part ; the audience including
many tradespeople and other respectable inhabitants of the
town. Mr. Councillor DIXON consented to preside.
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, remarked
that he had taken no part in this movement, either on one
side or the other ; and nothing but the vastlimportance of the
subject would have induced him to stand before so numerous
an assemblage as he then saw before him. It was too well
known that for a considerable time a dispute had existed
between the employers and the employed in this town. That
dispute unfortunately became more fearful in its consequences
as days and weeks rolled on; and a man indeed must have a
callous heart if he could not feel for the distresses and wants
of those who were involved in this struggle. (Hear, hear.)
He knew very little of the merits or demerits of the case
beyond what he had read in the public papers. But he
appeared before them as an Englishman, anxious for an
amicable settlement of this disastrous dispute. (Hear, hear.)
The object of the meeting was to give the inhabitants of
Preston a full and fair explanation of the question at issue
between the contending parties ; and he hoped that no per-
sonal or offensive remarks would be indulged_in by any of
the speakers on that occasion. (Hear, hear.) He congra-
tulated the operatives on the very peaceable and orderly
manner in which they had hitherto conducted this most
serious struggle ; he hoped they would continue to pursue
the same creditable course, and that under no circumstances
should the peace of the town be disturbed. (Cheers.) The
chairman then introduced
Mr. COWELL, who sketched the history of this movement
from its commencement to the present time, adding that the
operatives were still willing to refer the matter to arbitration.
After intimating that he .should be happy to answer any
question which might be put to him, the speaker concluded
by moving the first resolution, which was as follows :
" That this meeting is of opinion that the master manu-
facturers of Preston have not acted in accordance with
justice by. debarring so many thousands of their operatives
from earning their daily bread, and thus bringing on our
town that amount of poverty and privation we are sorry to
find ourselves placed in."
Mr. GALLAGHER seconded the resolution, stating that the
masters of Oldham, where the work was similar to that
performed in Preston, paid their operatives between ss. and
6s. per week more than the hands received in this town. In
Blackburn, also, and in many other places which he might
enumerate if necessary, higher wages were paid than in
Preston. It had been alleged by the millowners of this
town that the state of trade would not allow them to advance
their prices. In reply, he begged to ask how the millowners
of other towns were enabled to pay so much more than
themselves ? (Hear, hear). In conclusion he appealed to
the meeting to lend the operatives their sympathy and
support in the present struggle. (Cheers).
Mr. GEORGE ECCLES supported the resolution. He con-
tended that the spinners were justified in seeking an equali-
sation of prices. There was a certain millowner in this
town who paid 2s. 32d. for spinning 100 lbs of 32's twist;
there was another, with the same kind of machinery, who
paid 3s. 32d for the same work. (Shame). whilst working
for one gentleman, the largest manufacturer in Preston, all
he could earn by his utmost exertions was 10s. 6d. per week.
He was informed that he spun by length so much per
thousand draws ; but he had nothing to tell him how much
he spun. At other mills they had indicators ; but at
the place he was speaking of, the hands knew nothing
about the amount of work they had done until the end of
the week. If he had worked exceedingly hard, he was
patted on the shoulder and thus addressed —" good lad
George, thou's done a good week's work; here's twopence
for thee." (Laughter) On going to another mill in the
same town, with the same kind of work, and similar ma-
chinery, he was able to earn 16s. (Expressions of surprise).
Under these circumstances, he asked whether the operatives
of Preston were not faithful in claiming a standard list Of
prices ? (Hear, hear). He appealed to the middle class to
aid the operatives with their subscriptions, remembering that
"The smallest help, if rightly given, •
Will make the impulse stronger."
And he certainly did hope, with the poet,
" It will be strong enough one day.
So wait a little longer."
(Loud applause).
Previous to putting the resolution the Chairman repeated
Mr. Cowell's offer to answer any question that might Too poi.
to him. Upon this,
A person in the gallery asked whether Mr. Cowell was
prepared to show that the Blackburn prices for weaving were
higher than those paid in Preston.
Mr. Co WELL I =actin uummumueut vu Ciatuiday
that the hands employed by Messrs Horrocks, Miller and
Co. received from 15 to 20 per cent. below the operatives of
Blackburn. I also beg leave to state that the gentlemen
named paid considerably less than some of the manufac-
turers whose miils are now running. lam sorry to say that
a correct list of the prices paid at the various mills is very
difficult to obtain; but I have a return of the prices paid by
Messrs Horrocks, Miller and Co., and Mr. Paul Catterall.
I gave a sovereign for it, and we are going to publish it.
We'll post upon the walls the prices paid in Oldham, Stock-
port, Blackburn, and Preston, and then the public shall
judge between us and our late employers. (Cheers.)
Mr. B. HUMPHRIES introduced the second resolution :
" That we, the people of Preston, deeply sympathise with
the factory operatives in their present unhappy dispute with
their employers, and pledge ourselves that so long as they
continue to be governed by the same good conduct as has
hitherto characterised their proceedings, they 0,8,11 have our
sympathy and support."
The speaker observed that having worked in a mill 26 or
27 years, he had had some little experience of that kind of
life ; and he did not hesitate to declare that factory opera-
tives were the greatest slaves in the world. He worked at
one mill in Manchester, where jie was paid Bs. 4d. per cut
of 100 yards. Since then he had worked for a mill in this
town, and for 190 yards he only received 4s. 6d. (Surprise.)
If the factory operatives of this country did not arouse
themselves they would soon be in as degraded a position as
the poor Irish.
Mr. JAS. WADDINGTON seconded the resolution.
Mr. ROBERT RICHARDSON supported the resolution. He
said there was not an operative cotton-spinner in Pres ton
better paid than himself ; and he could prove that h e was
just 101 per cent. under the standard list of prices paid by
the associated masters of Bolton. Having got the ten per
cent. and not having been locked out, he felt that he had a
duty to perform, that he ought to do what he could to make
those who were paying less than his employer to raise their
wages. It was for that reason that he came forward to take
part in the proceedings of that meeting. (Hear, hear). With
regard to trades unions, he put it to the middle classes
whether, possessing votes, they should approve of their land-
lord telling them they should not extend the franchise as
they thought proper, but should vote for his particular
friend, Lord Tom Toodle-brain, on pain of being turned out
of their houses. The case of the factory operatives was simi- ,
lar. The law said they could have their trades union, but
the masters said they should not. They, however, were de-
termined to have their union ; and he though: they were
only acting like Englishmen in maintaining that determina-
tion. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. GitimsnAw proposed the third resolution :—"That
the trades of this country having so nobly come forth to aid
the factory operatives of this town in withstandine• the.
onnrnanilmnnto of +ha r....-4o4o» uu rue wages of
their workpeople, we pledge ourselves that we will, in union
with the trades, exert ourselves in supporting the factory'
operatives until we ultimately place them in that position
they are justly entitled to occupy as producers of an aug-
mented national prosperity." .
Mr. K. SMITH, in seconding the resolution, remarked that
if the manufacturers would agree to refer this dispute to
arbitration, neither party could boast of gaining a victory,
because the result would be governed by reason, justice,
and truth.
Mr. RHODES briefly supported the resolution,ldescribing
the origin of the wages movement in Stockport.
The whole of the resolutions were carried unanimously.
Thanks were then voted to the chairman, and the meeting
which commenced at seven, terminated at ten o'clock.

THE RUGBY ScnooL.—The scholars of the public school
at Rugby, have been more successful this year at the uni•
versities than even in the best of previous years.

THE TEA TRADE, Dec. 12.—The deliveries of tea in
London during the week to which the latest official returns
are obtainable were 580,7271b5., being nearly as large as in
the preceding week.
THE NEW PLANET.—Mr. J. R. Hind states that he has
named the new planet Euterpe; that its period is 1,315
days, and its mean solar distance about 224 millions of
miles.
THE NEW COMET.—The Rev. Mr. Straton, of Ayleston
rectory, in a letter to the Times, says he has seen this comet
which appeared near Venus on Dec. 10, at 4.45 p.m. It has
one coma, and he thinks its resplendance must be of "no
ordinary character." It can be seen only through a telescope.
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY. —A station-master and guard on
this line have been fined, the one in £3 16s. and the other
in £2 75., for taking two passengers into custody who pro-
tested against an undue filling of a carriage with passengers
beyond the number allowed by the company's regulaticns.
THE SWINDLE UPON MRS. ONsLow,—William Morton
has been found guilty at the central criminal court, o/ hav-
ing swindled Mrs. Onslow, the widow of a clergyman, of
several sums of money, upm the deposit of bills, mortgages,
and other securities, most of them pretended mortgages,
upon the property of a person named Wright, of Northum-
berland, but who was in reality a pauper. Sentence has
not been passed until Crutchley, an accomplice, shalt have
been tried. Wright is not in custody. The whole can has
been before the London police.