The Express.
London, England, 1861-10-18 00:00:00

TO ODR READERS.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

A !ate edition of the Expresx is publishal every
evening during the racing season, containing the
result* of the day's ram.

Ti.. report of the meeting at St. James's Hall
has informed our readers that the wasteful, sense-
less war in the Building Trade is raging as fieredy
as ever. Nothing more wanton was ever heard of
in the history of industry. There is work in
abundance to do, capital in abundance to employ
it, workmen wanting employment, and yet through
the folly of some of the parties these elements
cannot be combined into a fruitful union. The
Strike began six months ago, and it seems that
now, out of a body of 800 masons who compose
that brand, of the trade in London, there
are 259 living in voluntary idleness. It was pro-
posed at the meeting at Ht. James's Hall to raise
a fnnd to supply these gentlemen with a pound a
week to enable them to walk about the streets and
examine the shop-windows. This is what Mr.
Porrrs calls " making life sublime ;" and as be
told the Metropolitan trades that "it would be a
" disgrace to them if the thing was not done," we
have no doubt the money will be forthcoming.
In the 'course of the two years through which
this contest has extended both parties have so put
themselves in the wrong, that neither of them can
claim the unreserved support of the public. It is
important, however, to remember that the men
were the avresson. The Secretary of the mason's
strike told his audience on Wednesday night that
in 1839, until which year the working day had
been of ten hours' duration, the men of the
Budding Tiede% came to the agreement that the
labour of nine hours wan quite sufficient to give as
a day's work in return for ss. 6d. How they ascer-
tained that nine hours was not too much, or
eis. W. not too little, we are not told, and it does
not in the least matter. Nobody will ever say
that the workman is too well rewarded for his toil.
It appeared, however, that the money named was
sot to be had for nine hours' labour. The ar-
ticle was liked, but there was no buyer at the
price. This fact was ascertained by an elaborate
and costly experiment, in the course of which
22,0001. were paid through one organisation alone,
that of the Conference, to the unemployed, while
another 10,0001. was disbursed in a similar way
through the three societies of the Brick-
layers, Carpenters, and Plasterers. It seen.. a
great deal of money to pay for information
that might have been had for less than a lawyer's
fee. But, at the end of two years, the
leaders of the men are no wiser than before, since
they still go on talking as in 1859 about what
ought to be the value of their labour, instead of
looking round and finding out what it is. A
tradesman who should do so would soon go unpitied
into the Gwette. It is acknowledged that the
builders de not work harder or longer than other
people who have to get their living. The strike-
orators, in making this acknowledgment, say they
are not bound to submit to onerous conditions
because some workmen are under worse terms.
Certainly not ; but the advisers of the men are
bound to tell them that the value of
labour will as surely find its level as
will water ; that the artificial enhancement of
its price in a particular trade will in a short time
draw to it an excessive number of candidates for
employment, and that the end will be worse than
their beginning. Labourers are as clear-sighted
as employers, and will not let any particular trade
run away with a preferential dividend from the
capital appropriated to the payment of wages.
The working builders gained nothing, not even
the wisdom of experience, by the strike of 1859.
In the spring of 1860 they were once more at
work on the old terms, but in March last they
renewed the agitation for nine hours, and memo-
rialised the masters for that concession, with-
out, however, threatening another strike. A
great deal has been said about the in-
trinsic nature of this demand, and the men
have been charged with dishonesty in asking for
ten hours' wages for nine hours' work. The
charge would never have been made had the
men preferred their demand directly in the form of
an application for higher wages. When a provision
dealer ;morose. in future to raise the price of his
bases from 16d. to 20d. per pound, we might say
that ire wants toga thirteen ounces at the price of
sixteen ; but we don't. The workmen asked for two
things—a reduced working day and a higher rate
of wages, and since in their representations to the

public prominence was given to the former object,
the advocates of the employers in their communi-
cations brought the latter demand into the fore-
ground. This renewed demand of the workmen
bad the effect of driving the masters into
a close combination. They resolved to deal with
the controversy about the length of the day by
introdneing the system of payment by the hour.
This would no doubt have had the intended effect
had it been sincerely offered and readily accepted.
It would have separated the question of the price
of labour from that of the shortening of the day.
AcoordiNly it was generally approved by the
public shill first announced. It was thought that a
man accepting these terms would be at liberty to
work nine hours or ten, or occasionally eleven, as
it should suit him, and be paid accordingly. This,
however, it soon appeared, wee not the intention
of sonic at least of the masters, who told