The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-29 00:00:00

DIE PRESTON STRIKE.

ADDRESS FROM THE MASTERS' ASSOCIATION.
PRESTON, WEDNESDAY. —The subjoined address from the
Associated Masters of Preston, and the neighbourhood, has
been placarded on the walls of the town to-day. The closing
statement, that " the dispute appears as far off a settlement
as ever," may be regarded as a prelude to the proceedings of
the adjourned meeting of the association to be held to-mor-
row. It is reported that that meeting is to be again ad-
journed ; some say for a month, others for three months. On
the other hand, it is rumoured that some of the masters are
anxious to try the effect of ringing the factory bells at the
prices of March last :

" TO THE PUBLIC.

" In consequence of the various misrepresentations which
have been so unblushingly put forth by men who are the
acknowledged leaders of the workpeople in the present
struggle with their employers, we feel it to be a duty to our-
selves and the public, to make a few observations, and to
state a few facts in reference thereto ; and we offer these
observations more especially to the attention of those who
have-only an imperfect acquaintance with the factory sys-
tem, as well as to the factory operatives in this and other
districts, whose sympathies and aid are solicited on behalf
of the hands on strike in this town and neighbourhood,
and who are liable to be misled by the exparte statements
of those whose interests it is indefinitely to prolong the
strife.
"We will not condescend to notice the various calumnies
which are daily applied to the masters, believing that the
great majority of the workpeople have no sympathy with
such sentiments, and that the general character of the em-
ployers in Preston needs not fear a comparison with those
of other districts. Neither do we thiuk it necessary again
to enter at large into the origin of the dispute further than
to state our belief that the differences which, in the first
instances existed, would have been arranged and would not
have resulted in a general stoppage of the mills, had it not
been for the improper interference of strangers between the
masters and their hands.
" It is alleged that the workpeople are " locked out," and
4.1,.....fi1rA,imab1e to work, if disposed, and that the mestere
want to' starve them !" but it is not stated
that the closing of the mills was only resortea Lip art,. 4.1—,
hands in several of them had struck work, or had given
notice to that effect, although an advance of ten per cent.
had been offered them in August last upon the wages paid
in 1852. The cases in which the strike originated were
carefully investigated by the committee of the masters'
association, and it was found that the differences between
the demands of the operatives and the offers of their employ-
ers were so exceedingly small, that a more important ques-
tion than that of wages was involved, and that these firms
were to be made the victims of an organised combination,
whose avowed object was to take the masters in succession,
and compel them to accept the terms of the unionists.
"We now come to the question of wages, about which so
much has been said with a view of misleading the public.
The leaders of this agitation affirm that several reductions of
wages have taken place from time to time ; but they refer more
particularly to that in 1847, and to a promise stated to have
been made by the masters to give a corresponding advance
when trade revived, as a justification of their demand for an
advance of ten per cent. We at once admit that owing to
the depressed state of trade in 1847 a general reduction of
wages took place in the latter part of that year, or early in
1848. We deny, however, that any such promise was made
by the masters generally, although this might have been
done by some individual firms. Before proceeding further it
is necessary to explain that most of the work done in fac-
tories is piecework, and that the prices paid are in all cases
regulated by the quality of raw material, and the state of the
machinery. For instance, where the machinery is old, there
may be a high rate of piece-work and the weekly earnings
low ; and where the machinery is modern, and embraces all
the modern improvements, there may be a lower rate of
piecework-and the earnings comparatively high, without any
extra exertion on the part of the hands.

" Being anxious to ascertain the difference (if any) between
the earnings of the various classes of operatives in 1847 before
the above-mentioned reduction took place, and those in the
summer of 1853, before the 10 per cent. was demanded, we
find, from the returns furnished us from the wages hooks of
several largo and influential firms, that instead of any decrease
there has been an actual increase, 'varying from 3 to 30 per
cent., after making due allowance for the difference in the
hours of labour from 69 to 60 hours per week. We have not
thought it necessary to extend these inquiries, not having the
slightest doubt that, if the average of all the mills now closed
had been taken, the result would have been the same. We
take this opportunity of stating, for the information of those
persons whose aid and contributions are solicited for the hands,
that in a well regulated spinning and weaving establishment,
the weekly earnings of men employed therein vary from 12s. to
355. ; women and young persons from 7s. 6d. to 155.; and
children from 4s. 6d., according to the nature of the employ-
ment and the diligence and ability of the worker ; and that the
average of all classes of hands in such an establishment is about
10s. each.

" In reference to the statements so frequently made, that
the wages paid in Preston aro much lower than in other towns,
the fact that this town has hitherto been well supplied with
good hands sufficiently refutes these assertions, which are put
forth without any proof whatever.

" In corroboration of the above, we would refer to the letters
of three masters, in the Preston Chronicle of the 24th instant,
respecting their own cases, and which, we feel assured, could
be supported by many others of a similar kind ; but these prove
that wages are not generally lower here than elsewhere.
" After the continuance of this struggle for upwards of ten
weeks, the operatives still persist in their demands, and evince
the same indisposition to return to work, although the masters
have declared their willingness to receive applications, and as
soon as they were sufficiently numerous to enable them to open ,
their mills, immediate steps would be taken to that ¢l 'et. No
a.plieations of any consequence and the dis-
„tte appears a 3 far off settle.alafit'as ever.—By order of the
.... -
committee, " JOHN HUMBER, Sec. pro. tem.
"Preston, Dec. 27, 1853."

Dr. Grant, of St. Mary's, Edinburgh, will be named moder-
ator of the next general assembly of the Established Church
Cholera is fast disappearing from the neighbourhood of
Airdrie.
AMERICAN MAIL STEAMER BALTIC.—The American
steamer of Collins' line, which would have sailed yesterday,
was neaped in the Huskisson dock, in consequence of the
N.B. wind having cut off the tide. She intends sailing this
morning.
THE BRITISH QUEEN.—This splendid ship, being laden
with cotton at Bombay on the 28th ult., and just about to
sail, was found to be on fire. The fire was, however, got
under, with 20 bales destroyed. The fire was the work of
an incendiary.
MUTINY IN THE FLAG-SHIP AT CHINA.—WC hear there
has been a mutiny on board the flag-ship. It seems
that on the men, who had not had liberty for 18 months,
sent in a petition on the subject to Admiral Pellew,
who immediately ordered the ship to be got ready
for sea. In the evening there was a noise below, when the
drum was beat to quarters, and some of the men refused to
come on deck, upon which the officers were ordered to com-
pel them at the point of the sword, and in doing so several
of the men were severely wounded.
CANADIAN RAILWAYS.—The Great Western will be
opened through from Windsor to Hamilton on the second
of next month. The Grand Trunk between Montreal and
Portland, which had been partially closed since the first of
October, was to be re-opened on the 15th inscant. The
mileage of the Great Western is 220 miles ; that of the
Grand Trunk from Montreal to Portland 292. In addition
to these lines there are also open in Canada, the Montreal
and Moer's Junction Railway, 30 miles in length, the St.
Lawrence and Champlain 45 miles, and the Ontario and
Simcoe 42 miles. This last is on the national or 5 feet 6-
inch gauge, which is the gauge of the Great Western and
Grand Trunk. The Montreal and Moer's Junction, and
the St. Lawrence and Champlain are 4 feet 81 inches.
The great chess match between Harrwitz and Lowenthal,
in London, lasted thirteen weeks, and was only concluded at
ten o'clock on Wednesday night. The score at the close
stood as follows .—Harrwitz 11, Lowenthal 10, (including
the 2 given to him, owing to the absence of his opponent
from indisposition) ; drawn 12—total number of games
played 31. Mr. Harrwitz is now to try his strength with
Mr. Staunton.

MELANCHOLY DEATH AT SELEY.-It appears that Mr.
William Lapish, the brewer, at Mr. Danby's brewery, had,
as was usual, entered the brewery about seven o'clock in
the morning, to attend to the working of the liquor (about
400 gallons) in a stone vat. About eight o'clock, Mr.
Joseph Midgley, who resides. on the premises, had his atten-
tion called by a noise of persons in the yard. He went ini,o
the brewery, and not finding the deceased as he expected, he
caused a minute search to be made, and ultimately found
the deceased submerged in the vat of liquor, quite dead.
It is supposed that the deceased had overbalanced himself
and fallen head foremost into the liquor, which was about
forty-seven inches in depth. The deceased was thirty years
of age, and has left a widow and four children to lament his
untimely death.—Yorkshire Gazette.
DErnEnAaioNs BY 144'oxzs.—A short time since, the foxes
in the extensive preserve of Viscount Beresford, at Goudhurst,
made depredations upon the turkeys—out of 138, in one
night they destroyed 23 full grown ones. In consequence of
the snow the keepers have been able to trace them, and on
Friday last orders were given that the wood should be
scoured for their destruction. Accordingly, about thirty MCA
with guns, and several men as beaters, commenced their per-
ambulations, but during the day they only succeeded in de-
stroying one and moving another, It is generally supposed
that they are some of the same that were turned down, being
(imported from France) in and about Battle.—Dover Chro-
nicle.

EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.—A few days ago a brick-
layer, employed to repair the fire-place of a cottage at
Ditchling, a village about a mile and a half from the
Hassock's-gate station, on the Brighton railway, discovered
the bodies, or rather the skeletons, of five infants. The
house had been tenanted for fourteen or fifteen years by a
woman who had recently been married to a person named
Maitland, and who is the mother of two illegitimate children
still living. The neighbors deposed to a number of very
suspicious circumstances, but the bodies being too decomposed
to enable the professional witnesses to state with certainty
whether the children had been born alive, the coroner's
jury, on Saturday, returned an open verdict. The magis-
trates examined the woman yesterday, and remanded her.