The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-21 00:00:00

THE BLACZBUZIT WIATERS.

Very little change has taken place since Thursday,
except in the miming department, in which, owing to the
cessation of work by the weavers, a large number of opera-
tives have been Weaned, and others put upon short time.
A large out-door meeting of operatives was held on Tues-
day morning on land adjoiaing the Blackburn police statics,
and wee attended by from 7,000 to 8,000 operatives. Mr.
WILLLAM FIELDING, of Oust Harwood, was elected to pre-
side. After some remarks he said with regard to the pre-
seut crisis, deputations of the Harwood operatives waited on
their employers on fisturday last, to try to prevail upon
them to adopt the mune which they had acknowledged to
be the wisest and beet for remedying the evil under which
they were now suffering. The masters, however, told them
that they could not do anything more than they had
already (lone : and that they were determined to stand by
the resolution passed at the manufacturers' meeting last
Wednesday night. The operatives of Harwood, therefore,
carne to the conclusion that they were perfectly Justified
in adopting, and should adopt, the same course which was
taken by the operatives of Blackburn—(appLince)—and to
ceder to give the operatives of Harwood another chance of
rimming work, the employers on Monday morning got up
stem, lit up their mills, and had everything in readiness
for the operatives to commence, but not a man or a woman
was found who would accept their terms and resume
work. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. B. WADDINGTON, a deputy from Enfield, raid various
mills wen closed in that locality, but in three instances
mills were running full time at the old rate of wages.
Mr. TOMLINSON said he appeared before than to give
them an idea of the state of things at Church. Last Thurs-
day, deputations of operatives waited on their respective
employers Just before the expiry of the optics, to see what
terms they could agree to. The masters told them that
they must work full time at the five per cent. reduction, or
Le locked out. The men called a meeting at the next bell
hour, and they all SfiTesd either to work four dart at the
five per ant. reduction, or full time at the old prices. The
masters waited the result of the meeting, and told them
that they would not set their engines on upon those terms.
(Disapprobation.) Notices would expire at three of the
mills this week, while three of the other employers bad
Mtgive the five per cent. and continue working the
. to
until things were settled. At 20 mills the notices
would expire on Thursday, but the proprietors bad agreed
to work abort time.
Mr. JOHN GALLIGHAN, of Accrington, said there was not
that good feeling and unanimity existing between the
weavers of Aoctington which there seemed to be in other
districts. They held a meeting on Thursday to take the
question into consideration, when they agreed to stand by
the course the operatives of Blackburn might adopt. They
bad, lawyer, failed to do so, and five of the largest mills
in the town were running full time at the reduction of five
per seat. (" Shame :" and booting.) Every step that It
was possible to take bad been adopted to induce the ODD-
naives employed in those mills to come out ; Lut all in vain.
On Monday night they met some of those operatives, who
bad the impudence to tell them that "they were a set of
loggerheads, and that they had leaped over the hedge with-
out looking what was bellied it, and hail leaped into the
sledge." Mariano cheers and boating.)
Mr. THOMAS DVIIMIRT, from Over Damn, said that all
the mills there were stopped with the exception of about
eix little weaving sheds, three of which were running on
the old terms, whilst the other three were running eland
time, at the reduced wages, with the understanding that
the men shall receive an advance of five per cent. when
trade shall have revived.
_ _

Mr. THOMAS Burning, of Clitheroe, mid that the opera-
tives of that town were Dot yet out of work, u their notices
did not expire till Wednesday night. Their dispute was
far different from that of the operatives of Blackhurs, as
the mamma were peeking to reduce the wages by 10 per
cent. (Shame.) If the men of Clitheroe did not swept
these terms, the masters were prepared to-night to lock up
their mills.

—.—
Mr. W. Caosstrr having also addreseed the meeting, a
reselnUon was carried unanimously, to the effect that the
deputies from Accrington, Church, Enfield, Great Har-
wood, and Darwen with the Blackburn Operatives' Com-
mittee,' meek an iiderview with the Masters Committee, to
endeavour to settle the differences amicably.