The Express.
London, England, 1857-12-23 00:00:00

wags! IN SOUTH STAFFORD-

The notices of reductions of the wages of the thin
coal collies expired as Saturday evening, and a good deal of
anxiety has during the last week lest a general strike
and disturbances should take place; the proceedings on the
part of the colliers in North Staffordshire having rather
stimulated the mania this quarter to resistance. lee Thus-
d•7 evening, a meeting of the colliers was bald at Willem-
hali at which a strong feeling was expresed against the ac-
ceptince of the reduced scale, and an intimation ins given
that a conference would be sought with the metes on the
subject. On Saturday active measures were taken by the
civil anchoritees to repress any disturbance, which might
arise ; but the night pared off qedetly„though the large num-
ber of men about the streets of Willetikall, Blister, &c.
canard • good deal of disquietude. On Monday morning, thi
colliers did not return to work u usual, but mumbled in the
neighbourhood of the vision. pits, and at noon on that day a
deputation of the men had en interview with some of the
large hen and coal masters, at the Swan Hotel, Wolver-
hampton.
Mr. PHILIP WILLI• 118 who Witabi, received the dope-
tatiou. He was acoenranled by . John Hartley, and one
or two gentlemen, but t appealed that not more than two or
three members of the trade had received invitations to attend.
Mr. Willisma, remarking on mid that it was late on
Saturday evening when the nee adiesrd to himself was it-
ceived, or he would have taken ore that a larger number of
the ironmesters were pretest. He thought that the men
had takes a proper step In swift this interview with the
eeplafwa At the MOO then he wished It to be distinctly
thst the sesetue Win us. lesendble le the mute
the .trettpeople; bet it art he buss in lAA that Imre
Maui lirelith Um the meet MA perhaps, never been sees
1 ilewth aedshtre.

named—Otairell, handed in a letter to the
cheirmes, which the latter teat The purport of It was
that the area approached the rasters with no hostile .fWng,
bat that the circuamatiame in connexion with the
mean reduction of wryer might be fairly dimmed. They
emmidend that the redaction ones unjust, taking into con-
eideradoa the rate of pecreisions. They also complained of
hem the betties In adding to the " dints," and
flatliesn work hum 6in the morning until 2 p.m., for
bell • y. Corwin made a eaopisaoatal statement, to the
elect that the men would be asbb to live at the reduced
seals, beds being bed end provieloes deer. Hs complained
el seta doppremion on the part of the betties, and attributed
the purer disesteem, state of things to the large Kt= of
'tansy which the betties procured from the ironmasten,
whilst the workmen were mad* to suffer. The men wished
that the half day Amid oreclade at 12 o'clock, and that the
men should not be compelled to spend half their wages in
tawny shops and public-bonne. Two or three others od the
workers spoke is the same effect.
.

Mr. WILLIAMS upraised his strong reprobation of the
mtsm of forcing the men to the tommy .hope, which was
the only grievance in which the mestere could interfere.
With regard to the reduction of wages, it was altogether
Impossible to avoid It, such woe the competition with which
they had to contend In other districts. He read a letter trots
Mr. Gould, of nouns-street, Loudon, a gentleman largely
Interested In the Iron trade, in the counts of which ha said.
" I do not se how It ia peraible for Stalfonlehire to remain
stationary. I can assure you that a redaction of 21. per ton
le room widely advocated and o:weed than I could have
believed if I had not heard It. .e I regret that even •
20.. reduction I Inevitable ; but there is nothing doing;
1 people will not buy et any prioe, even though we ogor as we
have do for week, pest subject to quarter day."
Some farther dismission ensued, but no definite course of
action was speed upon.
Mr. H declared his complete concurrence in the
sentineate of the Chairman in Totems to payment of the
men's wagee la_ public-house, and to the "tommy abops."
The Earl of DARTMot-ru, who had entered too rOOM in
the course of the proceedings, eaprereed his satisfaction at
the dlipeeidon manifested by the men to meet their masters
sod ilk natters quietly over. It was much the beet way of
settling a grievance, and he hoped that this matter would be
@mailed amicably.
The deputation dimly afterwards retired.
Where the reductions have taken place, the men have not
yet returned to their work ; but as the reduction has been
brought about by circumstances over which the masters have
no cuntrol, it is not muissonable to suppose that the men will
ultimately fall in with the arrangement.

Moot the WokerhatWptonChronicle of this day.)

A meeting of miners took place in a club-room, In Hall-
street, Wilhelm.% yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, to enable
the depatetice who had welted upon the ironmasten at Wol-
verhampton on the previous day to repot to the MS the
result of their interview. William Caswell was in the chair.
William Dodd, one of the deputation, read a report of what
took place between the deputation and Mesas. Williams and
Hartley sad the Earl of Dartmouth, on Monday. The
chairman then recommended the miners, under the eircnro-
dancer., to return to work. Iron, be said, had been reduced
In price, and the miners must submit to occurrences. The
masters had met the deputation fairly, and had promised that
if their men laboured under any grievance, they would try
to redress it. A miner, named Platt, moved the appointment
of a committee who should sit permanently end receive all
complaints from their fellow-workmen; that a room should
be taken where the newspapers could be reed, and the pries
of iron and the value of labour ascertained ; and that if the
masters attempted to reduce them until a reduction took
glace In the price of iron they should strike. The meeting
seemed dingromd to meet the masters fairly ; but wished to
have the opportunity of knowing at all times when wages
might be expected to be reduced and when they might fairly
demand higher prices. The motion was adopted, and thirteen
collier. were nominated members of the committee. A se-
cond resolution was poised that the miners should quietly
return to work. A vote of thanks having been passed to the
deputation and alto to the masters, the meeting separated.
Temarday morning numerous groups of the turn-outs
lounged about the streets at Eamon and at Willenhell, sad
some fears were entertained that ere the close of the day
some disturbance might be attempted. But each does not
appear to have been the purpose of the men. About midday
they began to congregate at Willenhall. AA many as could
obtain mimissioa to the room in which the meeting was held
attended it; the others patiently waited outside, and on
bowies the result (that the meeting decided to adopt the re-
ememendation of the deputation, and return to work at the
reduced rate of wages) quietly dampened.
It may, therefore, be presumed that the threatened
" strike " is at an end ; and for the ...he of the men, as wall
as the welfare of the district, we rejoins that it is so, feeling'
satiated that if in the present Mete of affairs, they had de-
termined on '• standing out" as it I. called, they would have
had to endure much suffering, without in any way improv-
ing their positron.