The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-28 00:00:00

THE MANCHESTER TURN-OUT.

The strike continues, but has not extended, though
some few additional workpeople have been thrown out
ut
of employment through the strike. The Pe°A'3lle
Onoctliast rainkd
walked through the streets of the town on
yesterday, to the number of 600 or 800, menY and
women, and with men at their head carrying bos and
books for contributions. These persons enterexed s hops
and houses on either side the route of the procession,
and requested subscriptions, and appeared to be rather
successful in their object, though the amounts given
were generally small. The committee appointed by the
workpeople on strikes ave issued an answer to the ad-
dress of their employs, published last week :
"' I am afraid it is part of our English character to
keep too much aloof from those who are beneath us, and
therefore they are too much encouraged to look upon us
with suspicion and dislike. How painful is the thought
there are men and women growing up around us, ad-
ministering to our comforts, supplying our wants and
necessities, with whose affections and natures we are as
much unacquainted as if they were inhabitants of some
other sphere ! If I were asked what is the greatest
want in English society to mingle class with class, I
would say in one word—the want of sympathy.'—The
memorable and dying words of Mr. Justice Talfourd.
" We, the self-acting minders and piecers of Manches-
ter, now on strike (although not anxious to enter into a
paper war with our employers), deem it necessary to
make a reply to the very wordy document they, have
thought proper to publish to the world to `justify' their
conduct. The public are led to believe that the opera-
tives of Manchester are continually making claims on
their employers for advances, and in defence of their
own interests they have been compelled to 'unite' to
prevent the continued exactions. Our employers have
endeavoured to impress upon the public mind the
idea that we are strong unionists, and that our
conduct has been dictatorial. Public sympathy to-
wards us will not be lessened by this statement of the
masters, when we state that we have had no orgaei-
aa'ion since 1847. In the year 1850 a partial union was
formed to resist certain encroachments then made. This
association, however, did not last. In 1853 an attempt
was again made to form a union, but, like the former, it
did not last many months ; therefore our employers can-
not demonstrate that we have been influenced by a
strong union among us, either in soliciting an advance
at any time, or resisting a reduction of wages. Now with
regard to the advance in our wages to which the em-
ployers allude, the fact is that only two advances have
taken place in Manchester during the last 11 years—one
in 1844, and another in 1853 ;so that the constantly
recurring efforts of the operatives to obtain advances of
wages' dwindle into insignificance. The masters say that
they are 'unable to compete with other districts,'because
they are paying from 20 to 25 per cent. more than Ash-
ton, Bury, Bacup, and otherplaces. On the most minute
inquiry into the prices paid in these various districts it
will be found most difficult to compare lists of prices, the
plan on which employers regulate their various mills
being so different. In some mills and towns the masters
pay the piecers, in others they pay a creeler, in others
_ the master pays the minder so much per thousand banks
and the minder pays the piecers. So that, considering all
these variations, it is utterly impossible to state what
are the comparative prices of Manchester and other
places. The only way the public and ourselves can ar-
rive at a definite conclusion as to the prices is to ask
what is the average amount of wages that the minders
receive in Manchester and elsewhere. We here publicly
state that the average earnings of the minders in Man-
chester are only 183. per week, while the same amount
or more is received in the neighbouring townships. This
is the strongest proof we can give that, whatever be the
amount our masters pretend to pay us, theactual amount
•f money we receive is no more than in other towns. There
is a statement made by the employers that in 1853 the
self-acting minders aryl piecers now on strike demanded
an advance of from 10 to 25 per cent. from the masters.'
This is a very large exaggeration. The fact is,
we asked our employers for an advance of 2d. per 1,000
banks, and it was generally paid, but, instead of that
advance being 25 per cent., it averaged from 10 to 15
er cent.
"The employers state 'that the advance demanded
anl obtained from them in 1853 was an improper one,
and, as all the towns have long since withdrawn these
advances, the masters in Manchester must follow their
example.' The mildest term that we can use in answer
to this is that it is not true. Many towns were advanced
at that time—Ashton among the number—and, to the
credit of the employers of Ashton be it told, they have
never dreamed about reducing their workpeople. There
are other towns that we could cite, similar to Ashton, so
that can be no excuse for the gentlemen of Manchester.
'We are told in the masters' vindication that in nearly
every other town in which cotton-spinning is established
there has been a large increase of milts during the last 10
years, but in Manchester there has been little extension.'
If some of the gentlemen whose names are attached to
the document in question had looked at their own con-
cerns they would see that they had doubled their estab-
lishments during the last 10 years—a convincing proof,
we think, that trade has not always been bad with them.
In addition our employers may congratulate themselves
that they live and have their establishments in the very
centre of this commercial city, to which the great buyers
of cloth and yarn come direct to make their purchases,
thereby affording facilities and advantages such as are
not enjoyed by the masters in the surrounding districts.
" The now order of things established at Mr. Pooley's,
so vauntingly held up by the employers, has given such
satisfaction (?) that the men have given notice no longer
to continue the new order of things,' but wish to re-
turn to the old system. And what is this boasted
system of Mr. Pooley's ? It is having one minder in a
wheelhouse, and discharging all the rest, —a system not
adopted, we believe, in any other part of the manufac-
turing districts, and which can never be worked advan-
tageously either for employers or employed.
"There is a seemingly strong ease made out in the
masters' document about machinery being removed from
Manchester to another district, and having been
worked in its new locality at per 1,000 hanks
lower than in Manchester. We have shown in the com-
mencement of this address the great disparity that exists
in the manner of paying self-actor minders, and we have
little doubt, if the employers had given us the locality
and manner of paying, as compared with Manchester,
very different conclusions would be arrived at. We now
come to a most important paragraph in the masters'
paper. They say, Either the prices paid by our neigh-
bouring fellow-masters must be raised to the level of the
list by which we have long paid, or ours must fall.' rwo
years ago this country was convulsed from its centre to
circumference by the turn-out at Preston, and the idea of
he operatives throughout the country was to bring that
lowest of all paid districts up to the standard of
other places, and thereby give employers a fair chance
of competition, as well as the labourer a fair reward for
his labour. How did those gentlemen whose names ap-
pear at the bottom of the master's reply act ! Did they
unite with the men to raise Preston to the level with
themselves ?' Nothing of the kind ; but they paid a
certain amount per horse power to assist the masters of
Preston to keep down prices, and, of course, we are now
called upon to admire their consistency, and sympathise
with their struggles of conscience before they came to
the painful necessity' of reducing our wages. The ac-
tions of the employers, from the last-quoted sentence of
their address, prove that their wishes have not been to
raise up the poor humble operativeto comparative hap-
piness, but to sink him rite a still deeper gulf. We
must trouble the reader with another quotation from the
address. The question at issue between us, however,
is not one of benevolence, but one of a purely commer-
cial character.' There was a time when English gentle-
men were proud of their benevolence etncand their kindly
feelings to their workpeople, tu benevolence is now
eschewed for things of commercialpurelycharacter.'
" But our ideas of commerce have ever
commerce, while it enriched those engaged therein, been that
had
a tendency to link nation to nation, continent to conti-
nent, and give mankind not only worldly riches, but
those greater riches —riches of the mind ; that commerce
expanded not only knowledge of mankin, but softened
the asperities of his nature, and brought out in a pecu-
liar manner not only benevolence but the highest and
holiest feelings of his nature. But we have been mis-
taken, or, at least, this sentence we have thought worthy
of criticism, and quotation would leave mankind to
think so. We now wish to draw this reply to a conclu-
sion, and we state broadly and distinctly that, whatever
our employers say about paying more than other dis-
tricts, the actual amount of money we receive on Satur-
day night is no more than the average of surrounding
places.
" The reduction of an industrial population's wages
is not the way to remedy the evils by which we are
surrounded, neither is it calculated to secure that bar-
. mony of sentiment and kindliness of feeling that should
eternally exist between employers and employed. We
have shown in our first address the true remedy for the
evil ; and, as the average wages we received before com-
ing out did not amount to 18s. per week, we confidently
ask the public is that a sum to be reduced, and give con-
tentment in the cottage with the common necessaries of
lifed\vTehinsoiws a fact, at any rate, that needs no comment.
at call on all classes to support us in this un-
fortunateand their
and, with every respeet for our em-
ployersa the
heir property, we are willing to resume
labourtant ratessuns-
at which we came out—a far from
exorbi
labour, the advancement for a speedy return to our
universal
of happier and more peaceful
times, and for
remain, most
among all classes of
our community,
„ Tax sw.;.rnA most respectfully,
‘7l
14(1 MINDERS AND PLECEAS.O7
At Oldham the master cotton:y-1:e! spinnersha arett
he p ric proposingespa
do
nn spun there are chiefly
partially stop their mills. The
coarse counts, but it is comnaonl
scale than those
to the svorkpeople are on a rather lownenr
Exnunute, accoeS-
given at Manchester, and there is
esters
to-day,
ing to the report current in our
between employers and operatives as to wagfe's
object is simply to curtail production, in order to
more remunerative prices than can be obtained in the
present over-supplied state of the market ; and for er;
evil purely of this character this has always been found
t ) be the proper remedy.

Two EXTENSIVE PLATE ROBBEEIES.—Yester a
Yesterday
iu,,rning two extensive plate robberies were reported
the chid' police offices. The first case isthataot thnds.eere-
sideuee of T. Burnard, Esq., Charles-street, Lw
square, of the plate-box, containing 24 large table spoon 7)
24 table forks, 6 salt spoons, 18 desert spoons, 18 tea
spoons, sauce ladles, soup ladles, asparagus tongs, and
other plate to a considerable amount, by a man 25 years
jof age, S feet 9 inches high, dressed in a short round
acket and wide-awake hat. Another at J. Cox's, Eg.,
Mme Samuel Aecklenburg-squncare, consisting of a gold watch,
makerq's
other silver plate, marke
tondon, silver teaspoons, and
dU.L. IA C.,G. C. A
H.
reward is offered in each case for the apprehension of the
offenders,