The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-14 00:00:00

which persons can soon be trained to manage ; and
I driven to extremities by the arbitrary conduct of his
workpeople, he had not only dmancipated himself from
dictation, but had reduced his payment for wages to an
average of 14s. per head, while the average of Man-
chester establishments' taking young and old, skilled
end unskilled, is nearer 245. per week. We asked if
this were io,sible, or had we been imposed upon ? The
overlooker replied that it not only could be done, but
most likely would be, in Manchester, if the society per-
sisted in forcing things to a crisis. With a few skilled
artisans (who could bo induced to give up the society for
a consideration) to direct, he said, lower-priced labour
might be secured than had ever yet been attempted, and
a comparatively well-paid class of workmen might find
their trade ruined, as much as had been that of the
cotton-spinners, whose strikes had lad to the introduc-
tion of the self-acting mule, and the constant substitution
of machinery for band labour.
Now, if this really is so, it must be a matter of deep
regret that such evils should be risked by a class of
well-paid artisans, whose chief complaint is that they
have sometimes too much work, and whose ignorance of
political economy has led them into the mistake of sup-
posing they can regulate the laws of supply and demand
as they would one of their own machines. They com-
plain that men should be obliged to work overtime while
the society has men on its books who have no work at
all, and would compel the employer to extend his capital
in providing more shop-accommodation for men in the
daytime, without exercising his own knowledge and ex-
perience in determining whether it could be done with
profit and safety. It is doubtful if any class of society
gains by the reduction of wages among other classes;
and it would be matter of much regret if the present
strike between the operative engineers and their em-
ployers should be attended with the disastrous results
which have resulted from so many previous turn-outs.
There is reason, however, to fear that such will be the
case. It is said that some of the masters here have it in
contemplation to invite over to this country a number of
Belgian mechanics.
The following is a list of the 36 firms in Manchester
and the surrounding towns which have closed their
workshops, or are under notice to close them:—
Hands Discharged.
Sharp, Brothers, and Co., Manchester 664
W. Fairbairn and Sons, ditto ... 704
Parr, Curtis, and Madeley, ditto ... 580
J. Hetherington and Co., ditto ... ... 180
Dobson and Barlow, ditto ... 986
E. T. Bellhouse, ditto ... ... 128
John Dunlop, ditto
J. Whitworth and Co., ditto ... ... 277
John Ellis and Co., ditto ... ... 220
Peel, Williams, and Peel, ditto ... 100
William Higgins and Sons, Salford 652
Ilibbert, Platt, and Sons, Oldham ... 1,636
Saville and Wolstenholme, ditto ... 252
Lees and Barnes, ditto 400
Benjamin Hick and Sons, Bolton ... 502
Musgrave and Son, ditto ... 350
Knight and Wood, ditto 142
Executors of Charles Hardman, ditto ... 62
Jackson and Brothers, ditto ... 110
Richard Threltall, ditto ... ... 200

... 250

Rothwell and Co., ditto ...
Thomas Marsden, Salford
F. Lewis and Sons, ditto
B. Goodfellow, ditto ...
W. Collier and Co., ditto ... .
W. and C. Mather, ditto ...
P. Rothwell, ditto ...
W. and J. Garforth, Dukenfield
William and Joseph Cole •.•
James Nasmyth and Co., Patricroft 300
Edmund Leach and Sons, Rochdale ... 144
John Mason, ditto ... 272
Lord and Brothers, Todmorden
Robert Gordon and Co., Stockport
Robert Dalglish, jun., St. Helen's
Tayleure and Co., Warrington ...

... 100
... 143
... 100
... 125
Not known.
... 140
... 60

... 90
... 270
... 110
Not known.

Total ... .•• l 0,350
Some few of these have not actually closed, having
found that their men were in a position to demand a fort-
night's notice.
The following is as complete a list as we could obtain
of the engineers' and machinists in Manchester and Sal-
ford who have not closed their workshops:—
In Manchester—Nil.. N. Batho, Mr. B. Birch, Mr. J.
Bushell, Mr. S. Cave, Mr. York Clark, Messrs. Crich-
ton and Co., Mr. W. Crossley, Mr. G. Duncuft, ~Ir. W.
Edwards, Messrs. J. Ellis, jun., and Brothers,'Mr. J.
Flockton. Mr. T. Gadd, Messrs. W. and J. Galloway,
Mr. N. Gough, Mr. R. Greenhalgh, Messrs. J. Hout-
son and Co., Messrs. R. and H. Howson, Mr. J. Hunter,
Messrs. Irlam and Bethel!, Mr. W. Kendall, Messrs. W.
and R. Kirkland, Mr. J. Lillie, Messrs. Lynch and
Inglis, Messrs. M4Farlane and Briggs, Messrs. P. and J.
M‘Grregor, Mr. W. Mahon, Messrs. Oldham and
Richards, Messrs. R. Ormerod and Son, Mr. J. Piggott,
Mr. J. Powell, Mr. S. Rathbone, Mr. C. Schieler,
Messrs. Shipton and Co., Messrs. P. Taylor and Co.,
Messrs. Tower and Shirley, Messrs. Vaughan and
Hassock, Mr. W. Walker, Mr. J. Watson, Mr. S. White,
Messrs. Wolfendon and Taylor, Messrs. A, Woodward,
and Messrs. Wren and Bennett.
In Salford—Messrs. Barton and Co., Mr. H. Bent-
ley, Messrs. Browning and Rigby, Messrs. W. Collier,
and Co., Messrs. S. Ellis and Co., Mr. R. Gilroy, Mr.
P. Leigh, Mr. W. Muir, Messrs. R. and W. Oram,
Mr C. Reece, Messrs. Robinson and Young, and Mr. W.
Routladge.
These firms in Manchester employ about 2,100 hands
those in Salford employ about 1,000.
In addition to these, the railway companies who have
stations at Manchester, and who cannot stop their works,
employ 2,200 to 2,400 hands, including 600 to 700 *I the
Miles platting station of the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Company, 400 to 500 at the Gorton station of the Shef-
field Railway, 300 to 400 at the Longsight station of the
London and North-Western Company, and 800 at the
Crewe Works of the same company.