The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-20 00:00:00

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS IN THE

M.ARCANTILE HOUSES.

The Lord Mayor has transmitted letters, of which the
following is a copy, to the principals of the firms in some
manufacturing towns on the subject of the movement
for making the 24th inst. a close holiday in the metro-
polis, as well as the 25th :

" Dec., 1855.
" reply to your letter, requesting my sanc-
tion and support to a movement for making the 24th
inst. a close holiday in the metropolis as well as the
25th, as is now attempted at and other provin-
cial towns, I beg to say I should rejoice in the success
of any endeavour to obtain for all classes at this festive
season of the year the advantage to be derived from
an additional holiday, but I venture to sugge-t
whether your efforts should not rather be directed
to the surrender of the 26th, the day following, rather
than the 24th, the preceding Christmas-day.
"The 24th of December has hitherto been one of the
heaviest business days in the year. This year it falls on
Monday, a double post day, and a day when some of
our principal London markets are held. To provide
beforehand for three consecutive days' consumption by
the inhabitants of all classes of the great metropolis
whatever they require, appears to me not very easy ; if,
therefore, your proposed holiday were general, it would
inconvenience more than it would relieve ; and should
it not be general, those who did not keep the holiday
would gain a profit at the expense of those who did.
As I trust there would be few who had not a
surplus on Christmas-day, the 26th might be acceptable
to everybody. masters and servants, emplo3ers and em-
ployed. For myself I should be delighted in having an
official holiday o❑ three or more consecutive days, and
would rejoice at a commencement on the 22..1 and a con-
tinuation to the 26th or 27th, including of course your
suggested holiday, the 24th ; hut, before giving any
official sanction to your proposition, I must look at it
practically, and see how it is likely to bear on the
various classes of which this great metropolis is com-
posed, and I fear that—however practicable it may be
in provincial towns--it would not be feasible in the
metropolis.
" You are at liberty to give publicity to these views,
so that those who are interested may determine the
question for themselves.

"I remain, &c., &,c ,
(Signed) " DAVID SALOMONS, Lord Mayor.".

THE MANCHESTER STRIKE.

The seventh weekly meeting of the minders and piecers
on strike at Manchester was held on Tuesday evening.
The Secretary said the masters had offered to agree to
the average of the Ashton prices, and the operatives ba
agreed to accept the average of the working wages of
Ashton and Oldham, but this proposition the employers
had rejected. Although the operatives might be suffer
ing by the strike, the masters were also injured by their
mills being idle, and they were endeavouring to create
divisions among the operatives, so as to bring about a
general reduction of wages. He recommended the ope-
ratives to be united, and before making any terms, or
taking anything for granted, to consult with the et,nitni t-
tee, so as not to be entrapped into anything but at,
honourable settlement of the question. If the men were
dictatorial the masters bad forced them to be se, by at-
tempting to reduce wages without assigning any reason.
He referred to the alleged injustice done to the men in
the weighing of their weft, awl said the operatives had
shown themselves prepared to subrn►t the question be-
tween them and their employers to arbitration, but the
employers feared arbitration, because they knew it
would place the position of the minders and piecers in
such a light as the world had never seen it in before. A
few more delegates had last Sunday resolved to support
the men of Manchester. The hands of New Islington
Mill were to resume work yesterday morning, and
be advised those who had not turned out from that
mill to keep away from it, so as to let those who
had worked there previously have the first chance of
resuming worts there.
A delegate from Oldham, who had been a spinner 42
years, recommended union, sobriety, and orderly con-
duct on the part of all on strike. The operatives of Old-
ham, who were all united, were subscribing for the Man-
chester turnouts. At Oldham they were not cheated
as at Manchester, because they could either see their
work weighed, or else it was measured lineally by "re-
gulators," without reference to weight. The average
wages of the self acting minders in Oldham were 225.
per week.

An operative said it appeared the Oldham wages were
53, 6d. per week above the Manchester average. Here
in 1847 he got 275. or 285., and now only 15s. 6d. He
should like to know where the difference had gone to.
On the recommendation of the Secretary, the meeting
was then dissolved, instead of adjourned again, as the
operatives could reassemble publicly, when necessary,
after the holidays. In the meantime he said there would
be meetings of the turn-outs, and the committee had a
great deal of work to do.