The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-14 00:00:00

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masters and prejudicial to the interests of.the coun-
try generally; for we know of no branch of indus-
try in which during a time of prosperity there is
so great a demand for really efficient workmen as
in the finished iron trade. Should many men emi-
grate, orders would of necessity have to be sent to
Belgium and elsewhere so soon as there is, an active
inquiry in the market, as it is a fact that before the
lock out began there were masters who could not set
on some of their furnaces became they could not
get men to work them whose labour was not more a
source of loss than of profit. The men believe that
it is due to this unprpductiveness of profit from their
labour that the " under-hands," or assistant pud-
dlers who were set on at one or two of the Works in
North Staffordshire when the puddlers declined to
work, are not now employed. There can be no doubt
that the great difficulty of the masters is found in
this smallness of supply in comparison with the de-
mand. But for that difficulty the places of North
Staffordshire men would have been supplied soon
after the strike began ; and the action of the Iron-
workers' Association, like that of every other labour
union, is to restrict the supply. _ _

There seems to be no ground for concluding that
up to the present time the masters have contem-
plated the destruction of the union, however detri-
mental to their interests they may regard it. The
men, however, do not seem to feel confident that
the masters meditate only the return of the men in
North Stafford Shire to work. They say they are
strengthened in this view by a statement in a Lon-
don weekly paper, which they regard .as peculiarly,
-the-organ of the masters, to the effect that the mas-
ters intend either to crush or to materially weaken
the union. But we speak with authority when
we say that the question of the destruction of
the union has not been discussed at any of
the masters' meetings. It was not discussed at
Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, nor was it dis-
cussed at Birmingham. The lock-out, we must
repeat, was commenced and is continued to compel
the North Staffordshire men to go to work on the
terms which others have accepted. So soon as
the North Staffordshire men have resumed, so soon
will the lock-out cease. It is most important that
there should be no misconception upon this point,
for a different view, if it should continue to be en-
tertained by the men, may induce the masters to
meditate some such a step now that the struggle has
begun.

The Scotch masters are taking up the matter, and
have called a meeting to consider the' question of a
lock-out in that part of the kingdom. The meeting
will be held in Glasgow to-morrow (Wednesday),
and the mastcrc of South Staffordshire have been
invited to send to it a deputation. The masters of
South Wales are also about to take a similar step.
Yesterday the Executive held a long committee
meeting, at which correspondence was read from
different districts. The burden of it was that the
members were displaying comparative unconcern at
the position in which they have been placed by the
lock-out, and that they were not yet, nor till a fort-
night hence will they be, wanting a distribution of
funds. Information was communicated to the effect
that the proprietor of one establishment had ex-
pressed his readiness to re-open his works if the
men would sign a statement to the effect that they
would in no way contribute to the maintenance of
the North Staffordshire men, and from another party
that they had expected a deputation from the Exe-
cutive to wait upon them. The committee have in-
structed the men employed at the works referred to
to see their employers, and if they require an un-
dertaking to be signed, pledging their men not to
support the Staffordshire puddlers, then that they
are to express the desire of the Executive that they
should sign. At the same meeting the chairman
and the secretary of the Executive were appointed
a deputation to attend the meeting of deputies from
trade societies, to be held to-morrow night in London.
Yesterday, the Millmen's Association, who are a
distinct body from the Ironworkers' Association,
which is comprised chiefly of puddlers, was held in
St. George's-hall, Westbromwich, and the room was
crowded. The millmen, as well in North Stafford-
shire as elsewhere, have all been ready to accept
the reduced *ages, and they had nothing to
do with the meeting of delegates at Brierley-hill, at
which the North Staffordshire puddlers were per-
mitted to strike. The meeting was called to con-
sider the course of action to be pursued. The
speeches had reference chiefly to the hardship of the
position now occupied by the millmen, and to the
capability which they possessed to defend themselves
from what they considered to be the injustice with
which they were being treated by the employers.
The comparatively well-to-do condition of themany
members of the society would, it was remarked, en-
able them to remain unemployed as long as they be-
lieved the masters could afford to keep their works
closed, and yetnot suffer from want. The members
who were able would not come at all upon the funds,
and those who had saved and invested money of their
association, were prepared to transfer under security
to the committee, that others who were not so well
off might be kept in comparative comfort. Help
was being afforded only to the milluaen in North
Staffordshire, and not to the puddlers. Their
position as a society had called forth much com-
miseration from other bodies of workpeople, and
from the public generally, and they were about to
take steps to bring their cause before the public of
Wolverhampton and elsewhere by public meetings.
After a deputation had been appointed to attend the
meeting in London to-morrow, it was resolved:—
" That this meeting resolves to abstain from
touching the funds as long as possible—certainly not
until after another general meeting, at which meet-
ing the amount of relief per head per week will be
determined upon."
At the conclusion of the millmen's meeting the
best suggestion that has yet been made was put
forth by one of the speakers, and it was received with
the warmest approval of all the persons present.
It was that the masters in the south should with-
draw the lock-out, and supply the North Stafford-
shire masters with puddled bars—the iron that the
puddlers who are refractory produce—which can be
worked up into the finished article by the millmen
in that part of the country, who have always been
ready to work at the reduction, and in cases
where there have been bars on hand have done so.
If this should be acted upon the puddlers in North
Staffordshire would soon be again at work.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE., Monday.
In consequence of the great lock-out of the iron
works in the North of England Ironmasters' Asso-
ciations a great number of puddlers and men work-
ing under them are thrown out of employment in
the two northern counties of Durham and North-
umberland and North Yorkshire this morning. But
the turned-out men are singularly quiet, orderly,
and cheerful, for the universal impression among
them appear to be that the lock-out will not con-
tinue many days. Such, also, seems to be the opi-
nion in the best informed commercial circles to-day,
and if the northern masters and men keep in their
present frame of mind, and if more violent counsels
do not prevail in the Ironworkers' Association, pro-
bably this week will see the end of the dispute. The
questions to be settled in this part of the country are
these—Have the North Country Workmen's Asso-
ciation supported the men out on strike in North
Staffordshire ? Will the ironworkers of the north
support the North Staffordshire men ? To-morrow
deputations from the workmen employed at Walker,
Jarrow, Consett, Spenny-moor, Darlington, Mid-
dlesborough, Witton-park, and other districts will
have an interview with the masters' committee in
this town, and if the matters in dispute are approached
e
in a spirit of conciliation, the most hopeful results
may be anticipated from the meeting, l g
disputes, of course, are constantly arising between
the masters and men in this immense iron district, as
hyanin prevails
other
therin most others, a better feeling generallt
be-
tween the employers and employed
parts of the country. The masters take more interest