The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-14 00:00:00

The Dispute in the Iron Trade.

BIRMINGHAM, Thursday.
At the quarterly meeting of the ironmasters of
' the South Staffordshire district, held in the Town-
' hall here to-day, there was a good attendance of
• masters, but little business transacted, there being
hardly any demand for either pigs or finished iron.
The difficulty which has arisen at Wolverhampton
does not seem to be any nearer a settlement than it
was some days ago. M. Samuel Griffiths's inter-
ference has not been productive of a very happy re-
sult. The ironmasters do not look upon him as a
man who, from his antecedents and character, ought
to be recognised by them as a mediator in any dif-
ferences that arise between them and their men.
At the meeting to-day his interference was the sub-
ject of much indignant remark. People may do hint
injustice, but they say that he courts popularity and
other advantages. At all events, the masters will
not meet him, and the dispute in the iron trade is
not likely to be settled by his efforts. The meeting,
which was arranged to have taken place between the
masters and men at Wolverhampton on Wednes-
day, was prevented by Mr. Griffiths's anxiety to
make himself spokesman of the puddlers on the
occasion. The deputation appointed by the
men to meet the masters was stowed away
in some place by him until he could arrange
to introduce them ; and before he could make
his arrangements the hour appointed for the
interview had long passed ; the masters
became weary of waiting, and at length separated,
and that chance of making some advance towards
a peaceful settlement of the dispute was lost. The
men were much disappointed, and at a meeting held
by them the same evening they resolved to seek
another interview with the masters. Accordingly
circulars were sent out by them to the different
firms. Those circulars were considered at the iron-
masters' meeting here to-day, and it was agreed
that the men should be met at Wolverhampton on
Saturday. Let us hope that self-seekers and popu-
larity hunters may not interfere to prevent any
good that may result from this interview. The
question to be decided is one entirely for the masters
and the men themselves. If they want acc go-be-
tween" they can invite some one to assume that po-
sition—but an interloper, obnoxioui to one party or
the other, can do nothing but mischief. The atten-
tion of the ironmasters is now turned very eagerly
to puddling by machinery. An ironwork in South
Wales, according to statements made at the meet-
ing to-day, is being prepared for a trial of this im-
portant experiment. In these days of wonderful
mechanical ingenuity and inventive genius and skill,
it is almost a certainty that any machinery of which
an urgent need is felt will be perfected sooner or
later; and there can be no doubt that the principal
ironmasters, both in South Staffordshire and in
other parts of the country,would at the present mo-
ment gladly try any experiment that gave a fair
promise of relieving them from the embarrassment
of strikes. What probability there is of machinery
being found within a brief period to do the work of
the puddler is a question which cannot yet be an-
swered. What the reply of inventors may be to it
finally is a matter which very nearly concerns the
ironmasters and ironworkers of the kingdom, and
its influence will, of course, not be confined to them.
There is another contingency which has an impor-
tant bearing upon the present dispute •in the
iron trade. Wages abroad are very far below
what they are in England. Hitherto this has
told against the ironmasters of this coon'
try by enabling foreign producers to uu"
dersell them. During the late lock-out iron
was cheaper in Paris than in South Staffordshire,
and large quantities were sent from France and
Belgium into this country at prices as low as the
South Staffordshire masters could have sold had
their works been going. But now the comparative
cheapness of labour abroad threatens to favour the
masters of England in their struggle with the iron-
workers. At the meeting to-day it was rumoured
that 500 Russian puddlers had offered to come over
to this country at the current rate of wages here.
This rumour was given me on good authority in the
shape of a positive statement that the ironmastero
of North Staffordshire had received an offer of 500
foreign puddlers at 25 per cent. less wages than
now paid in this district, and that on this basis ne
gotiations are pending. Beyond this there is no'
king to be reported of the meeting.