The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-07 00:00:00

The Great Lock-out.

WOLVERHAMPTON, Thursday.
The interview between the deputation from the
North Staffordshire puddlers and the Brierly-hill
Executive has resulted in the latter having resolved
to use their influence to obtain the sanction of the
districts to the sum of £l,OOO being expended in
sending out North Staffordshirepuddlers to Australia
or New Zealand, as may be selected. The money
to be appropriated to this use is the balance of the
" levies" raised for the support of the Leeds iron-
workers during the recent strike and lock-out there,
and which now lies in a local bank. Notice for its
withdrawal from the bank has been given to-day,
and the sanction of the several districts is being
asked to its use for the purpose suggested. The dis-
tricts of Manchester and Wolverhampton have al-
ready consented, and the executive entertain no
doubt of a similar course being pursued by the
districts generally. With this money it is computed
that 100 puddlers might be sent out from North

Staffordshire before the close of this month ; and
the North Staffordshire delegates assert that this
number are willing to avail themselves of the oppor-
tunity to emigrate which the awarding of this money
would afford.

For the emigration of South Staffordshire pud-
dlers the levy ordered by the executive is coining in,
and the amount in hand to-morrow will, it is stated,
be £2OO. The applications do not seem to be nume-
rous considering the extent of South Staffordshire,
but the men who can be accepted from among the
applicants are pressing to be sent out at once, so
that there shall be no necessity for them to resume
work in consequence of the withdrawal of the lock;
out.

. The Emigration Committee appointed by the
Brierly-hill Executive are adopting measures to sti-
mulate or arouse the emigration feeling in North
Staffordshire. To-day they have sent into that dis-
trict large posters, in which they urge the puddlers
to emigrate to Auckland " rather than stay and
starve in North Staffordshire." The bill also an-
nounced that " arrangements are being made to
emigrate men to America." The placard closes with
an intimation that " puddlers desiring to have their
names registered to emigrate are requested to apply
to the district secretary (Peter Baker) at Tunstal, or
to the secretary of the emigration committee, Castle
Inn, Brierly-hill."
By this announcement it will be seen that the
North and South Staffordshire puddlers are not per-
manently disunited, and that the sympathy of the
South for the North is being displayed, as far as that
sympathy can be shown by the executive without

the directions of the delegates being overridden ;
but the delegates have the power to undo what they
have previously done. The executive—the deputa-
tion from North Staffordshire state that, until this
had taken place (if it ever should take place), they
could not sanction the raising of funds for the sup-
port of the men who may remain in North Stafford-
shire to continue the strike ; but they remarked
that, if the puddlers of South Staffordshire should
be determined to support the North unofficially, the
executive could not prevent them.

Throughout South Staffordshire the men are not
united in opinion as to the best course to be pursued
now that the lock-out is over. To-day a numer-
ously attended meeting of men was held at Brierly-
hill. It had been called by bellmen sent through-
out that district for some miles, and the representa-
tion was regarded as influential and thorough, all
the works in that district having sent delegates.
The room in which the meeting was held was
crowded, and it was unanimously resolved that work
should not be resumed until the 10th instant.

Throughout Brierly-hill, therefore, and Wolver
hampton work will not be resumed this week.

To-day, at Tipton, however, the men have met
and resolved to begin work at once. At Messrs.
Barrows' works at Tipton some puddling furnaces
were on this morning, but nothing was done last
night. The resolution come to by the masters at
their meeting in Wolverhampton was sent to Tipton
by Major Barrows, who has never heartily approved
the lock-out, immediately that it was passed, and it

was posted in his works that evening, but no fires
were got up by the firm until to-day.

There is not much doubt that the men will gene-
rally begin next week, after a little preliminary
parleying on the part of those who are now the
least anxious to begin.

Binm INGHAM, Thursday Evening.
There was a very numerous attendance of the
ironmasters to-day at the weekly meeting of the
trade held in this town. The resolution passed at
the special meeting held yesterday was much dis-
cussed. The prevailing opinion appeared to be that
the course adopted was the best that could have
been in present circumstances, and a confident con-
viction was expressed that if the matter is let alone
the men will go in at the commencement of next
week, and the difficulty be put an end to.
At some of the small. works operations have
already recommenced, but at most of the large ones
they will not begin until Monday next.
Messrs. Barrows, of the Bloomfield Works, have
requested us to state that the announcement in this
morning's papers that they had " anticipated" the
result of yesterday's meeting, and made prepara-
tions to start some of their works last night, is erro-

neous. Their men held a meeting this morning, and
agreed to go in, which they did in a body early this
forenoon.
At Messrs. Dawes, Bromford-lane, and other
large works, they are still standing.