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

The Lock-out in the Iron Trade•

If the idea of sending men to North Staffordshire
to start the furnaces which, at the wages now offered
them, the North Staffordshire men refuse to work,
was ever seriously entertained by the masters, it
does not appear likely to be acted upon. Where
local meetings have been held the men have de-
clined to go, and individual opinions are similarly
expressed. There would seem therefore to be no
other course open upon which both sides may again
meet, without one having first sustained very seri-
ous losses, or the other endured prolonged terrible
suffering—and both occasion great public loss—than
that the North Staffordshire men should be either
persuaded or starved into returning to work.
During the early part of the struggle the North
Staffordshire men who happened to have wandered
into Sauth Staffordshire were accustomed to receive
their proportion of the relief which the Executive
were able to render to the North Staffordshire dis-
tricts from the hands of the secretary of the Execu-
tive, who also received for such members the smaller
amount, of help which the North Staffordshire dis-
tricts were able to render. Now, however, no such
distribution is taking place. The Executive have no
funds for North Staffordshire, and the officers of the
district in that part of the county have sent word
that if their members want relief they must go to
North Staffordshire for it. But the amount of weekly
relief dispensed by the officers in North Staffordshire
does not form sufficient inducement for the men
who are away to return for such a purpose.
Emigration agents are busy endeavouring to in-
duce the men who are locked out to leave this coun-
try, and if the Executive should determine to re-
commend any scheme it will be accepted by a
large number of men. The Executive are receiving
frequent applications from men who are exemplary
for their industry and their general social habits to
know if any scheme has been yet approved. The
Executive are, however, reluctant to take this part
of the business in hand ; but it is their intention to
do so if it should be clear that the struggle is to be
a long one. Some are prepared to go either to the
Federal States, with a view of continuing their occu-
pation in the New World, and others desire to leave
ironmaking, and emigrate to New Zealand. Their
phrase is that both in America and also in the
colonies " the working man is better thought of."
If the men should emigrate to any considerable
extent the result would be most favourable to those
who remain behind, and most unsatisfactory to the

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 masters 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 -ingi7o3V niat in Landon.
Yesterday, the INlillmen'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 wages, 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 possessedto'clefend 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 yet not suffer from want. The members
who were able would not come at all upon the funds,
and those who had savedand 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 millmen 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 came 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.
theforth
wba
warmest
enset of the
approvalspeakers,
of
all a
n the
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-
ciationitdmissnhnpartsiu tsaepmpaay masterspsupport
osbotpofsrereti
stdrs,aoitstuthnhtho phtefioer. supported
ccaeNrocionsr
srenatr
course,
anticipated
r:ieetre:r,
shitf.
Will
eal
eoTrrta
nmel nhlfeeet:;niomareenooanisng Staffordshireat
tilptatveglnor
masters
itrynn meeting.lkyee
deenrsr
ironworkers
okys
hepogrtiuhen between
heNnt.
ti
s To-morrowwoor
arr:tehhe
Jarrow, deputations
c o fromn se
tt thespeworkmenn nym o
or, employed
Darlington,
a t
tWalker,rrie.estuiatss
Mid-
dlesborough,T
Witton-park, and other districts will
have an interview with the masters' committee in
this town, and ifntmehilieemnatinaitntnthe,rsi:indimspeountteearirhtoioelpnaaenpdfidpis.
in
noaochuder
take
morev.
inaiterbeest-
tween the employ

in education, mechanics'institutes, boil • 4i*
and other movements to promote the soci
their workmen and families land though th
into obligations with the North Staffordshire iron
masters to lock out their hands, which they have hon-
ourably kept, there is little doubt they will spare no
honest efforts to put an end to it as speedily as pos-
sible. The meetings of workmen announced to be
held on Saturday did not take place, but were ad-
journed until after the conference between the depu-
tation and the masters' committee to-morrow. As
already stated, the men employed at Messrs. Hawks,
Crawshay, and Co.'s extensive works in Gareshead
are not locked out. They met on Saturday and
passed the following resolutions :
" That we discountenance the continuance of the strike
in North Staffordshire, and shall enter our protest against
any support being tendered to them from the GateShead
Lodge. That we deeply sympathise with our brethren now
locked out, and declare that we shall use our best endea-
yours to aid and assist th4iiduring the time of the lock-out.
That an appeal to the trades of Gateshead be drawn up and
presented to their respective committees on behalf of those
now locked out."
We have already stated that everything is quiet -
and orderly in this district of the iron trade. A letter
from Middlesborough gives the following particulars
of the state of affairs in the Cleveland iron district :
" The resolutions come to by the ironmasters do not bind
all the works of Tees-side to lock-out. The Stockton Malle-
able Iron Company and the Hartlepool Rolling Mills Com-
pany are among the number. At the Stockton Rolling Mills
there is no lock-out, owing to the accidental circumstance
of the men employed there, numbering upwards of 200, not
belonging to the union. Messrs. W. Whitwell and Co.,
Thornaby Ironworks, have a number of piddling furnaces
almost completed at their establishment, but np to the pre-
sent time they have not been got into operation. As the blast
furnaces of the district must necessarily be affected consi-
derably by the present crisis in the other branch of the iron
trade, it may be interesting to know that there are alto-
gether 88 of these, and 73 are in blast ; moreover, there are
nearly 30 additional furnaces in various stages of progres-
sion, the majority being nearly ready for a start At 4
o'clock on Saturday afternoon the lock-out really com-
menced in the Cleveland district. The day and night pud-
dlers, underhands, mill-men, shinglers, rollers, and the •
labourers, ' catchers,' &c., employed directly and indirectly
by the puddlers, wishful to a man to continue work, were
prevented from doing so any longer by the dead lock-out.
This statement applies to the works of Messrs. Hopkins
and Co., and those of Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan and Co.
There are some puddling furnaces belonging to Messrs.
Head, Ashby, and Co., and Messrs. Samuelson and Co.—
recently established—but it is yet unknown how the prin-
cipals of these works are affected towards the lock-out.
Early on Saturday afternoon a deputation of working men
waited upon Mr. J. Vaughan, who gave them a courteous
hearing. Until this (Monday) morning's meeting the re-
sult of the interview will not be officially divulged, but it
is the impression in Middlesborough that the men have
obtained grounds for hope.' At the works strict orders
have been given to the officials to prevent any puddler
setting foot within the precincts of the establishment. But
for the more than usually crowded appearance of the streets
of Middlesborough, there is no indication of anything of an
exceptional character having taken place; the general
aspect of affairs is one of quiet."
The Newcastle Chronicle of this morning furnishes
details of the organization of the National Associa-
tion of Ironworkers.
" This association has been in existence about two years,
and there are about 12,000 members belonging to it. It is
managed by two executives, one of which is at Gateshead,
and the other at Brierly-hill ; but we understand that there
is a proposal to have one executive, with the headquarters
at Manchester, which would be most central for the iron
districts. Each executive consists of eight members ; the
secretary, president, and treasurer of each being elected
yearly at a conference of delegates, and the others being
chosen from the districts where the executive sit. In the
Gateshead district Mr. John Kane is president, Mr.
Joseph Hadley, vice-president, Mr. Jas. Clifford, treasurer,
and Mr. John Millington, secretary. The Gateshead execu-
tive have under their management more than 20 districts,
with more than 7,000 members enrolled in England, Scot-
land, and Wales. The chief districts are Gateshead, Jar-
row, Walker, Bedlington. Consett, Witton-park, Middles-
borough, Darlington, Workington, Sheffield, Masbrough,
Park-gate, Lancashire, Derbyshire, London, Bilston, South
Staflordshire, North Staffordshire, South Wales, and three
districts in Scotland. The Brierly-hill executive have
under them the same number of districts, but they are not
so large nor so widely extended as those under theGateshead
executive, the members numbering between 4,000 and 5,000.
Mr. Allkins is president, Mr. Hobson secretary, and Mr.
Davis treasurer of the Brierly-hill executive. The fol-
lowing are the districts, most all of which are now locked
out Westbromwich, Wednesbury, Tipton,
Golds-green, Tividale, Snicthwick, Moaley, Kinver, Wal-
sall, Pelsall, Regent, Derby, Salop, North Staffordshire,
Manchester, Pendleton, Warrington, Liverpool, Gorlon-
tank, Sydney, Blaknnven, and Melingriffith. In each of
these districts there is a committee, and each district keeps
its own funds. When the executive require money for trade
purposes a demand is made upon the districts according to
the number of members in each. The funds now in hand
amount to a very considerable sum. Of the districts under
the Gateshead executive there are only 4,000 men locked
out, many of the firms in South Yorkshire having declined
to adopt the measures of the Ironmasters' Union. In North
Staffordshire the Hanley district, which comprises Shelton
Bar, Kidsgrove, Norton, Silverdale, and Whelock, acknow-
ledge the Gateshead executive ; but the adjoining district
of Tunstall, in which there are four works—Tunstall,
Knutton, Black Bull, and Chatterly—is in connection with
the Brierley-hill executive. Between 1,000 and 1,200 men
are on strike at these works, and about 500 of them are con-
nected with the Gateshead union. It has been reported
that the North Staffordshire men are cut off from the asso-
ciation. But this is untrue, the executives having no power
to do this. They may withhold the strike pay, but it must
rest with the next conference to say whether these men
are to be excluded from the association. Till that confer-
ence is held the North Staffordshire men will continue
members of the association."

DARLINGTON, March 13.
The notice which had been given to the men em-
ployed in the Darlington district expired on Satur-
day last, and as no information had been received
that the Staffordghire men intended to resume work,
the consequence was that the works at Albert-hill,
Darlington, belonging to Messrs. Barningham and
Messrs. Pease, Hutchinson, and Ledward, were
closed, thereby throwing out of employment be-
tween 1,500 and 1,600 men.

A meeting of delegates from the trade societies
of London has been convened for to-morrow
evening at the Sussex Hotel, Bouverie-street,
Fleet-street, in reference to the impending strug-
gle, or, as the advertisement expresses it, ,6 to aid
their brethren in the iron trades successfully to
resist one of the most stupendous attacks ever yet
made by combined capital upon pabour." Every
trade society or branch has been urged to send a
delegate to the meeting, and it is stated that a de-
putation from the Executive Council of the National
Association of Ironworkers will attend it,

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And looking In it with lack lustre eye,
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Thus we may see,' quoth he, "how the worldgßA

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GREAT FIRE IN WHITECHAPEL-Shortly before
two o'clock this morning (Tuesday), the inhabitants
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springing of policemen's rattles and a general cry of
"Fire!" It was soon ascertained that the extensive pre-
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on the business of a maltster at 50 New-road, was on fire ;
and, owing to trehoeHy
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division,
prh ohled discoverywthh eo flata mo
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fortunately Mr. Lovett was insured. A strong body of
police under Mr. Superintendent White rendered great
assistance to the firemen. The origin of the disaster is
unknown.

The course of exchange at New York on London for bills at
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LEETBOAT SERVICES.—During the storms
of the past year 1864 the boats of the National Lifeboat
Institution have saved 432 persons from different wrecks on
our coasts. The Institution also expended L 19,531 14s. sd.
in the same period on lifeboat establishments, in addition to
grantiLg £1569 as ewards for savtng 693 shipwrecked per-
sons by its lifeboatsr, and other means.
The Committee of the Institution earnestly A PPEAL to
the public for ASSISTANCE to enable them to meet the
continued heavy demands on the Institution's 140 lifeboat
establishments.
Contributions are received by Messrs Willis and Co..
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country bankers ; and by the Secretary. Richard Lewis, Esq.,
at the Institution, 14, John-street, Adelphi.

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Commence at Seven.

HEAT R E-R 0 Y AL, DRURY-LANE,
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THIS EVENING, a New Farce, GOING TO THE DOGS.
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THEATRE-ROYAL, HAYMARKET.
Lessee. Mr. Buckstone.
THIS ETEN/NG, THREE_ WEEKS AFTER MAR-
RIAGE. Mr. W. Farren ; Miss Nelly Moore, &c.
To be iollowel by DAVID GARRICK. Messrs.
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With PRINCESS SPRINGTIME. Mr, Compton, Miss L.
Seeley.