The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-25 00:00:00

The Lock-out in the Iron Trade.

WOLVERHAMPTON, Friday.
The Earl of Lichfield, Lord-Lieutenant of Staf-
fordshire, came to Wolverhampton about noon to-
day and had an interview, by appointment, with a
representative of the Ironrnasters' Committee, the
business secretary of the committee being present.
Lord Lichfield listened with grew-, attention and in-
terest to the wishes expressed by the committee. It
was shown that the ironmasters of South Stafford-
shire were most anxious, before they took any steps
to obtain the services of a number of men to go into
North Staffordshire and commence work, to see if
the necessity for adopting such a measure might not
be avoided. Such, unhappily, had been the feelings
of the North Staffordshire workmen towards their
employers that the two had scarcely met since the
strike had begun. The committee thought, however,
that the men would, perhaps, not object to meet their
own masters in the presence of masters from South
Staffordshire and a deputation of masters from the
north of England, if the Lord-Lieutenant of the
county would consent to preside over such a
meeting. On that occasion the men would have
an opportunity of fully stating their case to those
who understood it and in the presence of the highest
authority of the county, who would be able to judge
impartially, and who could then, if necessary, state
their case in the highest quarters.
The Earl of LICHFIELD expressed his warmest
desire to promote any project that might have the
effect of bringing about a resolution of peace. He
expressed his fullest confidence in the sincerity of
the wishes of the South Staffordshire masters to
terminate the lock-out, and he believed that the
masters in the north of the country were equally
desirous that such a result should be arrived at as
speedily as possible. He concluded by saying that
if it should be shown to him that the men of North
Staffordshire were as willing to meet the masters, to
lay their case before them, as he believed the masters
were to hear what the men had to say in support of
their claim for the wages which they were asking,
he would have no objection to take part in such a
meeting. If the men would attend he expressed his
readiness to have the meeting called for an early
day next week.

The meeting is intended to be altogether pre-
liminary and in order that the men may be in any
way discouraged from expressing themselves fully
it is proposed that newspaper reporters shall not be
present.

To-day the Board of Guardians of the Wolver-
hampton Union were engaged four hours in con-
sidering special applications for relief from those
labourers at the ironworks who are thrown out of
workjin consequence of the lock-out.
The Brierly-hill Executive have sent to the local
press a statement, complaining that it should be
stated that they declined to approve the declaration
drawn up by Messrs. Lloyds, Foster, and Co., of
Wednesbury. In proof of their having approved it,
they have forwarded for publication the following
as a copy of the reply to Messrs. Lloyds, Foster,
and Co.'s message :

" Castle Inn, March 21, 1865.
" To Messrs. Lloyds, Foster, and Co.
" The Executive Council have no objection whatever to
young men signing the paper shown to them, of which
the following is a copy :—' Old Park Axle and Tree Works,
IVednesbury, March 21, 1865.—We, the undersigned,
puddlers, shinglers, rollers, employed at Messrs. Lloyds,
Foster, and Co.'s, do hereby declare that we will not
directly or indirectly contribute or assist to support in any
way whatever the North Staffordshire puddlers, shinglers,
and rollers until they (the North Staffordshire puddlers,
shinglers, and rollers) have resumed their work.'

" I am, sir, yours obediently, on behalf of the Council,
"WILLIAM HOBSON."

The Executive express their surprise that no men-
tion should be made of this document of theirs,
which they gave to the two workmen in Messrs.
Lloyds, Foster, and Co.'s employ who took them
the declaration from Messrs. Lloyds, Foster, and
Co.'s works. The council believed that this was all
which would be needed to the communication from
Wednesday, but the deputation said that the men
had an objection to sign any declaration, and desired
that the Executive would write the note in which
the Executive explained that no support of any kind
had been sent from the funds of the union since the
4th inst. The deputation left the Executive stating
that if the employers were satisfied with the note
last referred to, which they should first present, then
that one in which the Executive consented to their
signing the declaration would not be presented.
There would seem to be reason to conclude that,
imagining that their masters were satisfied with one
note they did not present the other. The note
which they certainly did present was placed before
the Ironmasters' Committee on Wednesday after-
noon at Wolverhampton, and it was declared to be
unworthy of serious attention.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, Friday Afternoon.
A private meeting of the Committee of the
Northern Ironmasters was held here yesterday,
when the various suggestions advanced at the meet-
ing of the trades' delegates in London on the pre-
vious evening were brought under consideration. It
is understood that the general feeling of the com-
mittee was that if the men would consent to refer the
dispute to arbitration, an important step towards a
satisfactory solution of the present difficulty would
by this means be attained. A general meeting of
the north country masters will be held at Darling-
ton on Monday, when it is anticipated that the
means to be adopted to settle the present difficul-
ties will take a more definite form. In the mean-
time the suggestions made by Mr. C. M. Palmer,
the chairman of the Northern Iromnasters' Associa-
tion, to put an end to the strike, more especially by
the masters and men withdrawing from association
with Staffordshire, has met the hearty concurrence
of the men throughout the district :generally. At
Jarrow the millmen continue to refuse to go in to
work the mills until the puddlers are set on. At
Middlesborough a committee of the Labourers'
Union has waited upon the Mayor, Mr. Atkinson,
and placed the painful position of that" class of
workmen, especially non-union men, before him,
with a view that something should be done for their
relief. The committee represented that their case
was very urgent, and that some families were suf-
fering very much from the effects of poverty. The
Mayor promised to bring their condition before the
magistrates and town council. The Gateshead Exe-
cutive have now no less than 450 applicants for pas-
sages to America, independently of the families who
propose to go from Wilton Park, Spennymoor, Mid-
dlesborough, and other places. A crowded public
meeting was held in the Mechanics'-hall, Skinner-
gate, Darlington, last night—Mr. H. Percival in
the chair—to devise means of alleviating the dis-
tress which at present exists among the ironworkers
and labours. Several workmen connected with the
iron trade addressed the meeting. The following
resolutions were adopted :
" That in the opinion of this meeting the sympathy of
the public ought to be expressed in a practical manner, and
that stops should be at once taken to raise tho necessary
funds for the relief of those who are in immediate want.
That this meeting cordially sympathises with the operatrres
recently engaged in the iron trade at Albert-hill, Darling-
ton, and are now suffering from the present unfortunate
lock-out."

A committee was appointed to act with the iron-
workers in the distribution of the funds that might
be raised to alleviate the distress at Albert-hill.
BARNSLEY, Friday.

The lock-out has acted most beneficially for this
district, where the men have agreed to accept the
reduction, and promised not to aid their brethren
on strike. At Milton, Elsecar, and other works in

our immediate neighbourhood the men are fully
employed, puddlers and millmen alike. The men,
no doubt, take a deep interest in the struggle, but
so far they have good faith with their employers.
The dispute, so many works being closed, has
caused a large number of orders to reach our iron-

masters from quarters not previously sending here.
The demand for plate iron, more particularly for
the extensive shipbuilding yards on the Thames,
Liverpool, and the North of England, is such that
the orders far exceed the means of supply for
months to come.

At the meeting of the London trades delegates
held on Wednesday evening last a resolution was
unanimously adopted and accepted by the North
Staffordshire delegates present, Messrs. Baker and
Phipps, the latter cause of which was as follows :
" That the meeting recommend the North Stafford-
shire men to submit the question of their wages to
arbitration, when the masters reopen their works,
and allow the men now locked out to resume work.'
This cause, expressly framed for the purpose of
opening a way for an amicable settlement, appears
likely to have the desired effect. The letter which
appeared in the papers yesterday morning from Mr.
Roden, the chairman of the North Staffordshire
Ironmasters' Association, in which he referred to the
above meeting, was early yesterday morning brought
under the notice of Mr. Baker, the secretary of the
North Staffordshire men. He was at the time
with some of the London delegates, and, acting
upon their advice, he at once telegraphed to
his committee to place themselves in communication
with Mr. Roden, and inform him that the North
Staffordshire men were prepared at once to resume
work, and submit the wages question in dispute to
arbitration, providing the ironmasters would at the
same time re-open their works and terminate the
lock-out. The men state that they are perfectly
sincere in thus acting on the advice of the London
trades, and should the offer made be refused, which
can hardly be expected, the onus of any continuance
of the lock-out will depend upon the masters. The
result of Mr. Roden's efforts with the masters' as-
sociation is looked for with much interest.