The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-06 00:00:00

This evening Mr. Peter Baker, the general secretary of
the North Staffordshire puddlers, and another member of
the North Staffordshire committee, both waited upon the
Brierly-hill Executive, and had a long conference with
them.

The North Staffordshire men encourage tho hope that
tho sympathy which is felt for them by tho mass of the
men may prompt them to refuse to return to ' work at the
old terms.

The Brierly-hill Executive were not, up to the time at
which this was written, likely to encourage this expecta-
tion now that the masters had complied with their written
requirements, that the lock-out should be withdrawn "by
the 6th of April," with the alternative that if it was con-
tinued after that date they should recommend the men of
the South to "make common cause with the North Staf-
fordshire men." The conditions which, on behalf of the
general body of the men, the Executive felt themselves
called upon to lay down having been complied with, the
Executive express themselves satisfied, and it isnot thought
that the representatives of the North Staffordshire dele-
gates will alter their views. They will also discourage
any assistance to North Staffordshire ; but in this respect
they will not be able to enforce universal obedience to their
wishes.

The most temperate of the men off the executive are also
in favour of resuming at the terms at which they left off ;
and, for the sake of the large number of persons who are
interested in their decision, it may well be hoped that thoy
will.

Last week's division in North Staffordshire was ls. 7d. or
ls. 9d. per head.

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, April 5.
Business in the iron trade has quite revived from the
brief collapse occasioned by the late lock-out in the North.
The whole of the iron works in this and the Cleveland dis-
trict are fully opened, as the millmen, who wore kept out
in some of the factories until puddled iron was made to set
them going, have got a supply and entered upon their em-

Loyment again. The engine-building establishments in
Newcastle aro very busy, there being a great demand at
present for marine engines. Mr. John Kane, the presi-
dent, and Mr. Millington, secretary, of the Gateshead Exe-
cutive of ironworkers, has written to Mr. C. M. Palmer, the
chairman of the Northern Ironmastors' Association Com-
mittee, thanking him for his ldndness and consideration
towards the men during their conference with the masters.
Mr. Palmer has replied. He says
" I am most gratified to find that the course I pursued on
that occasion meets with your approval, although I feel
that the compliments you bestow upon me are really more
than I deserve. For it must be acknowledged that much
of the credit attaching to the satisfactory arrangement made
at Darlington is attributable to the fair, straightforward,
and conciliatory manner in which the delegates met the
masters, and the ability and judgment with which their
views wore expressed at the various conferences. To you,
Mr. Kane, the greatest praise is due. From the commence-
ment of the conflict you gave sound and reasonable advice
to the men over whom you preside. You wore ably sup-
ported by your colleagues in the executive, and to you and
to them the thanks not only of those who are immediately
interested in the iron trade, but of the whole working com-
munity and a large proportion of the trading classes, are
duo. If mon of equal prudence and conciliatory disposi-
tion represented the ironworkers of Staffordshire, we should,
I trust, soon see a settlement of their dispute—a dispute
which, if continued much longer, must of necessity prove
disastrous to the whole of that diatrict, and involve the la-
bouring classes there in the misery which you so vividly
and pathetically depict in your letter. While writing on
this subject, I may take the opportunity of mentioning
that at the conference at Darlington .the committee which'
was appointed to confer with you respecting the lock-out
was continued in office for the purpose of endeavouring to
draw more closely the ties that bind employers and em-
ployed in the iron trade together, and of considering the
suggestions and proposals towards that end which you
made at York. lam glad to learn that a copy of your rules
has been received, and that we are about to have a meeting
to consider the matter. I shall be happy to find that you
have placed your union on a basis which can be recognised
and supported by the masters and the public generally. In
order to effect this you should, in my opinion, enlarge its
boundaries so as to include in its operations the collection
and distribution of funds for accidents, sickness, and old
age, and for educational purposes. if this be done your
union will prosper. It will partake of a peaceful rather than
a belligerent character; it will be in harmony with the
wishes of the ironmasters, conducive to the comfort and
wellbeing of the ironworkers, and it will I am sure receive
the approval and support of the whole country. Permit
me to say, in conclusion, that it will be to me a source of
pride and pleasure to look back on the course I took in the
late unhappy differences, remembering, as I shall ever do,
the approbation with which you have marked that course,
and the kind and courteous, although too flattering, man-
ner in which your approbation is expressed. And if in the
future any-differences should unfortunately arise between
the ironmasters and ironworkers of the North of England,
I shall always be ready to use my best endeavours to bring
about a settlement as fortunate and satisfactory to all par.
ties as the one which has just boon concluded."

The adjourned meeting of delegates of the London Trades'
Societies was held last evening at the Sussex Hotel, Bou-
verie-street, Fleet-street—Mr. G. Potter in the chair. Up-
wards of 200 delegates were present.
The CHAIRMAN, having referred to the proceedings which
had taken place since the last meeting with reference to
the exertions of Lord Lichfield to bring the dispute to an
amicable settlement, said he regretted that the North Staf-
fordshire men had not accepted the proposal made to them
on Friday last, although he could not blame the men, con-
sidering the manner in which they had been treated. (Hear.)
The South Staffordshire men had intimatodto the masters
in that district that unless they closed the lock-out this
week they would be prepared to make common cause with
the men of North Staffordshire. He did not know how
far this resolution had influenced the South Staffordshire
masters, but at their meeting held that day at Wolverham-
ton they had passed a resolution to reopen their works at
once. (Cheers.) He had not received any intelligence
from North Staffordshire, but he thought it might be fairly
presumed that under these circumstances the North Staf-
fordshire masters would be willing to allow their men on
strike to resume work at the old rate of wages, and consent
to submit the wages question to arbitration. (Cheers.) He
had much pleasure in stating that the Executive Council of
tke Boilermakers' Society had voted £lOO, and the two so-
cieties of tinplate workers £45, to the support of the men
on strike, and many other societies were about voting large
sums; so that there would be no fear, should the strike
continue, of the men being well supported.
Mr. DAVIS? painter, moved the following resolution :
" That this meeting hears with much satisfaction that the
ironmastors of South Staffordshire have withdrawn their
unwarrantable lock-out, and hopes that the North Stafford-
shire masters will bring the dispute to a termination by
allowing their men on strike to resume work at the same
rate of wages at which they left work, and consent to refer
fho question of wages for the future to arbitration.
Mr. OUTRAN, carpenter, seconded the resolution.
Messrs. ParPrs and BOLLINGTON7 delegates from North
Staffordshire, at some length explained the position and
views of the men in that iflftrict. If they had struck for
an advance of wages, and had agreed to refer the question
to arbitration, they should not have asked to work on the
advanced rate pending the arbitration, and therefore, as
they were resisting a reduction, they did not think they
should bo called upon to resume work at the reduced price.
(Cheers.)

Mr. DunTING, bookbinder, supported tho resolution,
which was carried unanimously.
Mr. Potter then left the chair, and Mr. Nethercott, boiler
maker, having been appointed to take that position, a long
discussion took placo on the proceedings of a meeting of
the Trades Council on the 29th of March, censuring Mr.
Potter for his conduct in connection with trades societies'
movementr, and a resolution was adopted, with six dissen-
tients, declaring Mr. Potter fully entitled to the confidence
of the trades of London, and strongly censuring the six
members of the Trades Council for their factious and anti-

proceedings in the open Market-place in front of the Swan
Hotel, beneath the entrance to which many ironmasters
, and others congregated as.soon as the meeting was over in
the Exchange.
On the conclusion of the meeting of the masters, the
Mayor of the borough (Mr. J. Ford), desiring to be able to
disperse the crowd in the street without resorting to un-
palatable means, obtained a copy of the document quoted
above, and ascending to the balcony of the Swan, accom-
panied by Captain Segrave, the Chief-constable of Wolver-
hampton, said—My friends, as Mayor of Wolverhampton,
I have felt it my duty to address you on the present occa-
sion, and to congratulate you that the lock-out is at an end.
(Cheers.) I hope you will all go to work to-morrow morn-
ing. I will read you the resolution passed by the iron-
masters this day. It is this. (The Mayor then read the
document, the conclusion of which was received by the
crowd with cheers.) Now, my friends, continued the
Mayor, I hope you will from this time disperse, go to your
wives and families, and be ready to go to your work to-
morrow
morning. (Cries of " No, no," which were met by
cheers.) The Mayor then retired, and there was a call from
the crowd of "Send out Sammy." At the same time a
number of men gathered round Mr. Samuel Griffith; and
were understood to request him to ascend to the balcony
and address them, but Mr. Griffiths declined to do so. He,
however, soon distributed among them some bills to which
his name was signed, announcing that by a resolution of
the ironmasters' meeting the lock-out was withdrawn from
that day.
Messrs. Barrows and some other masters in South Staf-
fordshire, anticipating the result of the meeting of this
afternoon, have made preparations to start some portions of
their works to-night, and others are ready to begin to-
morrow morning. Some firms, however, of whom Messrs.
G. B. Thorneycroft and Co., of Wolverhampton, is ono,
will not commence till Monday.

The dissent from the recommendation of the Mayor which
was expressed by the crowd of men in front of the Swan
Hotel was an expression of the resolution which the pud-
diers of Wolverhampton came to at a meeting whioh they
held before the ironmasters' meeting took place. At the
meeting it was determined that, whatever might be the de-
cision at which the masters might arrive, they would not
resume work until after they had held another meeting next
Saturday.