The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-16 00:00:00

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, WEDNESDAY.

The conference between the delegates from the
Ironworkers' Association and the Masters' Com-
mittee was held yesterday afternoon, in the offices
of Messrs. Losh, Wilson, and Bell, Grey-street, in
this town. Mr. C. M. Palmer presided. The fol-
lowing employers were present at the meeting :
Mr. C. M. Palmer, Jarrow Ironworks ; Mr. W. H.
F. Bolckow, Middlesborough-on-Tees ; Mr. Thos.
Vaughan,Witton-park ; Mr. Firmstone (one of the
partners in the new limited liability company who
have recently purchased Messrs. Bolckow and
Vaughan's works) ; Mr. J. Hutchinson. Skerne
Ironworks, Darlington ; Mr. W. R. Innes Hopkins,
Tees-side Ironworks ; Mr. Thomas Bell and Mr.
Henry Bell (Losh, Wilson, and Bell), Walker ; Mr.
David Dale, Darlington ; and Mr. George Dyson,
Weardale Ironworks, Spennymoor.
The workmen were represented by Mr. John Kane,
President of the Gateshead Council of the National
Amalgamated Association of Ironworkers ; Mr. G.
G. Thomas, from Bolckow and Vaughan's works,
Middlesborough ; Mr. William Rollins, Tees-side
Ironworks, Middlesborough; Mr. Henry Gilmore,
Albert-hill Works, Darlington ; Mr. John M'Kay,
Skerne Works, Darlington ; Mr. James Croft,
Witton-park Works ; Mr. John M'lver, Consett ;
Mr. Thomas Brown, Black-hill ; Mr. Oliver Duffell,
Jarrow ; and Mr. John Campbell, Walker.
Mr. PALMER, in opening the huffiness, hoped that
nothing would be said to cause irritation, because
he believed it was the desire of all parties that the
question should 'be settled. (Hear, hear.) The
masters felt that they had been placed in their pre-
sent position by no fault of their own, and they
would be prepared to receive and hear anything
that the deputation from the men might have to say,
with a view of considering it. They would then
report it to a general meeting of the ironmasterg,
which would be called, provided the overtures—
which the Masters' Committee were only deputed
to receive—were such as to give some prospect
of settling the matter. The executive of the work-
men's unions felt now that they had committed
an error, inasmuch as they had since con-
demned what they at one time supported, and
they were now wishful to recall the recommen-
dation which they passed compelling the men
in North Staffordshire to abandon their work and
not submit to a reduction of wages. All parties,
whoever, believed thata reduction ought to be sub-
mitted to, considering the depressed state of the
iron trade and the reduction in the price of iron. He
was sure that the propositions which the men would
make would be fairly considered.

Mr. KANE wished the masters to understand that
he did not attend that meeting as the mouthpiece of
the delegates, but as one desirous of promoting the
reconciliation, or, if necessary, to defend the reputa-
tion of the Gateshead Executive, which, he thought,
had been unjustly assailed. So far as the northern
executive was concerned, they had nothing at all to
do with bringing the men of North Staffordshire out.
They were brought out without the knowledge of
the executive, who held a conference at Sheffield
during the Christmas holidays. At that conference
a resolution was passed accepting the proposed re-
duction, because those present knew the depressed
state of the iron-market and the scarcity of
orders. The following week a delegate meeting was
held at Brierley-hill, at which the Northern Execu-
tive was not represented. That meeting considered
the Northern Executive had no right to take the
steps they had done. Hence they passed a resolu-
tion, and wrote to inform the body in the north of
the fact that they had determined not to accept the
reduction. That was the first intimation the Gates-
head Executive had of the resolution. The majority
of the men were against the movement. The con-
ference at Sheffield had broken up, and then the
Brierley-hill people had resolved to resist the reduc-
tion against the wishes of the executive. The Iron-
workers' Association had certain rules by which
they work in concert--Gateshead and Brierley-hill.
He had protested against the resistance, and he
wrote to Brierley-hill asking them to call another
meeting of delegates after the one at which it was
resolved to strike, but they refused to do so, on the
ground that it would be expensive. What, there-
fore, could the Gateshead Executive do under the
circumstances ? They had works under their control
in North Staffordshire, and they did not mind what
went before the world. The masters were banded
together for the purpose of looking to their own in_
terests, so were the men ; and in that respect it was
a fair battle. So far back as the 10th of January a
telegram was sent from the Gateshead Executive
ag • s t the strike, and another afterwards saying he
(Mr. Kane) would go over to Staffordshire to try
and induce the men to go to work. After that there
were resolutions passed that he should go over, be-
cause their rules distinctly embodied laws by which
the two executives were bound together in one united
course of action. But a difficulty arose in respect to
North Staffordshire, because it was in two divisions
part in the Gateshead and part in the Brierle y-
jurisdiction. He then wrote to Staffordshire, asking
them to call another delegate meeting at Brierley-
hill ; but he was told in reply that such a course
would be too expensive. Then came a meeting
at Gateshead, and at that meeting all the corre-
spondence on the subject was laid before the dele-
gates present, some of whom were prepared to speak
on the subject that day. Mr. Sambrooke gave a
true statement of the position of the strike, and he
was followed by Mr. Thomas and others, all of
' whom advised the men to go to work. A resolution
was adopted to the effect that in the opinion of the
meeting the men be ordered to resume work, inas-
' much as their strike was illegal, unjust, and uncon-
stitutional. After that resolution it was agreed that