The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-29 00:00:00

ADDITIONAL STI?IKES IN LANCASHIRE,

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There is reason to believe that the number of opera-
tives on strike in the cotton districts has now been in-
creased to between 60,000 and 70,000. Taking the
number out of employment at Preston to be 25,000, and
those in Wigan at 5,000, we have now to add to them
15,000 in the Bacup district, and 20,000 at Burnley and
Padiham, making a total of 65,000. Besides these there
are 1,000 hands on strike at Bury, and several thousand
(including dyers) at Manchester. Altogether, there-
fore, the number out of work is little short of 70,000.
The Bacup district includes the townships of Bacup,
Newchurch, Ra.wtenstall, Sharnford, and Shavrtorth.
At these places about 33 mills, including some of the
largest concerns in the manufacturing districts, were

stopped by the masters on the 20th inst., under circum-
stances analogous to those which have brought about the
lock-out at Preston. There are only four other mills in
that district, and they stop this (Saturday) evening.
The class of goods manufactured in this district are
mostly those which are taken for export, including ma-
dapollams, light T-cloths, and shirtings, of India qua-
lities ; but there are some producers also of the better
class of domestics, such as are taken by the home trade.
Good sheeting cloths are also made by one or two houses
there. The employers had a meeting on Wednesday, at
which, however, nothing was done with any view to re-
sume work, and an adjournment took place until the
23d of November. A meeting of operatives was held
the same evening, when they were addressed by dele-
gates from other towns, and some flattering statements
were made to buoy up their spirits. Among other things
it was stated that Sir John Tyrell, M.P., had sent to the
operatives on strike at Preston a cheque for 5001. A
rumour was industriously spread at the meeting, also,
that the Earl of Derby had promised 2,0001.
At Burnley the mills stopped yesterday. An overture
was made by seine of the workmen at one mill with a
view to accommodation, but they were informed that the
employers did not meet again till the 19th of November,
and that in the meantime individual firms did not pos-
sess the power to negotiate for a resumption of labour.
The number of mills now closed at Barnsley is 58, and
some of them are very extensive establishments. At
Padiham all the mills stopped yesterday but two. Of
those continuing at work the principal one is that of
Mr. Waddington ; the other, is a co-operative establish-
ment, having about 300 looms only, and 120 workpeople.
Various classes of fabrics are produced at Burnley, in-
cluding a considerable quantity of printing cloths.
At Accrington, the centre of another district, the em-
ployers had a meeting on Thursday, when it appeared
that a portion of them were disposed to close their mills,
but the proposal met with some opposition, and the pro-
ceedings were adjourned for a week. The fabrics made
here include a good many of the better class of jacconets,
such as are used for home consumption, shirtings, for
the same trade, and domestics. The disposition of the
employers here is to close rather than run at the in-
creased wages, because, at present market prices, they
have no prospect of continuing at a profit. As the
hands at one of the mills at Accrington were leaving,
work on 'Wednesday evening some of them took advan-
tage of the confusion and the partial darkness arising
from a great portion of the gaslights having been extin-
guished, to draw knives across the warps of unfinished
pieces of cloth in the looms, thus seriously damaging the
property of their employers. Under these circumstances
the millowners refused to allow the engine to start next
morning, unless the operatives would disclose the names
of the offenders and pay the damage. About half the
workpeople agreed to pay their share, but the others
demurred, and had not been allowed to resume work on
Thursday, the date of our last account.

At Bury the operatives out of work are chiefly in the
fustain trade, and amount to about 1,000, but the em-
ployers of a large number of other cotton spinners and
weavers have given notice to their hands of a lock out
unless they discontinued their contributions to those out
of work' in their own town and at Preston.

Of the hands out of employ it appears 900 are entitled
;o payment from the Trades Union.

It appears that the subscription in Bury last week for
the turnouts amounted to 1691. 11d. ; from which 4s. 6d.
each was paid to 652 weavers, and 2s. each to 184
tenters.