The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-13 00:00:00

TEE _PRESTON STRIKE.

PRESTON, JAN. 12.
Mr. Hollins's manifesto elicited a lengths reply from
the Power-loom Weavers' Committee. the chief para-
graph of which is as follows :—" Mr. Hollins (says the
committee) has given a list of the average earnings of six
weavers in October, 1847, and the averacte earnings of
six other weavers in the month of OetoliZr, 1853 ; and
in 1847 be gives it as 7s. 6,1 per pair of looms, and in
in 1853 as 12s. 6d. But he forgets to explain that the
six weavers he gives in 1847 were probably working in-
feriorly paid reels, whilst in the list of 1853 he has taken
care to give those who have been working the best-paid
sorts, and who are only two-loom weavers, and conse-
quently, according to the arrangements at th'e Sove-
reign Mill, those who have received a bonus of 10
per cent. because they had averaged more than ten
shillings per week during the month of October. Four-
loom weavers were not allowed this bonus, whatever
their average earnings might be ; so that it is only
a fraction of the hands who receive any benefit from it.
' If Mr. Hollins had given the average earnings of these
weavers without the bonus or the advance he was giving
in the month of October, 1853, we presume that it would
be found that the average earnings of these Six weavers,
upon his best-paid sorts, would only average about 10s,
per week, whilst we have the authority of his own hands
to state that the average earnings of the whole weavers,
with the advance paid in October last, would not exceed
9s. 9d. per week. But it appears that Mr. Hollins's
weavers cannot understand what he intends to do. In
October last he was paying prices that Were satisfactory
to his workpeople. They are prepared to resume work
at those prices at any time. In referring to the ave-
rages earned in October, 1853 (that was the last month
he worked his mill before turning his workpeople out),
he says :---"I have offered, and still do offer, to pay
the rate upon which the latter statement of wages was.
earned ; higher than that I cannot afford to pay,
having reference to the demand for that particular
class of goods which I manufacture." We ask Mr.
Hollins what he means by this. Our understanding of
it is this—that he has offered, and still does offer, to
pay the prices paid during the month of October, 1859;
and if he does mean this, and is intending da ish.,lllll-;
not infornitiil workpbolilnAilieirtheY 'Waited nrion. him
of such intention ? had he done so, we feel confident
that he would have had a full complement of hands be,-
fore this ; but if he does not mean this, if there is some
other arrangement not fully specified, we think that we
are not presuming too much to ask Mr. Hollins to in-
form the public clearly and explicitly what that arrange-
ment Is."

Subsequently an interview took place between a depu-
tation of Mr. Hollins's workpeople and that gentleman's
manager, the result of which was made known by a
placard headed " The Mystery Unravelled," issued" by
order of the weavers' late in the employ of Mr. Hollins.'
In this document the hands state that, having hoped
that Mr. Hollins was prepared to pay the prices of last
October, they found themselves sadly mistaken.
To-day, Mr. Hollins has sent forth a second manifesto,
a copy of which is subjoined

"THE ROYAL SOVEREIGN MILL.
" TO THE PUBLIC AND OPERATIVES OF PRESTON.
" Idreply to a placard headed ' Edward Hollins and
his Statements,' I fear I shall be obliged to trespass
further on your time and attentim than I hoped would
be necessary. At the commencement of this unfortunate
dispute, in August last, I was waited upon by a de ,uta-
don from my weavers, with a request that I would make
a general advance throughout my establishment of 10
per cent. After some conversation with them, I replied
that I would give this advance on the prices of 1847
throughout the mill on all descriptions of work not
already increased, alluding to about twenty fabrics,
which, as I have before stated, had been advanced
within the previous two years from 74 to 17 per cent.
"To the justice of this proposition they appeared to
accede, but, to my astonishment, they returned again in
the course of a few hours, saying that they must have
10 per cent. upon all sorts, regardless of any previous
advance. I again begged them to reconsider this ques-
tion, showing them, at the same time, that this demand
(being from 20 to 30 per cent. over my lowest, and con-
sequently least remunerative, sorts) would, in effect, de-
stroy my trade ; and although I entirely disapproved of
combinations, such a course as that (for they determined
not to work on any other terms) would drive me to act
with the associated masters, and I did hope, from the fair
wages I was willing to pay, they would allow Inc to re-
main master of my own works. They again retired, and
after a further consultation with parties apart from the
mill, they returned, saying they must have the 10 per
cent. on the payments of the previous week. I then
told them to go their work (having orders to complete)
on their own terms, but I was sure they would regret
this decision. About two months afterwards I gave
notice that it was my intention to close my mill, but to
prevent any misunderstanding with any of my opera-
tives on the subject, I called a meeting of all in my em-
ploy, and then stated why I considered the stoppage I
had advised them of to be necessary. I told them
I was not allowed to regulate my own prices, or, in
other words, to be the master of my own mill ; and that,
for the good of all concerned, the sooner a clearer under-
standing was come to on this point the better. I also
stated that, as I now considered it a question of autho-
rity and not of wages, it would be dishonourable, if not
dishonest, towards my brother manufacturers if I worked
my mill during the present contest.
"In a day or two after this meeting I was again
visited by my weavers, who offered, through my ma-
nager, to work through me at the prices of March last ;
but this I declined to do, as I felt sure that this offer
was made merely to promote the object of their union,
and would therefore only prolong this unfortunate con-
test we are still engaged in. With respect to the prices
I now offer, I beg to reiterate that they are, taking the
difference of the hours worked into account, quite equal
to the advance stated in my former address ; and I am
so satisfied that I have rather understated than other-
wise this part of my case that I will willingly allow any
disinterested party to see my books, and thus confirm
or disprove any of the statements I have made. There
is, however, one error which I wish to correct, although
in reality
,not affecting any previous statement—it is
that the bonus if given to any pair-loom weavers is five
per cent. on 40s. and ten per cent. on 445. per month,
instead of ten !per cent. on 40s. as before stated ; this
error arose from taking a bonus list of 1851, instead of
a later one issued in 1852.

"In conclusion, I beg to say that a deputation of my
weavers of Wednesday last intimated to myself and to
my manager that they were satisfied, and they hoped to
return to work at the prices I was offering ; and I feel
convinced that were they and their fellow-operatives
free agents in this affair, and, like myself, the members
of no combination, this sad struggle would have ended
long ago, and that the town of Preston would never
have witnessed those scenes of misery and demoralisa
tion always attendant upon labour warfare.
" EDWARD HOLLINS.
" Sovereign Mill, Jan. 11, 1854.
Mr. Hollins has succeeded in getting a few looms to
work, having obtained some hands from the suburban
village of Farrington. These people were locked out,
and, not being connected with the trades' union, have
suffered extreme privations.
A man who was deputed to convey the last week's
subscription of the Darwin people to Preston has ab-
sconded with 1601., and as yet has contrived to elude the
vigilance of the police.