The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-21 00:00:00

A MINER ON HIS TR IDE.

Delegates from the various lodges of the Amalgamated
Miners' Association are now holding a conference at
Wrexham. Some noteworthy remarks were made on
Tuesday by the President, Mr. T. Halliday. He observed
f!...at he had long been of opinion, bared on his experience
of the mining body, that the only way by which they
could raise themselves in the social scale was by their
associatinr, and combining together. Much had been
written against trades • unions ; but where unionism
was wisely used it had been a blessing to the working
man. By unionism they had reduced the hours of labour
and increased the rate of wages. In some of the
agricultural districts, it was admitted that men were
being on the miserable pittance of 9s. a week, and only
very recently a reverend gentleman had recommended
the labourers to form a union for the purpose of
obtaining higher wages. But it was not only the working
men who had cAablished unions, for they found that
the religious bodies combined together for the purpose of
protecting themselves, whilst the coalewuers had also
associated together, although it was said not for trade
purposes ; but they knew differently. The law of the land
gave them power to combine, and so long as they used
that power wisely and moderately it would be of the
greatest benefit. Tee association was composed of a
large body of inieers, not only from Lancashire, but from
Staffordshire and orth and South Wales. Their wages
must be increased, greater security to life provided, and
various other grievances under which they laboured would
have to be redressed, and the association would be the
great lever for effecting those objects. Efe-had been one of
a dePutation WhO endeavoured to connect the association
with the National one ; but the latter were not prepared
• enter into an alliance which would require the taking
up of the wages question. The president then reviewed
the state of the wages question in Lancashire, and the
means recently adopted to obtain the advance. Referring
to the Mines Bill, he traced the progress of the bill of
-1869, remarking that fishery and other bills could •be
passed, whilst one in which the lives of thousands of
men were • concerned had to be abandoned. The present
bill, he considered, was more conspicuous for what was
omitted. than for what it contained. They had asked
for more inspectors, but Mr. Bruce said it would be
taking the management of collieries out of the hands
of owners to do so. If inspectors were to visit
collieries, not after an accident, but at a time when their
visit was not expected, then they would have them
letter managed and better ventilated. Government,
ltrough the Board of Trade, saw that officers of mer--
chant vessels were properly qualified and tested by exa-
mination. If such was the case with regard to the ship-
ping interest, was it not far more necessary to see that
persons who had the management of co dieries and the lives
of so many men in theirkeeping, should beful.y competent
by undergoing an examination to fill so important a position?
He considered that the number of hours which it was pro-
posed that boys should be allowed to work underground
were too many ; while no provision whatever was made
for their education, which he considered essential for
their future welfare. With reg..rd to the weighing of
coal, he contended that the clause should be made
peremptory that all coal should be paid for by weight—
the standard weight of the country. If the Government
refused to concede that point, then he would
say that either by striking, or by some other means,
they would not cease until they got the coal paid for by
weight. • They must also get the truck system entirely
done away with, and if possible cause the wages of the
wo.rking.collier to. be paid weekly, and not, as in some
parts of North Wales, once only in three months. He
trusted that they would all continue to combine for effect-
ing the objects woich he named, not only for the benefit
oethemselves, but for those who would come after them.