The Sun.
London, England, 1856-05-09 00:00:00

THE SCOTCH MINERS' STRIKE.

This unhappy struggle, the most severe and
wide-spread which has ever been known in Scot-
land, continues without the slightest prospect of
amicable adjustment, although there are indications
that the men are getting worn out by privation
and long endurance. The strike became general
among the colliers and miners of the upper and
middle wards of Lanarkshire on the Bth of March
last. It gradually extended to the lower ward,
and then embraced the counties of Renfrew and
Ayr, with the mining districts of Stirlingshire,
until now, when it is computed that for some
weeks past 40,000 men have been voluntarily idle,
and an amount of wages equalling 320,0001. has
been lost to them and to the country. The strike,
as is generally known, is against a reduction of
wages. In the autumn of 1855 the wages of the
colliers were advanced from 4i. to ss. per day; but
in the early spring of the present year the masters
intimated that the state of the market, consequent
upon the termination of the war, required that
they should fall back upon the old rate of wages,
which would even then,at 43. per day, be as high as
any, and higher than most other districts in the coun-
try—for instance, in the adjoining coal-fields of
Cumberland, where the wages are only 3s. Gd. per
day. The masters also complain that the men
arbitrarily fix a day's work at what is termed a
" darg" an amount of labour which neither old nor
young, weak nor strong, are permitted to exceed.
All are thus reduced to the same level, and the
young man who can do his day's " darg" in five
hours is not permitted to earn more than the old.
man who takes nine or teu hours to perform the
same amount of labour. This is proved by the
example of the few collieries where the men have
had the courage to throw off these restrictions, and
where at the nominal " darg" of 4s. they can
earn
from 53. to 7s. per day. The men on strike argue
that the state of the iron-market, for the smelting
of which the coal is principally raised, fully justifies
the former rate of ss. per day being paid ; that the
reduction is reckless and unnecessary ; that with a
due regard to their health they cannot work more
than 4'..1 or 5 days a-week, and their wages are
greatly reduced by keeping up their tools, the ex-
peinse of powder, k,c. Theysay that while the coal and
iron-masters are making immense riches at their
expense they treat them heartlessly, and they point
to such men as the Bairds of Gartsherrie, the Wil-
' sons of Dundyvari, and the Merries and Cunning-
hams of Carnbrao, Lc., who 25 years ago wore in a
comparatively humble position, and have now be-
come millionnaires. Reasoning of this kind is, as
usual, artfully improved upon by a parcel of un-
principled spouters, and the men stand out for
what they term their " rights" with all the devo-
tion of martyrs. Now, that their own means have
become completely exhausted, they are making
appeals to other trades, but it is believed that their
assistance from this source is trifling. They have
monster meetingsiin various parts of the country
daily, and express their determination to stand out
to the last; but on Monday the miners at Newmills
returned to their work at the rate of 4s. per day,
and it is known that thousands of others would
readily follow their example but for false pride and
intimidation. On the whole, the conduct of the
miners has been pretty orderly, but in the
face of so many men, women, and children in a
state of starvation—self-imposed though it may be
—the inhabitants of the mining districts are in a
very uneasy condition, and they fear an outbreak
before all is settled. There are 2,000 armed men
located throughout Lanarkshire, consisting of the
Lanarkshire and Glasgow Regiments of Yeomanry
Cavalry, the two regiments of Lanarkshire Militia
and a body of Dragoons, who arrived from England
on Monday. All the inhabitants of these districts
are suffering severely- from the disruption of trade.
The inhabitants of Glasgow also feel it severely,
for the price of coals during the last week has
risen from 12s. Gd. to 265. the waggon. The col-
liers themselves who are on strike are cutting down
trees on the fields and roadsides to serve as fuel.
Such is the state of matters at the presentjunc-
ture.