The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-25 00:00:00

THE STRIKE AT PRESTON.

The strike at Preston unfortunately still continues. On
Wednesday a large and influential meeting of the masters
was held at the Bull Hotel, Preston, for the purpose of
considering the position of affairs, the prospects of thetrade,
and the measures requisite for its protection. No resolu-
tions were passed as to the strike, but there was a strong
and unanimous feeling expressed in favour of what has thus
far been done by the masters. It was held that the price of
cotton was so high, the markets so uncertain, and trade so
depressed that nothing short of a reduction of 10 per cent.
would give the masters any chance of working to an ad-
vantage ; and many were of opinion that unless business
improved, they would lose a good deal less by closing their
mills altogether than by paying their operatives the old
rate of wages.

The operatives of Blackburn are coming to the relief of
their brethren. A meeting was held on Wednesday
night, when, after several speeches condemnatory of
the step taken by the Preston masters had been made,
it was resolved to make a levy of 2d. per loom on
behalf of the Preston weavers. There is a movement in
favour of emigration among the Preston operatives ;
but this is no new thing, emigration having for some years
gone on more or less among them. This week, how-
ever, a larger number than usual has been ballotted for
America. If the strike in Preston continues the spinners
and minders' executive will make an effort to send out a
number of hands weekly. It is rumoured that some
alteration in the rate of wages is about to be made at
Chorley. A letter from a Liverpool man, who describes
himself as having suffered with the Preston operatives
during the last great strike, has been published. The
writer recommends a peaceful submission to the proposi-
tion of the masters rather than anything in the shape of a
strike.

A large number of operatives, including several on
strike, went on. Wednesday to the railway station, in
order to meet Mr. Hermon, M.P., on his return from
London. They had a band of music and two colours
with them. There was a carriage awaiting Mr.
Hermon at the station, but on his arrival the
operatives unyoked the horses and pulled the
carriage along to the hon. gentleman's residence,
in Winckley-square. This demonstration was made not
on political grounds, but because Mr. Hermon, who is a
very large employer of factory labour in Preston, has not
given any notice of a reduction in the wages he pays,
The appeal of the Preston operatives has been issued,
signed by the Trades Council. " During the last seven
or eight months," it says, " the factory operatives in every
department have suffered greatly, their wages throughout
the branches not averaging 10s. per week. By the
stoppage of mills a vast number of operatives have been
thrown into the streets, and for a time have stasisted upon
the allowance from their associations, but even this must
have an end, and the only resource has been the paltry
pittance doled out by the parish in the midst of all this
wretchedness and distress. The master cottonspinners
and manufacturers of Preston, apparently believing that
the spirit of resistance is entirely crushed out of the
operatives, now propose and insist upon a reduction of 10
per cent. One employer, Mr. George Smith, after a stop-
page of twelve weeks, recently opened his mill at a reduc-
tion of 15 per cent. His own hands refusing to work upon
such terms, Mr. Smith applied to the Board of Guardians
for hands, and this resulted iu the exclusion of all factory
workers from the parish books, with the intimation that
plenty of good work' might be had at Mr. George
Smith's. To prevent the acceptance of employment upon
such conditions the society paid these bands the same
amount as they had received from the parish. This prompt
action on the part of the operatives' associations entirely
checked in the first instance the proposed reduction,
although from the influx Of nondescript parish labourers
and the threatened spread of the reduction, the contest as
regarded Mr. Smith's mill was to some extent abandoned.
Shortly after this, another employer, Mr. Sellars, offered
a reduction of 10 per cent., and all the hands were brought
out on strike, as it was felt that if a reduction was sub-
mitted to at two mills in the town, all the rest would very
soon follow--a conclusion which has been fully borne out
by the fact that in a week after the proposition of Mr.
Sellars a general reduction of 10 per cent. was proposed
by the masters of Preston, with the exception of about
six firms. Many of the employers only gave one week's
notice, which expired on Wednesday and Thursday,
March 17th and 18th. It has been proposed by the
operatives that the question of the present reduction
should be submitted to arbitration, and many points would
have been conceded to secure the adoption of that mode
of settlement. That course has been declined by the
employers, and this, we think, i 3 an evidence that their
side of the argument will not bear the investigation of
impartial judges. Being deeply convinced of the impor-
tant issues at stake in the present struggle between
capital and labour, not only as regards the cotton
operatives of Preston, but the adequate remuneration
of labour and the power of union among us generally,
and feeling that we shall be unable of ourselves to support
the 4,000 hands now out on strike-- a number probably to
be quadrupled on the expiration of the whole of the notices
we carnetly appeal to our fellow-workers in e very trade
t ) render their best pecuniary a.,,isfam,,, and support in
this our urgent nec.,,ssity. We wale this appeal in the
full :'.ssurance that ry w the operatives of Preston, have
always done our hest i,l answer to appeals from our suffer-
ing brethren in every quarter, their kimlly hands will now
us in our struggle, which will not
be reached forth to help
only be alleviated, but we hope shortened and brought to
a succe:•sful close by the powerful action of generous and
extended union."

A man named Thomas Morton was on Tuesday
s'ntenced to a month's hard labour by the Manchester
stipendiary magistratn -for exposing for sale the carcase of
cow wiliotLyfae proved to be unfit for human food.