The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-17 00:00:00

The London Tailors.

Last Tuesday a letter was sent by the committee
of the London Masters Tailors' Association to the
operatives' committee, declining to proceed any fur-
ther with the united committees of the London and
Amalgamated Societies, in the drawing up of a time
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ing, the 15th inst. :—" April 11. Sir,—Your letter
of the 9th inst. has been fully considered
by us, and
the new position taken 'up by your committee is a
complete departure from the arrangement come to
for the settlement of the universal time log. We
have therefore to request an answer by Tuesday
morning, the 16th, to the following:—..Whether you
are prepared to carry on the negotiations for the
time log on the same basis as that you originally ac-
cepted, viz., by the united committees, or whether
you are prepared to accept the log of which we fur-
nish you a copy. If you cannot fairly arrange the
matter we shall have no alternative but to enforce
the log now sent in.—Yours obediently, M. LAW-
RENCE, Secretary of the Tailors' Association.—To
Mr. Goodwin." The committee and delegates of the
men met yesterday at the Green Dragon, Soho, for
the purpose of receiving the reply of the employers
to the above, and deciding on the necessary steps to
be taken. The following letter was read by the
secretary :—" April 16. Sir,—ln reference to your
letter of the 13th, we have to say that we are as sin-
cerely desirous as yourselves for the arrangement of
a time log likely to end the present unsettled state
of affairs. We have already expressed our decided
opinion that this cannot be brought about between
ourselves and a mixed committee of London and
country workmen, it being plain to us that the latter
can only negotiate on the basis of the amalgamated
time log, and equally plain that nothing of the kind
will be accepted or acted upon by the London
trade, except upon compulsion. We regret that
our refusal to attempt what we hold to be an im-
possibility is likely to lead to an antagonism we
would gladly have avoided. We must lead you to
judge for yourselves of the course you propose to
take.—Yours truly, J. GOODWIN, Secretary of the
Masters' Committee.—To Mr. M. Lawrence."
A long discussion ensued, Etna it was resolved that
a circular be at once sent to the employers contain-
ing the new time-log, with a request that those
willing to pay by that log should send in a reply
by Saturday next. The firms not replying in the
affirmative will be struck on Monday morning next,
on which day an aggregate meeting of the trade is
to be held at the Alhambra Palace, Leicester-square.
A levy of 2s. per man per week was ordered through-
out the country to meet the expenses of the struggle.
The number of men that will turn out on
strike will, of course, depend on the replies to the
above circular, but it is expected not to exceed
2,000. The two delegates sent over to Paris by the
London men returned home on Monddy evening.
They report the strike of the journeymen tailors in
that city as progressing most favourably. About 60
large employers have given way during the past week,
and of the 15,000 men who struck fully 5,000 have
resumed work at the advanced rate of wages.