The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-26 00:00:00

THE B UILDERS' STRIKE.

The usual weekly conference of the delegates of
the several trades' societies was held last night at
Shaftesbury-hall, Aldersgate, fer the collection of
contributions in aid of the " lock-outs," and to
encourage them to sustain the contest into which
the master builders and themselves have entered
in regard to the document. The chair was taken
by Mr. Charles Murray, the delegate of the West-
end bootclosers. The following trades were also
represented, namely, the Amalgamated Society
of Engineers, the
,cabinet-makers, the coopers,
the block coopers, the hearth-rug weavers, the
pianoforte-makers, the typefounders, the boot and
shoemakers, the eigarmakers, the tobacco spinners,
the cart wheelwrights, the carvers and glide's, the
wood carvers, the bookbinders, the hatters, the mat
and mattingmakers, the boilermakers, the brick-
makers, &c.

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the proceedings, con-
gratulated the conference upon the importance of
the meeting held the previous evening at St. Mar-
tin's Hall's, as it could not fail to make itself felt

all over the kingdom,:and show both the masters
and their fellow-tradesmen in the provinces that
they were determined to continue firm in the as-
sertion of their independence, and not resume work
until they could do so with the dignity of free-
men. At the last meeting of the conference
they appointed a sub-committee to draw up an
address to the trades in general. That com-
mittee had accomplished the task assigned to them,
and he would now suggest that each trade should
undertake the duty of distributing the address of
the committee amongst its own members, as it
would place the whole question fairly before them.
They saw by the newspapers that prosecutions had
been instituted against some of the men connected
with the present movement, and it was therefore a
matter of the greatest importance that the united
trades should tae steps for their defence.
Mr. Potter observed that the executive com-
mittee had little to announce in way of change
as compared with their statement last week. The
masters had that morning held a meeting, but,
as it very soon broke up, the inference was that
nothing was done at it beyond the adjournment.
He regretted that it had been found necessary to
reduce the dividend, but that would be only a tem-
porary inconvenience, for the provinces were lite-
rally responding to the appeal which had been made
to them, and had that very day sent up from £l5O
to £2OO, of which £5O was from Manchester alone.
With that encouragement, and aided by their
brother tradesmen, for whose liberal kindness they
were most grateful, the members of the building
trades would continue to fight the battle of labour
against capital until they had conducted the con-
test to a successful issue.
Mr. Noble, in answer to the inquiry of a dele-
gate, stated that 29 firms had now receded from the
document ; one of them had that day done so. He
alluded to the firm of Norris, in Marylebone-lane.
The Delegate of the Hcarthrug Makers stated
that his society had originally voted £2O, of which
they paid £6 down and £2 per week for the last
seven weeks, so that the money was all spent.
They had, however, reconsidered the case of the
" lock-outs," and voted them £3 per week for the
next seven weeks.

The Delegate of the Cabinetmakers stated that
his society paid £5O down, and £2O a week for the
last three weeks, and had now voted £3O a week for
three weeks to come, as they wished to sustain the
lock-outs" so long as they remained stanch in the
cause of labour.

The Chairman having explained under what cir-
cumstances the conference would accept of loans,
the proceedings terminated in the usual manner.
The subscriptions for the evening amounted to
£l5O.