The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-29 00:00:00

TILE STRIKE.

Yesterday, in pursuance of the resolution passed
at the meeting of the Masters' Committee on Tues-
day, to the effect that they were willing to see a de-
putation of the operative masons, though they
considered the difficulties in the way of withdraw-
ing the declaration, taken as it ,had been by
nearly 8,000 men, as imuperable, Richard Harnott,
Samuel Northam, John Salter, and William Per-
ham, the four leading masons who had previously
sent in an offer of mediation on the part of that
body to which that resolution of the Masters' Com-
mittee was an answer, are understood to have had
an interview with a sub-committee of masters, of
which Mr. Plucknett was chairman, at the Free-
masons' Tavern, on the matters at issue between

them. The interview is said to have lasted seven
hours, and at its conclusion to have been adjourned
until this day (Thursday). So protracted a con-
ference, and one which is to be resumed, naturally
induces a hope that the differences between the
masters and this important section of the operatives
in the building trades, are not altogether irrecon-
cileable. The result, whatever it be, must needs

have an important bearing upon ,the strike. No
official information has yet transpired as to the
subjects of discussion during the interview, but
some of the local by-laws of the metropolitan ope-
rative masons of which the masters complain as
being oppressive and detrimental to their interests
are said to have formed the chief tropic •F
argument. Both masters and masons stand com-
mitted to a given course,—one stating the existence
of insuperable obstacles in the way of their aban-
doning the Declaration ; the other offering to re-
sume work at 10 hours a-day, as befor, thus giving
up the ground on which they originally :struck,
provided the masters no longer persevere in what
they (the men) call An attempt to enslave them.
This is the difficulty the parties concerned have
now to solve. The Declaration, once abandoned by
the masters in the case of the masons, as a matter
of course, it must be giVen up as respects the rest of
the building artisans. It remains to be seen
whether the employers are prepared to take that
course. If they are the strike will be practically
at an end ; for the men in their present temper, and
after such a concession, would scarcely think of
carrying the nine hours' agitation further,
at least, for some little time to come. On the
other• hand, should the masons yield, and go to
work under the Declaration, something, but not
all, will have been gained by the masters,
for they cannot carry on operations in which the
labour of so many handicraftsmen enters with oue
class of artisans alone.

The masons' deputation, it is said, are to meet
their constituents this morning at 10 o'clock, be-
fore resuming the interview with the masters, and
consult with them on the course to be adopted. One
thing would appear manifest—viz., that the split
between the masons and the Conference is irreme-
diable, for it is partly on the ground of that separa-
tion that the masters consent to negotiate with
them.
The membert of the Conference, it seems, are not
at all disposed to pocket the affront passed on them
at the last meeting of the masters' committee, by

whom they were —stigmatised as an irresponsible
and illegal confederation. They consider that com•
mittee an equally irresponsible body, and they are
now making arrangements for holding an aggregate
meeting of all the operatives in the building trac'es,
at St. Martin's-hall, on Friday evening, to elicit an
expression of opinion from them as to the course to
be pursued in the present state of things.