The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-31 00:00:00

NOTTINGHAM.

On Monday evening, the 29th inst., a meeting of
the building operatives of this town was held in
the large room at the Durham Ox.

Mr. Vll ARRIOTT, chairman, in opening the pro-
ceedings, denounced the document of the master
builders as despotic and tyrannical, and urged the
operatives to unity, by which they were certain to
obtain their rights. As respected the nine hours
movement, there eon ldbe only one opinion—namely
that it would benefit the working classes both
morally and socially. He then introduced a depu-
tation from London.
Mr. OSBORN, from London, in a long address,
detailed the movement between the operatives and
master builders.

Mr. WILLIAMS, an operative bricklayer, proposed
the first resolution :

" That this meeting heartily sympathises with the
builders of London in their present position, and feel proud
of the noble stand made against the obnoxious document
presented for their acceptance."
He said the movement of the operatives was a just
one ; it was the old struggle of labour against capi-
tal. The masters had now nearly the whole of the
political power, and now they wished to exercise
social power over their workmen.
Mr. BROWN, stonemason, seconded the resolu-
tion. He stated that the Stonemasons' Society
contributed to seven different hospitals in the coun-
try, the sum amounting to £l5O per annum. Last
year more than £l,OOO was paid as siek•money.
The society had paid to unemployed men whom the
parishes refused to maintain, £3,472. They had
also paid for accidents £B5O ; and for these the
masters had as much right to pay as the men.
(Hear.) All that had been expended for strikes
was £1,114.

The resolution was put and carried with accla-
mation.

Mr. BURREY, painter, proposed the next resolu
tion

" Having heard the statement of the deputation, and
believing the cause to be worthy of support, we hereby
pledge ourselves to render them all the assistance in our
power as long as the struggle exists."
Mr. LENNOX, plasterer, seconded the motion,
which was supported by Mr. BRIGGS, solicitor, of
Derby, and carried unanimously.
A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the
proceedings.

The mec—tinF, was of a most orderly character.

PLYMOUTH.

A meeting of operatives took place at the Me-
chanics' Institute, Plymouth, on Monday evening,
Mr. Toop, carpenter, in the chair, when a resolu-
tion moved by Mr. Jacob Winsor, stonemason,
was unanimously adopted to support the present
movement in London. There were about 600 per-
sons present, and the sum of £4 10s. was collected.
The proceedings were of a most orderly character.
Only one expression of a questionable nature was
used, and that one met with most unqualified dis-
approbation. During the discussion,
Mr. SLADE, carpenter, said he considered that an
effort had been made by Messrs. Trollope to place
their men in a worse condition than that of slaves
or convicts.

Mr. BERRY, engineer, belonged to a society which
during the last six or seven years had paid £22,000
to the sick and to those on strike, and such societies
were to be suppressed by the " document." If a
man got sick at his work, and had no such resource,
what would his employer give him ? Nothing.
How much beefsteak could a bricklayer's labourer
buy with his wages ? Why, as much as he could
pull off a bullock's horns.
_ _

Mr. R. AMBROSE would take an employer to be
worth say £4,000, and estimate an operative at
.£l,OOO ; it was therefore clear that the operatives
must combine to put themselves on an equality with
their employers. All they got from their masters
was " Wake up ;" " Get on."
Mr. JAMES 'LAMB complained of the want of sup-
port by the local workmen. The society's members
were like the figs in a Cornish pudding—one here,
the other at the Land's End. In June the Ply-
mouth men asked for 3s. 6d. a-day and nine hours ;
they obtained only ls. a-week additional. He
thought that ls. each to Trollope's men was a small
pittance.

Mr. JOHN CORNISH did not think that 3d. per
week from each operative in the country was suffi-
cient. Let every one take a quart of beer less and.
subscribe 6d. There were not more than six tee-
totallers in Plymouth ; they could afford an in-
creased subscription.
Mr. C. SHOVELL said that after the operatives
had succeeded in London the same system must be
adopted in Plymouth. In the Devonport Dockyard
the day's labour averaged 81 hours only.