The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-02 00:00:00

The Building trades on strike seem to have a
pretty clear case in the complaint with which they
went on Wednesday to the New Secretary for War.
Whatever opinion may be held on the wisdom or
folly of the strike, no one will deny that the Go-
vernment ought to keep scrupulously clear of the
slightest interference, however indirect. When
large bodies of men are angry with each other, it
is the duty of the Government to protect by the
uttermost powers of law every individual from
violence and insult, but there its duties terminate ;
if a single mason choses to work on terms with all
the masons in the kingdom repudiate, let the law
enable him to work unimpeded, and in freedom
from insult ; and so long as the majority do not
attack individual freedom let their own freedom be
also fully respected.
But if the facts stated by the deputation to Sir
G. C. LEWIS be really facts, the Government is vir-
tually using its vast powers against the majority—
the men on strike—in the case of the Chelsea Bar-
racks. Mr. HIGGS, the contractor, determined to
adopt the hour system—that is, not literal payment
by:the hour, but paying the men by the day accord-
ing to the number of hours they chose to make the
day. Ait first sight this scheme seems the most
equitable mode conceivable of settling the ques-
tion of the length of the day. It would give to
each man what he had earned, and would leave to
all who preferred, as they say, self-improvement
to long hours, the option of taking it. The Trades'
Unions, however, strongly object to it. It would
destroy a great part of the power they now
possess to order strikes at pleasure, and entails,
they say, some other consequences in regard to
overtime, which, however, the masters deny. Be
all this as it may, the Unions have ordered a strike
against the system, and Mr. HIGGS having adopted
it, ought, of course, to be left to fight it out with
his men. He had a perfect right to adopt the
hour system—they had a perfect right to refuse to

accept it.
Mr. HIGGS, however, was working for
the Government, and to the Government forth-
with he applies to supply the place of his
seceding workmen. He obtains all the
sappers and miners he desires, and if any
of them do not like the work he is able to have
others marched into their place. If the work be
one of urgency the public can have nothing more
to say. The national business could not wait on
the dispute. But otherwise, and we have seen no
case of emergency made out, the Government was
using its compulsory powers to give Mr. HIGGS an
advantage over his men. If the Government. is in
the habit of allowing the Sappers and Miners to
earn extra pay in this way, and if it be a purely
voluntary act of the men to accept Mr. HIGG'S
offers, we do not know that any objection could be
made to it. But even then there ought to be no
favouritism ; if Mr. HIGGS can have the men, every
contractor ought to be allowed to have them too,
to any extent not injurious to the discipline of the

service.

The deputation, however, made statements, which,
if true, show that Mr. HIGGS had been a great
gainer by getting the Sappers and Miners. He was
paying his hands who struck six shillings a day.
But he paid the War-office only 4s. Bd. per man,
saving thereby, of course, ls. 4d. each. And as the
Sappers and Miners are, we believe, all well trained
hands, he must be a great gainer. The Sappers
received, it was stated, only 2s. 4d. out of the 4s. Bd.
earned by them ; but we presume that the Govern-
meat takes the half in consideration of pay or rations
furnished to the men. We can hardly think the
1 Government would make a pecuniary gain of its
soldiers' labours.

Sir G. C. LEWIS told the deputation, what we
may be sure is the truth, that the Government had
no thought whatever of interfering in the dispute
between masters and men; their only object had
been to expedite the completion of the work. If
the neutrality had been violated, it was uninten-
tionally ; and he assured the deputation, without
pledging the Government to any course, that dili-
gent inquiry should be made, and what bad been
stated receive the careful attention of the Govern-
ment.be safely enough left
The matter may
in Sir G. C. LEWIS'S hands. One thing we
think should be specially guarded against—if the
case be one of emergency neither the trades nor the
public will desire that the work should be stopped,
but then, neither the contractor, nor the Government
ought to gain one penny by the employment of the
Sappers. The contractor ought rather to lose by
it since he will escape penalties for breach of con-
tract, and the Government ought to gain not/1111$