The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-12 00:00:00

RENEWAL OF THE. STRIKE.

(From the Times)
We can no longer describe the pernicious agita-
tion of the Trades' Unions as " the disputes in the
building trade." On Saturday last the fiat went
forth from the delegates of the Masons' Committee,
and all the members of that most numerous and
hitherto flourishing handicraft are now on strike.
It may be taken as a general rule that strikes are
very foolish indeed, but the utter fatuity of this
step and the virulence and bitterness of feeling
which the Union shows in carrying it out almost
pass belief. The public will, of course, remember
that the old dispute of 1859 was recommenced this
year in favour of the nine hours' movement, and
the strike began on that question with four great
firms—viz., Messrs. Kelk's, Messrs. Lucas's Sir
Morton Peto's, and Mr. Smith's. In reap to
this attempt at coercion, the firms in question
resolved to put an end to the dispute at once
and for ever by adopting a system of payment by
the hour at an increased scale of wages, giving
the men a gratuitous half-holiday on Saturday, and
allowing everyone to work as long or as little as
he pleased, paying him accordingly. In spite of
all the efforts of the Unions, who saw in the pro-
posal the downfall of their influence over the work•
men, the terms offered were too advantageous and
too liberal to be long unaccepted. Accordingly
three firms soon got back their full complement of
hands under the new arrangement—partly Non-
Union men and very many belonging to the Unions,
who threw up their allegiance to the delegates when
they saw clearly it was at variance with their best
interests. Within the last few weeks the system has
become so popular among the men that three firms
had all their works in full operation. Messrs. Kelk
were enabled to go on with the works at the Horti-
cultural Gardens, and Messrs.Kelk and Lewis to get
upwards of 800 additional men on the building for
next year's Exhibition. Within the last month
the men at Messrs. Trollope's applied to have the
hour system extended to them also, which was
accordingly done, and other great employers, seeing
how admirably the plan worked, gradually adopted
it. At the close of last week nearly all the chief
firms in London, including Messrs. J. and C. Rigby,
Messrs. Gammon, Messrs. Holland and Hannen,
Mansfield and Sons, Mr. Fricke, Messrs. Ashby and
Horner, Mr. I'Anson, Mr. Bird, Mr. Brass, Mr.
Axford, Mr. Hayward, and others of less note, were
all paying under this system. Some few trades
grumbled, while others rejoiced at the change. The
plasterers struck against it with the plumbers; the
carpenters decided to remain neutral; the brick-
layers, in effect, did the same. The masons, there-
fore, almost the most numerous and important body
of operatives in the metropolis, were selected by the
Unions to fight the question, and, on the masters
refusing to dissent from the new system,
every mason in London was ordered to strike work
on Saturday last, and on strike therefore they all
are now. It is usual in these strikes for only the
metropolitan labourers to turn out. Thus, if
Messrs. Lucas or Kelk had a contract in London,
and another at Reading or Windsor, only those on
the former work would strike, those in the latter
contributing to their support. But in this instance
the masons have turned out both in the town and
country works together. This seems rash enough,
but the stupidity of their next step would be almost
ludicrous if it was not likely to be attended with
such privation to the men themselves. They
have not only struck against those who have
adopted the hour system, but against every
one who has not. Messrs. Cubitt, Myres,
Lawrence, Lee, Wilson, &c., never interfered in
the dispute, never adopted the hour payment, and,
for all the delegates know to the contrary, these
contractors might have even been in favour of the
men's claims, unfair as they are. Yet, from all
these the men have struck as well as from the
others. It is, in fact, an indiscriminate turn out of
the whole trade. Even in the case ofsmall builders,
only employing one or two masons, the men have
been ordered away by the Unions, and of course
have left. The most absurd part of the whole thing,
however, is yet to be told. The four firms who
originated this hour system have, as we have said,
obtained in the meantime their full complement of
contented hands, who, of course, refuse to strike,
having thrown off their connexion with the Trades'
Unions altogether. Thus the very contractors
against whom the blow is levelled are in full work,
while those who lately adopted the hour system, or
who never adopted it at all, are left entirely with-
out masons. The time, too, which the masons have
chosen is as ill judged as every other part of their
proceedings. Two months ago, when the hour
system was new, and regarded as an innovation,
other trades might and probably would have joined
them in the turn out. Now that it has had a fair
trial the men like it, and the most important classes
of the masons' brother operatives either support the
scheme, or, at least, have withdrawn their hostility
to it. The plasterers, es we have said, were on
strike, but the night before last, we are Informed,
a meeting of the trade was called at which it was
decided by a largo majority to accept the hour
system, and they have returned to work.
The result of the unfortunate decision of the
masons will simply be to compel all the masters to
unite in making a final stand against the dictation
of the Trades' Unions. They have no choice now
if they wish to continue their business with any
chance of profit. The fate of all the masters de-
pends much on the individual conduct pursued by
each firm for the next few days. If one firm of im-
portance gives way, the others might be coerced
into doing the same, and the Unions would carry
the day. In such a case three months would not
elapse without another strike for the nine hours'
movement, and next year another for the eight—
the real object, it is well known, at which like
Unions are aiming. If, on the contrary, the mas-
ters are true to themselves, a very few weeks will
suffice to set the question at rest for ever. If, with
public opinion and a large mass of the operatives
on their side, they succumb to a clique of agitators,
they must expect no more sympathy, when, as
during the strike of 1859, they tell of losses incurred
by them to the amount of some £300,000 sterling.
The large number of non-society men and men
who have quitted the Trades' Unions now in the
metropolis are about forming a "Non-Union Society"
among themselves. This society will recognize the
hour payment system as the basis of all agreements
between master and workman. It is also to estabiish
houses of call, where Non-Union men may hear of
employment, and, above all, to protect them from
the intimidation and tyranny of the Union pickets.
The latter office is, at first, likely to be no sinecure.
Another of Messrs. Lucas's men has this week been
severely beaten and kicked in the open day, yet all
his assailants managed to get clear off. For an
assault on one of Mr. Kelk's men one of the aggres-
sors was less fortunate; he was seen and recognized,
and a warrant has been issued for his apprehension.