The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-19 00:00:00

THE BUILDERS' STRIKE.-

ncitommemhuansio
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abeention
communications
so y
oprominentlyhaver
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TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
ferSrelßci,—toAins my
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ft(21013,1-1.21.44d. Trades' Conference,
regarding trade
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you will probably do /11' Wales' the s letter in reply,
to trespass upon your .:,..), Awour of allowing me
I have carefully examined' a .0,-..,„a...,,.. -,
minutes of the managing committee of the Metro-
politan Society of Operative Bricklayers, and also
the rules and bye-laws of the various lodges. The
result is, I am of opinion, that there is no foundation
for the charges of interfering with the mode of doing
work (handling the trowel, bricks, &c.), made
against the society by the master builders.
The rule of secresy applies only to the admission
and exclusion of members in those societies and
lodges where the ballot is not used. In the Car-
penters' and Joiners' Society and the lodges where
they, ballot for members, there is no rule about
keeping their proceedings secret.
With reference to the resolution against overtime,
it appears the committee had nothing to do with it,
except in obtaining a delay, so that every man in
the society might give his opinion ; this was done
by a voting paper, and the new rule was carried
by a majority of 1,658 to 279. A respectful intima-
tion to that effect was then sent round to every

master builder.
" Working overtime," it is stated, " is usually
caused by a man's idling away (in drinking or
otherwise) one or two days in the week, and then
being allowed by the masters to make it up by
working over the regular hours, in which case the
public is frequently the sufferer by extra charge."
There is no restriction regarding overtime in cases
of emergency, provided the master pays the man at
the same extra rate as he has always done, and as
he always charges the employer.
I beg to add that the minutes show that the
strike regulations have a tendency to discourage
strikes, and that the managing committee has been
the means of settling, and even preventing, many
disputes between the men and their masters. The
minutes also attest many acts of benevolence and
usefulness. The managing committee is in fact a
"Council of Conciliation" for bricklayers elected by
the various lodges of the craft to consider and arbi-
trate upon the disputes of their fellow-workmen,
and they are consulted by non-society as well as

society men.
The principle upon which it is founded is worthy
of imitation in many other trades, and it might be
made a most valuable assistant to the master against
badly conducted and unskilled artisans.
With regard to the remarks in connexion with
my name made by Mr. Wales in his letter, I beg
to state that it is not my intention to reply to them
in the tcne he has adopted. So long as the dis-
cussion was carried on with good temper, and
avoided personalities, I should have been ready to
render any assistance in my power to promote a
settlement of the disputes. I was not, however,
totally unprepared for the loss of temper in Mr.
Wales's letter, after the personal encounters re-
ported to have taken place 41)etween some of the
master builders.
Nothing seems to ire more injudicious than the
unconciliating conduct that the master builders
have adopted from the beginning. Their refusal
to receive a deputation from the united trades
(which even most prime ministers would have
granted) ; their rudeness to any mediators, and even
to the press • the un-English secresy of their meet.
ings, and their adherence to the obnoxious " docu-
ment," have arrayed against them almost every
artisan in the United Kingdom.
All eyes were anxiously turned to their meeting
of the day before. yesterday. One stroke of the pen
through the universally condemned '• document,
and 20,000 men would have returned to their em-
ployment. They have neglected this opportunity.
The " document" (as their colours) has been nailed
to the " mast," and by it they must stand or fall.
Deeply is it to be lamented that they did ,not fol-
low the example of the Dublin master builders, who
have acceded to the general desire of their work-
men for an increase of wages, and the report in yes-
terday's paper concludes by saying that the nego-
tiations were conducted in a spirit of moderation
on both sides which speedily led to an amicable
result.
It was the master builders themselves who first
asked my co-operation in a letter from that very
Mr. Wales (quibbling about the substituted term
of Central Association for Master Builders' Society)
repudiates the notion of my ever having been ap-
plied to.
As my motives have evidently been misjudged
by the master builders as a body (some amongst
them I am happy to consider as personal friends),
I shall refrain from all further interference, only
hoping that these unhappy differences may have a