The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-20 00:00:00

THE SH,PWRIGHTS.

The present depressed state of the shipping
interest in this port, as well as throughout the
kingdom, has naturally drawn the attention of
every thinking man to th 6 means best adapted
for affording the relief so imperatively called for.
With this object in view, the master shipwrights
gave notice to the men in their employ of an in-
tended reduction of ls. per day in their wages.
In. announcing this to he journeymen, the mas-
ter shipwrights expressed their regret at the
existence of the necessity for such a measure, and
at the same time pointed out, for the considera-
tion of the men, that their wages would, even at
the reduction, be upon a level with the nighest
rate paid r.:t any of the other out-ports. We are,
however, sorry to find that the journeymen have
not been sufficiently influenced by good sense as
to perceive that their ultimate benefit would be
promoted by acceding to the terms of their em-
ployers, but have, since the 9th instant, when the
reduction was to take place, left their work
losing sight of the great evil which must natu-
rally be the result of such conduct—the driving
the, work of the port to other places. We do not
deny the right of any man to get the best price
he can for his labour ; his endeavour ought, ne-
vertheless, to be confined to lawful means, and
to his individual exertions ; nor must he join in
connexion with others for the purpose of intimi-
dging those who may think the wages offered
salfficient remuneration for their labour. The
ship owners have resolved to support the master
shipwrights in the present dispute ; and, as a
preliminary step towards that purpose, we un-
lerstand that a deputation waited upon the
i‘layor and Magistrates, and represented the
evils likely to result from the conduct of the
journeymen. Upon this representation, his
Worship immediately stated the intention of him-
self and brother Magistrates to afford every
protection to those men who might agree to
work for the wages offered by the masters. One
tiling we cannot help more particularly regretting,
which is the apparently evil influence that has
been exercised over the minds of the apprentices,
in causing them to refuse to work any where but
in the yard. How much such conduct renders
them obnoxious to tile law, will be sufficiently
shown in the following account of the punish-
ment already awarded to fifty-three of these mis-
guided young men
On 'Wednesday a number of apprentices to
the master shipwrights, were brought by warrants
hefore the Mayor and John Bourne, Esq., in
the Town-hall charged with neglecting or re-
fusing to do the work assigned to them by their
masters. They were brought up in parties Li
their respective masters, but the charges against
them were all of a similar nature. It appeared
they had been sent by their masters to the jobs
they had in hand in the docks in which the
ships lay, but that they had left those jobs and
returned to the yard, and that no representations
from their masters could induce them to return
to that work. The Mayor took a great deal of
trouble in endeavouring to convince each of the
first set that were brought up, of the impro-
priety of their conduct in refusing to do their
masters' work, and to persuade them to return
to their duty. They, however, persevered in
refusing to work any where but in the yard, and
the Magistrates ordered them to be committed.
The second set were equally obdurate, and were
similarly disposed of. In the third set was one
'ibr whom Mr. Venables appeared, and stated
that he proposed to oturn to his work, and un-
conditionally to obey his master's orders ; at
which the Mayor expressed his great satisfaction,
and hoped all the rest would follow his laudable
example. The young man, however, when
questioned, hesitated, and it required all the at-
tention of his father, assisted by Mr. Venables,
and the kind recommendation of the Mayor, to
induce him to carry the proposition into effect,
which he ultimately did, and was discharged,
with the strongest assurances from the Magis-
trates that he and all others who attended to
their masters' orders should have every support
and protection; the rest did not avail themselves
of the same kindness, and, in the whole, sixteen
of them were committed to the House of Cor-
rection, at Preston, to hard labour for three
months.

On Saturday, a further number of forty-one
of those misguided apprentices, some of whom
had been lodged in Bridewell on Thursday, were
brought before the same two magistrates, who, in
the most patient and friendly manner, questioned
and cautioned each individual, endeavouring to
convince them of the error of their conduct, and
to persuade them to return to their work as here-
tofore, but without success. Among the num-
ber was the young man who on Wednesday last
promised to return to his work unconditionally .
and to him the Mayor particularly addressed
some wholesome admonitions, at the same time
expressing his regret that he had not followed up
the promise he had made, which might have
been of the greatest advantage to him in his fu-
ture progress in life. We understand that oil
Friday an effigy of this young man was paraded,
by a large body of the shipwrights, through some
of the streets at the south end of the town, with
a placard on its breast, on which was written,
I will not go to gaol ; I will do my master's
work ;" and this effigy was burnt amidst tii,
multuous applause. This and other intimida-
tions had no doubt operated to compel him to
share the fate of the other thoughtless persons,
and he was included in the 37 committed on
Saturday to the Preston House of Correction
for three months, making in all 53.—Liverpool
Courier.