The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1865-04-08
The staGordsbIrc I" I.ockGut.r

The stanordsbiro " Lockout
Our ls,es, Giles Of English newspaper. contain
the particular. Of . coneic, that has JUS, been in.
ausuratod between tie iron masters % Stafford.
shire and their operatives which is dcsnuoJ 10
hsve more important bearing upon ,he interests
Of Cspi,sl and Labor, than auy similar occurrence
within the memory Il social economists Tho facts
as nsrr.od, appear to he substantially =. follows
The price Of iron in stadordshirr, having declined
materially, owing 10 n lack Of business, the iron
masters contemplated = reduction In the rate Of
| wages which, by previous agreement hsd r,ilo
according to the price per ton iron. As iron do
clned, the masters did reduce the wagos paid W
their "pudderS" bu. preferred to eurtail tho rate |
paid TO the at work getting out coal In their coll
reries, and notified hesc men Of reduction equal
N an average OF seven per cent. This occaAiOnci
strike which lasted four months, during which |
tme hundreds Of workmen suffered many privs-
Tons Finally some Of The went to work.
under protection o. the police and eventually the
whole body o. golfers resumed labor upon their
| employers terms. Tho iron trade cnntinucd W he
| dull, and az prices declined tho Manufacturers re-
solved. last December, To reduce tho rate u wages
paid 70 puddlsrs ono shilling or ton This rate Of
WAGES was bu, half the reduction authorized hy
!. the former agreement, between employers and
workmon, which the iron masters clam they hal
. right 70 demand much earlier than they have
done The '.pudJlers'' ofSnrth stAdordshre refused
to work for the wages offered, and "s,rke' occur.
rcd In that district In South sAGordshirc, and
most OF tho Northern districts the workmon gener
ally accepted the wages offered. Meantime the
strike" in the Nortn snfordshire di'ric. sssum-
ed proportions thu, inclined the employ ors Of Eng
land to believe that the men were supported by
the grea, body Of vorkmen IN other districts aud,
that II the North staHordshro workman were sue
ceAsfll, othors throughout EnylAnd would also DO
mand the higher rate q wages Tie workmen
emphaucslly denied any collision villa the "sIriL-
ers; - nevertheless the iron manufacturers COM
hiaed, and formed an "Assocauon" more form.ia-
Is bic than anything Of the kind ever projected any
country. ny the terms Of their agreement, this AS
ISOLATION OF Employers resolved 10 sustain Tho iron
Of masters OF North staf,rdshiro 10y resorng B. what
IT is termed tic blocking out" Of wo-kren. In
other words, every iron manufacturer in England
Of resolved 10 close his estahs mcnt, and by throw
st ing his workmen out Of employment thus prevent
70 supplies" rom reaching tie men then on a str kc
10 in North staff rdshire. more cruel proceeding,
:. could hardly have been devised. The "locr ont
- as 1t is termed, Immediately prevented moro naa
ID seventy thousand men from obtsining the kind Of
~ work they were accustomed TO- Nor !s this all a.
&c least one hundred thousand other workmeu are IN
"a directly thrown out Of employment in ccnso
IL | queuce OF their dependence upon the different
Of branches OF trade connected with the Opera
n. lions Of the iron manufacturers In short
z. this most unwarrantsbe proceeding on th'
;" part Of the employers Is 7, sulting producing
n. untold misery all over Bingham, aud W.. he fell
e by the workman on the Continent and in his
" country. So many persons being In want OF work
n. win al who aGorl g. do ~, 10 emgrstc
IL. elsewhere, thus unseILing prices and reduciu.
10 wages wherever iron Is manufactured The 'Noc,
II. out" which began she 9Th O; March, All abroad,
NJ assumed gigantic proportions and At tho date o
a. our latest intelligence It embraced England, Scot
a, land aud Wales. Tho North stsiTorishre work
A. ingmeu continued W re use the preferred rate
a. | wages. Immense meetings o. wursugInon hav
been held In nglnnd recommending the strikers
10 accept their employers terms. Subsequently, N
employers were ask ed 10 open their establishment
for 30 worsmen who would pledge themselves not I
En- support the strikers. The iron masters refuse
Of unless the Work lnsmen's Unions will send lelesa
in tons Of their members INTO the North SAh Jrishi
I'D districts, TO tax the places Of the men on stril
non thers, The worlyneu will not acoede TO this decn
AIRY Ing It breach of .ath award their fellows, and
der consequence the 'locL ouw continues. How n
lat matter vail end, can scarcely coujectured. 1t
10 asserted that the Trades ULions Il stafo'dAh'
zen aone hsyeA fund Of eighty thousand dollars @
ees' otWhch they confidently expect to support the mo
nee needy AhorerS and Others can sustain sLemscly
non Al other enploymenta, until the iron masters :
zen compelled to reSme business Lose their capita
that On ihe other hand, the manufacturers are prepsr
tho for contingencies by tho most complete uude
and STANDING with each othor in reference to socepul
orth contracts, The capitalists declare they csnu
i'm again resume operations until, as they call IL
gn- 'fnsolent dicatou" OF their men IL p-oror
'uS. rebuked bya deosop % the ales,oy d eaauran