The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-04-04


6 erS Associations, and they have some Of th,
rules which Mr.. Msult considers monstrous
2 IN May, 1860. the men sent the following
q notice: 'S;-,-A meeting OF the Carpenter,
!, ana Joiners OF Bury was held At the Queens
! hotel, on SATURDAY, the 18th Of May, q
4 Tconsider and adopt the best means Of impro-
I wing our position. 1t was the unanimous
, feeling OF the members present that the
, time has now arrived when We should have
our wages considerably increased. The
!, meeting come to the conclusion that we are
= fairly and honestly entitled TO be paid much
better than we are at present, when we con-
slder the prosperous state Of trade and the
rise IN the price of butchers meat, and
nearly all kinds Of provisions, besides the
rise which Is taken place in our rents, &c.
and. when we consider also that we are far
behind some OF the other branches of the
building trade IN the shape Of wages and the
number OF hours worked, and we know that
the trade OF Joiner requires ~ great, if not
greater, amount Of intelligence than auy
other branch Of the building trade. The
above are q few Of the many reasons we
have for respectfully asking YOU for cen
siderable advance In our wages. At the
above meeting q committee was appointed 20
meet you ut the earliest opportunity. at anv
place you may select, to discuss and try II
settle this question. We feel sure it viii
be both for the advantage of MASTERS
men to have this question settled in ki
and friendly manner" 7 think that
will admit hat this is 8 very
munication; and that it deserve
answer. Well, the employers re
men sgain replied. They then
employers. in the first place, at
held In the White Horse Inn,
agreed that they "could not
| question Of an advance Of
Christmas" That was fir
Christmas. The men said,
stand over" It did stand over till
lowing February, when the men wrote
masters reminding them Of their promie4
hat the matter should be entertained after
| Christmas. The employers answer them that
the state Of the trade will not warrant the
| advance. In March the men saids eet us
| In the friendly spirit indicated by our first
circular, for we think 1t will warrant an ad.
vance" They had several meetings, and
never once did the employers offer any por-
t'ca OF what the men asked, and never once
were they unanimous that the amount
asked could not be given. Time wore on un-
I'll the time when this Commission had be-
gun. 1t so happened that l was in the
neighbo-hood of Manchester, and went TO
confer with the men, and in day or two
after they issued the following CIRCULAR
"Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and
Joiners, Bury Branch, May 9th, 1867.
Gentlemen Since ours to you of April 9th.
we have been expecting hearing from you
respecting the advance Of wages We have so
often requested, and as we have reason to
know that several contracts now on hand
have been taken at a price calculated at the
advanced rate we have asked for, but not
yet received, we trust that yeu will see the
justice Of granting our request, and thus set
at rest the matter that has too long dis
tracted the minds Of the men. As YOU are
aware, we have not made hasiy or unres-
sonable request. Our first circular on this
matter dates from the 18th Of May, 1856, and
the advance asked il only what has been
conceded in numerous instances during the
past year. You must be also aware that in
the past strikes have followed far shorter no
tees than we have given, yet we have acted
up 70 determination now general through
out our society, not to resort to other than
peaceable means until absolutely compelled
70 do so, and we trust that you will not take
advankags of the forbearance that we have
shown, but without Selay meet our deputa-
ton and settle the matter, especially as Mr..
Mault, the general secretary Of your associa-
tion, states that it is the short notice given
BY the men that causes more strikes than
anything else, and in this case, az you are
aware, our notice extends over II months
| think that is q sufficient length Of notice,
but, however, you will see wnat the result
is On June the 9th the masters replied to
that communication, and the men met them
and they said, 1--WE hope to settle Il 10 q
friendly manner" But they did not There
was difference OF opinion amongst them as
to what they should do amongst the masters,
IN fact there hsS Sver been a difference of
opinion amongst them as To what course they
should pursue. And you see in that circu-
lar that there is direct charge against the
masters for having taken work at the ad-
vanced rate, but never handing ii over to the
men.
Mr.. Hughes-How do you know that p
| may say here that one Of the greatest diff
cuities that the workingmen's side Of the
question viii be placed in Al this board ill
be that we Care not produce the Den who
can give the most useful Information. If we
we're to get clerk Of the works or foremen
(who frequently know both sides Of a dis
prte far better than either masters or men)
to come here and speak the truth, their po-
sition is gone for ever as far as the masters
are concerned-they would be black balle6
BY The employers. The next meeting OF the
masters and men was the proper place to
confute that charge if it was not true.
have here letter telling me the result Of
| that interview whiy tie men sought. The
writer says. SIN refe. ence to the adsance of
wages question, our employers wrote TO say
4 they would meet our deputation on June
| Sth. The deputation went, and after wait
ing 30 minutes received note to say that
they could not meet them on account Of the
unavoidable absence of some Of their mem-
bers. On the 10th we received note to saw
I thskthe sassters would be glad to meet the
tdeputati0n on June 30th. The deputation
waited upon them at the time appointed.
when there were four masters present, the
1 principal employers in the town. The sub
ject was then introduced, when they were
pressed to say whether they were or were
not receiving the advanced rate none OF
said they were not receiving IT, One of them
/ said IL would not make E5 difference to him.
Another said that he would be the greatest
loser, but he did not care about il. The
thtrd advised as TO strike for I'd. per hour.
and 50 hours per week. The same has told
The president this day that il we strike we
should obtain what we want before the 2lst
instant. The last had nothing TO say about
the matter. They then told US that there
should have been Q full meeting on that oc-
rasion, and that their secretary had been.a.
great pains 70 gave them notice, and also
that they bird neither power or snihority to
suggest or settle hing. You viii see by
the foregoing remarks the position. in which
We stand, and the branch thinks that the
masters have made mp their minds that
there shall be no advance without . strike.
The committee urgently request that chat
power mag BE- granted them With the least
Il possible delsy.n 4 wrote in reply 70 that,
pY| tbeinssruc<ion Of our councii, Is follows:
stPiy TO yours, | arl direcssd 10 state
ths cooucil regret TO hear the employees
not met the men In the spirit iualcaked
!. by your scirrnfa az IN k1aE. 9Ifh Had fhaU