The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-17
The Sword or the Unions.

The Sword or the Unions.
The means used for attaining the final end
and aim of all Trades Unions, viz: the rails
ing of the rate OF wages to the highest prac-
tical point, are usually embodied in code
of rules, and before proceeding further an
enticavor will lie made to show tile way in
which these rules are carried out. In the
| reports Of the British Royal Commissioners
there is u mass of interesting information
upon this subject. The difficulty is TO select
such cases rs will best illustrate the different
phases of the question. The particular OK
tracts which will he given are selected rather
| because the facts may be stated in small
compass, rather than because they describe
tic most fragrant abuses ofpower on the part
Of the Trade Societies.
The first cases which We shall select re-
late 10 the rules enforced by the Unions
against the employment Of men who are not
members of their body.
Mr. Mault stated In evidence that the Plas-
tcrers' Union, for example, have this rule
THAT no plastcrcr be allowed to work in any
shop more than six days without giving salts
bcr or will join the society,"" They compel
even the soE:s and the brothers Of master plas-
tererS, who are ut work with them, to Join their
Union before they will allow them 10 proceed.
The following are the circumstances OF II
strike ON the l,nrt OF the plastcrers employed
by Mr. Charles Howroytl, OF Bradford On
January Z, 1867, Mr.. Bradford received Il note
by mail, in which ''thc operative plastcrcrs of
Bindford' gave him notice TINT all his SONS
tina: were working as plasterers, who were u
years of age, must join the society before SAT-
urdny, or ''all our men will cenSe work on
Monday morning next and not return again
nulesS you pay al! the eNpenSc5 or The sirikc.'
Mr.. ll0wrOyd did not comply, und The men
struck work. week later six or seYcn of
The masters combined In q lockout, |. C. not
10 employ any Union men. This lasted five
weeks, but failed 10 make tho men givo way
Tho result WINS that Mr.. IIowroytl WAS left
without pastcrcrs, and soon after his Iaborcrs
were withdrawn.
Another ma:tor plastcrcr In Bradford, whu
had Two brothers IN his establishment, was
ordered To cause them To become members oi
.aG Union The employer sent word that this
wni;id bD done, bnL WAS compelled 10 hay an
entrance fec OF 81 90 for each one, 10 avoid u
strike.
Instances of the operation of the rule
against the employment Of non Unionists
might he multiplied indefinitely.
Our next extracts illustrate the mode in
which on increase OF wages is forced upon
tl.c employer under PRESSURE:
y contractor ut Derby agreed with his ,nc-
SONS to pay them 2Ss. o week during the wiz
ter. month before the quarter expired thu v
| applied 10. an advance OF Is. Cd. week. This
was granted upon the assurance that all wGultl
90 on comfortably. Three weeks alierwald
| the Mnsons' Society demanded IN advance o,
2s 6d., making 321. week. and threatened {,
strike. Tile demand was complied with, be-
Cause the contractor was compelled TO finish
the Work within 2 certain time.
In COngleton. q contractor took contract
on the basis or 2is. week for InasoIs ard In
about three months wages were forced up 2h
per cent. further rise was demanded, and
us II WAS not given tho mon struck.
AT Sheffield, no waller or builder Of stone Is
allowed to take less than 33s. week, and In
Sheffield and In Bristol II Is tho rule that the
wages OF the mnsons ahall bc Ayed by The
foremen and the mon In conjunction with the
| employers.
The Unions OF certain towns niso issue
odicts against the importation into their
Ii sits OF work done or material prepared in
another district, and against the use of ma
| chjncry.
The masons will not allow stone worked IN
another district t. DC brought into their own
| In bradford mil was putting up In which
| there was stono staircase Of hard DephsLOnr
| steps. The stcpI were worked .. the quarry
ami brought 10 the place ro;p)y for settling,
when the society gave notice That they could
NOT be Set uniOss they were TegOrked by tt,
| society men. To avoid u strike this was a.,rer1
| to, cntail!ng on the employers an additional
cost OF from 81 Is TO 81 90 o step.
In Ashton. n pnantlty OF polished stone was
not allowed to be laid untll the poliBcd par,
had been deilccd, 80 that IL might 10 polished
agnin by hand.
Al LIackburn, tho carpenters and join
ers refused to allow any machine made work
to Ee imported from other towns Machine
made bricks wei O absolutely prohibited, and
mon who lad worked at brick machine,
| and the mon who cartel the bricks, were
excluded from employment. Yet twas ad
miticd that Tho mnclinc-mndc bricks were
better tlun the han l-made bricks.
few instances must DO given Of tho rulca
against fast workins.
The Leeds bricklnjers 1ne Is. any member
who Carries more tlan eight b. ioks, while ai
ldverpnoi the iiie Is t,pelce, nnti tho usual rule
| IL tea Dlicks
Tho operative mesoMs have str ngent rules
against what is technically known as "chas-
liiB," or working too Cah. . he Manchester
Brickilyers' Association Ono, any man who
works beyond the Regular spsop.
There is also a genera rule that the men
shall not wal to thelr work In tho morning
faster than three miles an hour. When q