New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-05-18
THE LABOR WAR in ENGLAND
,ocx-our OF TIE FACrORY-woRKERs AT OLD I1r
HAM, LANCAsHIEE-TiiE CAUSES of '"N
CONFLICT.

.
r, that has been carried on for some considerable
~ ,,.o operatives employed In the cotton mills OF
,.op,ro l IS Il last eliminated in lockout. Ever
,rce tie American civil war tho worlpeople have felt
,he p-eulo g want Of employment and ondeavoredto
relieve by further reduction OF the hours OF factory
1,bor The standard complaint of the mllcwners was
that flo raw material too dear and the manufactured
Goods too cheap TO work at profit. To meet this the
onertycs proposed four five years ago to have
General reduction Of the hours Of labor 10 eight day.
which would tend to diminish the demand Tor raw mate
rial and cwtr prices while il would increase the de-
maud compared with the production for Manufactured
goods and enhance their value The operatives contendea
mat this would be better than by fits and starts,
some fu time. half time, no time at ALL but
the iniIownors could only an ingenious design 10
raise wages time when trade bad, and the efforts
of tho worpcopc ended in nothing The manufacturers
were moi only confident that when cotton became cheap
thcro would he enough do for all at full time, but that
full 1900 new hands would be required and they OPP
posed every attempt at oountenancing the various pro
posas to render assistance TO wOrkmen inclined to emf
CRATE
In 1859 tire workpeOple had to submit to general
reduction wages; I'm places cent In others
10 nor cent Out OF that reduction sprung the halfhol
day movement, an agitation for closing the mills at IL
ocoN on saturdays, instead Of O'Clock The agitators
made OF their meaning that 1t was to curtain
production or if the demand sufficient, to give en-
ployment to a larger number Of hands. 1T Weavers
Conference in November last Thomas Birtwist4e inc
Secretary o. the Lancashire Powerloom "ea'ei'
Association, stated that the dminuton OF TWO nors
Dor a week in mill with spowerlooms woud reuuoo
the manufactured produce 10000 yards anu INC oUH
sumption Of raw cotton heo pounds year ~ INC |
waoe district over which the works Represented AZ '
conference extended it would make difference In the
production Of cloth Of 1O14OON yards ana In the con
sumption OF cotton OF H,6S2oOO pouhuS' OF 'no
trade remained same it would give empioymehtVo
an additional number OF 1888 persons This Is just VIVA.
10.
times the workmen gets than bare living and
that he cannot WITH much less than he GETS they look
upon the wages that would have 10 be paid to the add
tonal hands as much out Of their poeketsln TACT
money thrown away.
In December last the agitation had so far increased
that a large public meeting held in the Free
Trade Hail. Manchester which the Bishop OF Man.
chester presided The half holiday was to commence on
the first Saturday in January, The Bishop iusned MS
presence at the meeting by the fact that nearly the
whole bench Of the bishops had voted for the Factory
oet making SO hours week legal weeks work. which,
IN account of the opposition Of the mill owners had re-
suited in the co compromise of 1880 1t was only
carrying the original intention OF Parliament for
physical and sanitary reasons; the change was SOUND
and good, and be hoped II would succeed With afew
honorable exceptions the milowners were as much OPP
posed as ever Hugh Mason, one Of the largest manu-
facurers in Lancashire sent approving letter to that
meeting. In which he said: "As earnest OF my good
will in object have already told my work-Deople
that on the first Saturday in the my factory
will be closed at o'clock" Sir Thomas Bayey the LID
ers member Of Parliament, on the contrary made de-
spending speech Any further shortening OF the hours OF
Iaor must be attended with disastrous consequences
qe foreigner worked long and eheaply and would
supnlaut the English manufacturers host OF angry
opponens raised their voices In the Manchester papers
The same arguments used by Dr. Andrew over 40 |
wears AGAINST any limitation of the hours Of labor Of
children Gin factories. The factory acts had they said,
proved beneficial in practice, but they were wrong in
prinojple and must not carried any further. The
greater strain constitution, In consequence OF the
increased speed Of the machinery was all moonshine'
and if the people could not wait till after before
they had any food why did they not some III their
pockets 10 eat while at work 1t al very well for
mionaires like Hugh Mason, who had made their for
during the long hour period but there were others
who wanted TO make fortunes now.
Hugh Mason kept his word, and the event was cele- |
brated by dinner which his work people invited him.
and at which he made a very nice speech. Hero and |
there useless attempts made TO get the II o'clock
closing into working order but the successful attempts
were few and far between After little more agitation
and deberaion 1T decided that beginning shoudb be
made at Oldham. At first the employers seemed inclined
to give way they urged on from other localities
TO resist They agreed 10 close at O'Clock, but the
work people, the first Saturday in April left at IL
O'Clock aud refused to take their wages when the en-
poyers attempted deduct two hours The wages we're
pad under protest These proceedings were repeated on
three successive Saturdays. On the 18th OF April the
mowpers resolved to lock their work people out II they
continued 10 leave OF at u o'clock The mil-owners
OF the other towns held meetings at which the resolution
was Endorsed and support promised. The workpeople
on the other hand approved Of the conduct Of the work
people of Oldham and pledged themselves to render as
sistance in case of lockout On Saturday last, the al
formative was given, either to work after II or be
locked out on Monday morning The workpeople, with
one accord left at u o'clock The town was pacarded
all over by both parties, urging the men g to stick mp
for themselves" and 70 show outsiders that each |
tha. ronfv,n fba mill nNr he
meeting and rearmed the resolution to lock the mills
on Monday morning On Sunday afternoon 60 delegates
of the workmen met Great Ancoat, Manchester, and
resolved the O'Clock closing be adhered to- and
that the matter be left to the Executive Committee OF
Manchester The meeting 1jOurned TO next Sunday
In the evening the Bishop preached sermon against
strikes and lockous at oldham He thought half dozen
intelligent each side, with impartial umpire,
could settle question He pointed to Preston where
strikes had driven the people away ard where at the
present moment there from 1OO 10 1900 houses
empty he tell his congregation that the Pres
ton mowncrs the greediest Of any. When in 1869
East Lancashire and other parts were already working
under five per cent reduction, the Preston mllown-
ers forced strike for 10 per cent the Tory member Ed
ward Herman being the only who conented himself
with FIVE per cent whose work people did not strike
when with the Improvement OF trade In 1870. the FIVE
per cent was restored in other places e. Herman
the -st 10 do Il in Preston but those who had reduced
10 per cent were hardly willing 10 restore 1--WE per cent,
and the leader OF the Preston shabby fellows pays ID
come tax On an annual income Of more than $4,000
On Monday morning, the wOrkpeople presented them
seyes as usual at the gates Of the mills and found them
according to expectation locked Last night the Execu
tive Committee woTpeople met the committee OF
Masters Association TO arrange matters Inc WORK