The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-25

Vno 0EO2t DVFIkOs IN NurOPo unu
America-Thc Common Cause OF Capt.
tai and Labor.
! The HERALD special cable despatch from
London, published to-day gives graphic ac-
count of the great strike now going on in that
city among the carpenters, masons, bricklayers
and others connected with the building trade,
and RESUME of the agitations by which it has
been preceded within the past twenty years.
1t will be read with especial interest by all who
are directly or indirectly concerned in the
present movement among the laboring classes
of New York /; by employers and employed
who are at this moment gazing upon the
| smokeless chimneys and deserted workshops
of the metropolis with anxiety and
apprehension and asking themselves how
long this deadlock, SO injurious to both,
is to continue. There is a natural sympathy
among workmen all over the world, and
great and important labor movement, such
as has been agitating New York for eight
weeks, cannot fail to be watched anxiously on
the other side Of the Atlantic in these days of
rapid communication and almost instantaneous
interchange of thought. In like manner our
own sons of toll, who have laid aside their
tools and deserted the bench and the forge
with the resolution to force from capital what
they believe to be their rights, will look with
anxiety for information respecting the action
and the fortune of their fellow laborers in
Europe. 1t is with this knowledge, and in
the hope of protecting both employers and
employed on our own side against false in
formation, that we have determined to pro-
cure special cable reports of the actual condi-
ton of the strike in England and elsewhere in
Europe, and to lay the information before the
working classes of New York, SO that they may
be as familiar with its progress as though the
strikers in London were the residents of one
Of our city wards. We have discovered that
great many exaggerated and untruthful stories
are circulated by designing men in regard to
the labor movements in Europe, with a view
to incite our own workmen to extravagant de-
mands and even to acts of violence, and hence
we believe that faithful record of the true
condition of affairs in foreign cities, 50 long as
the existing agitation continues, will serve to
lessen the excitement inseparable from such
OCCASIONS and to bring to both capital and
labor a better appreciation Of the responsible
ties they are mourning.
The labor strikes in London commenced in
1853 and have been continued ut intervals up
to the present time. The masters were gcner-
ally successful in their resistance Of the de-
mands of the workmen until in 1859, when
George Potter, the great agitator, appeared on
the scene as leader and commenced the
formation of trades unions. Last year there
was general rising Of the engineers all over
England, and, although the masters made a
stubborn fight, the men prevailed in the end
and obtained the concession of nine hours as
days work. It was found that the places of
engineers could not SO readily be supplied, and
their absence from work, of course, stopped
all the power in the several establishment Is and
tied the hands Of other workmen who were not
nominally in the movement. The success of
the engineers encouraged other trades to follow
their example, and the carpenters and joiners
took the lead and withdrew from work in two
of the largest London firms. The masters
threatened general lockout unless the men
returned to their posts, but before putting this
extreme measure into operation they proposed
an arbitration to consider the claims Of the |
employees, naming on their own part the
Earl Of Derby and the Marquis
Of Salisbury. The men refused to submit
their cause to arbitration, probably |
fearing that the prejudices of the arbitra-
tors would be too strongly against the la
borer to render fair decision likely When
this overture was rejected general lockout |
took place, and last week twenty thousand
workmen were thrown out of employment.
The masters, it appears, not only closed their
gates to the actual strikers, but elected also
the masons, bricklayers and others employed
in the building business, whose services were
valueless without the carpenters and joiners
One Of the locking-out firms was the we'll
known one Of Cubitt n Co., and the HERALD
correspondent obtained an interview with one
of the partners, Mr.. Plunkett, an old and ex-
perienced master builder, who has witnessed
three great strikes. The firm employs three
thousand carpenters masons and bricklayers,
and as Cubitt's principal business is to lease
ground and to erect skeletons of houses
thereon, which are rented at an advanced
ground rent these men are constantly at work.
Mr.. Plunkett's experience has taught him that
while the general effect Of strikes is to
raise wages, which have advanced fifteen
per cent in the last twenty years.
very immaterial advance when the increased
cost of living is considered they also result in
throwing q large number of men out OF en-
ployment and thus in causing great want and
suffering among families. At present the men
demand that fifty-one hours shall be weeks
work, or eight hours and half day, and
they ask in addition an increase of a shilling
day, or twenty-four cents of American money
in their wages. At present the hours
are ffty-six and half per week. or