, 1873-02-09


The great iron strike in South WAles has as-
sumod such dinensiono that it is beginning to
seriously affect business. at the present timo,
not less than TO- 600 iron and coal workers in that
country ere engaged in the strike, aud tho great
iron works have entirely suspended business,
leaving thousands standing idle. As each OF
these workers represents an average OF four per-
Sons, it consequently follows that about $50, GOO
people are suffering from this strike. As many
trades and branches OF business are also de-
which it is occasioning may well be imagined.
The cause Of the strike grows out Of the close
relations which tho iron and coa1 trades bear to
each other The system established by the
trades-unions. which regulates the wages Of
coal and iron workers by the prices Of those pro-
ducts, had carried wages up to a very high rate.
Then came time when tho payment Of such
wages bec.no burden to the employers, the
iron trade having become bad and pricos re-
duccd. The employers, therefore, in the early
part Of December last, more particularly the
iron-.pasters in South Wales, gave notice
of & reduction OF 10 per cent in
wages. to tako place at the commence
ment of the new year. Inreply, the men quoted
the prico-listB from the trade journals, showing
that Welsh bar-iron had, DUNG parts Of the
year 1872, been quoted at higher rstes than the
north Of England bars, and yet there WAS no
move to reduce prices in that section OF the
country. Tho employers and employees then
held conference at Cardiff, At which the mas-
ters exhibited statements Of prices really re-
ceivad by them, and which wore much lower
than the quotations which the men had intro
reduced The workmen thon asked for an .arbi-
t1ation to prove the accuracy OF the figures.
The masters refused this, on tho ground that
arbitrations we're one-sided, and instanced sev-
eral cases where they had worked injury instead
OF good; but offered to submit their books to =
committee of workmen to test their accuracy,
and proposed that the work1nen should accept
the reduction until March, to await the condition
and prospects Of the spring trado, and then, il
tho circumstances warranted it, the men should
have the 10 per cent back, and poaribly an addi-
ton. This the men refused, and the result
was general strike throughout the
iron regions Of South Wales, OF the
strikers, about one-third are colliers,
and Of these large proportion are unionists,
Tho can live for 3 time upon union funds. Tbs
iron-vorkere, however, are not members Of the
union, and the strike is already beginning to
tell upon them with fearful effect, many OF their
women and children having already been COM
PEELED to beg for food. The masters, Of course,
can bear tho strike for some time to come. They
have already dampcd down their furnaces, and
taken OF the blast, in which condition they can
keep their furnaces for three or four months at
time ready for work at very short notice.
How tho strike will end 1t is impossible to fore
see Tha. it must entail great distress upon
tho families OF the vorkmea is, however,
very evident, especially through the late e1ces-
eively cold weather which prevailed all ovcr Grea.
Britain. The striko is also directly influencing
prices. Under its operation, the production oI
iron has stopped to great extent, and prices
have materially advanced. A despatch from
London, dated the 4:h, atates that there WAS an
other riso in the price Of coal also on that morn
Ing, which advanced during the day from Il
s1ilings to IS nhillings per ton, in consequence
| Of which many more mills and furnaces have