The Cotton Factory Times. — 1898-11-18 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

ANNUAL TEA PARTY AND CONCERT.  On Saturday evening the annual tea party and concert was held in connection with the above association. Tea was served at three different places, and the concert was held in the Salem School, which was filled. Councillor R. Ilargreaves, presidatt of the association, occapied the chair, and was supported by Councillor Ward (secretary), Mr. S. R. Lowe, J.P., and Mr. W. Rickard.  The Crisirotset said he was sorry to gay there were a lot of operatives who were not as loyal to their aesociatMn as they ought to be. They would work, especially in some classes of goods, at almost any price, and they took little cognisance of what they were being paid. That was a state of things they wanted to see altered. They also wanted to see the weavers of that district and other textile operatives looking after their own interests, and if firms refused to adhere to the lists, then let their officials know, so that these employers could be attended to. He was sure that prices would have been worse to-day had it not been for the action taken by their committee. He thought, taking those circumstances into account, it ought to give them courage, and make them determined to have a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. A man stopped him one day, althongh not a member of any trade union, and told him that they ought to get a law passed compelling employers to pay list prices. He (Mr. Hargreaves) told him he had net done what he ought to have done, or he would have been a member. However, he remarked that the Northern Counties Weavers' Association had been considering this question for some time. It was this class who were a constant drag on their organisation, and he hoped that everyone who met such people would endeavour to get them to join their association, and thereby help to maintain their position, as they were, practically speaking, standing on the side of the employers. Alluding to an alteration in the list during the last few months, he said it had come about largely through the non-union labour in their own and other towns. They wanted weavers to know that the list had been adopted, and they should see that the various employers paid to the list. They had visited several firms and were making good progress, but possibly they would want all the help they could give them before that was successfully accomplished. Lancashire and Yorkshire people as a rule had resisted the age limit being raised, but whatever might be the future they wanted them to look on that question in a fair and intelligent manner. Lancashire people had undoubtedly been spoken strongly about by people in other parts of the country, but he did not think, candidly speaking, they were mach better in other parts of the country than they were in Lancashire; in fact, in some respects they were worse. They did not wane other parts of the country to legislate for them. If they could show them auything better, let them do so. He thought it was very unfair that some people spoke about parents in Lancashire murdering their children. However, the qnestion would have to be faced. The member of Parliament for Bury had given an intimation that he would bring the question up in the House of Commons with a view to raising the age to twelve and in three years to thirteen. It would be for them to consider whether they were favourable to such a proposal. An excellent musical programme was afterwards gone through.