The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1879-03-01 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

VOICE FROM THE DOCKS.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE BIHKENPE.AD NEWS..  SlR,—The battle has been fought—and lost— might has triumphed over right, Capital has best labour. But, workingmen, do not be discouraged, do not forget that there never was a battle yet fought but that lessons may have been learned by the victor, and the vanquished. I would suggest that one of the lessons we should learn by this battle (aye, and learn it well) is that whatever we earn, be it little or much, that we shall cause what we do earn to be applied to its proper source: that is to the proper nourishment of our bodies, to make our homes what home should be, and to give up that which is the curse of our country, and a millstone around the necks of the greater portion of our hard working men, that curse is intoxicating drink. Another lesson we may learn is, that by the combination of our opponents they have defeated us. Let us now combine, let us organize ourselves into one general society and be prepai ed for our opportunity. Let every one of as con .ider and think what would have been the result of this straggle if we had had a fluid to fall back upon. Had we in busy times have taken care of that which I am afraid a many of us have given over to the publican to take care of for us our position would have been different to-day. The working men with an average capital of ten pounds to fall back upon I am convinced would to good weapons to fight the other side with the'r ten thousands. And now, Mr. Editor, I should very much like to ask a few questions and have them answered too, but I am mach afraid I shall ask in vain. and my first question would be, what reduction has taken place in the salaries of those officials who have been the introdueers of this reduction, and the first on my list is the manager of the Midland Railway Co., (Mr. Allport) for I take it it is from that place we must start. I should very much like to see for myself the pay list of the managers and managing directors of all the railways where the reduction has taken place and to see what redaction has taken place in their salaries. I question very much if the shareholders would gain the smallest coin of the realm by any reduction . . . .  that has taken place as far as they are concerned. Is this fair? Are we not al servants in whatever capacity we serve? Should they not bear their proportion of the reduction as well as the bone and sinew of the community from whence they derive all the heavy salaries they enjoy? I will go a litte further, and say, our most gracious Queen is only the servant of the nation, but if you sent her notice (say, tomorrow morning), that on account of the bad state of trade (which her bungling Ministers to a certain extent are accountable for) her salary would be reduced seven and a half per cent., which means thirty thousand pounds, I question very mach if we should not have a strike in Royalty. And it is something enormous when we consider that if we did reduce her salary in the same proportion as we are reduced the sum would keep forty thousand families one week at fifteen shillings per family. And it has been clearly proved that that sum is not the average earnings of ourselves. What would the first gentleman in the land say if you were to tell him that £3,750 would be deducted from his salary (and we all know the great amount of work he gives for his £50,000 per annum.) Why, I have no doubt he would be indignant, and try to point to some important service he has rendered to this country, and say, "What ungrateful scoundrels they must be after all I have done for them." If redactions must take place go to the fountain head, and let the reductions be equal, from the Queen on her throne to the peasant in his cottage. Let our country's weal or woo be shared equally by our country's people. I would not only point to our Queen and the Prince of Wales, but would apply it to every other State-paid official, and most especially to those who hold sinecure places. I would not say reduce them, but I would say staike them out at once and for ever. But if a man by his talent has rendered service to his couniry, I would say, give that man an equivalent for those services, but for the parasite sineourist let him be a thing of the past and blotted out. And now we must come a little nearer home. The shipowners tell us they cannot afford to pay us the wages they have been paying. But they do not tell you that in the day of their prosperity, when (to use a common phrase) they were coining money faster than they could count it, and when, by the toil of the working men, they were raising princely mansions on the outskirts of our towns, springing up as it were from the mushroom bed to the vinery at one bound; they do not tell you that the working man did not get his fair proportion of that prosperity. No, they are silent upon that point. To a certain extent the shipowners are responsib'e for a deal of the misery that is now in our midst; because the shipowner who had two ships must have four, and he who had four mast have eight, so that in the end the competition became so great for cargo that by the grasping avarice of the shipowners themselves they have overstocked the country with ships, entered into ruinous competition, and, like the Kilkenny cats, have fought until nothing is left but the far and the skin, in a word, they have committed commercial suicide by their grasping avarice. And now in conclusion, fellow workmen, let us patiently bide our time ; remember in the wheel of trade there are times when our spokes will point upward. Let us make the best use of the wages that we do earn, and do not throw away one penny upon that stuff that is worse than useless, because it is the drinking habits of most of us that keep our noses to the capitalist's grindstone. If we organize ourselves in one general body of dock labourers, form strict rules, mind you, strict and just for both master and man, we shall then have something to fall back upon; we can then demand a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and that is all that we require. And now, Mr. Editor, hoping you will pa-don me and excuse my grammar, because I never learned any.—l am, mates, faithfully yours, •