The Warwickshire Herald. — 1887-06-30 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

GIFFE.N'S reply to Messrs. Soannow'si representations, and we would impress upon those who are most interested in it the fact that Mr. GIPPEN is a most ardent Free Trader and a most determined opponent of Fair Trade. Mr. Greszte writing from the offices of the Board of Trade says : "It is not the rate of we paid, but the excesaive 'shortening of the hours that have brought down South Staffordshire and Shropetdre. There are no fiery mines here, explosionb are unknown, and a collier 13 us safe as An ironworker, Why should a puddler be roa-ted before a fire foe 12 hours and get less pay than a collier for 8 boors of less exhaustive labour' Protection against the foreigner we don't want if only the workman weld give a day's work for a day's payment." This proposition,which is tantamount to a charge against the colliers of not giving a day's work for a day's pay, brings aslack to the old contention about exteading the hours of labour. When the Yorkshire woollen and worsted industries were suffering very seriously from French and German competition the Huddersfield Chamber of Commerce pssed a resolution in favour of altering the Factory Leta border that the mills might run longer hour& Twelve hours per day were worked on the Cbutinent and only 9 hours here, and the diffrienee in a great way accounted for he foreigner being able to undersell the home producer in the English markets. The Radical Cobdenites were invited to get up an agitation in favour of the change, but they soon cried peceari, for they well knew that such a demand made in earnest would mean the loss of e Radical Parliamentary seat ltia the West ting of Yorkshire. Dare GIPPEN and his Cobdenite friends visit Staffordshire and advocate the extension of colliers working hours from eight to twelve hours per day—thee:me as the puddlers ? That is the meaning of Mr. Girirsx's letter. We contend Oat they dare not do anything of the kind. If They attempted it they would bring about such a storm in the colliery districts as would sweep kvery Radiral Cobilenite member of Parliament tern his seat. Noverthe/ess there is *great deal in what Mr. Garter says. In the face of the present keen fereign competition the colliers tannot permoassorly -have short hours and Free Trade, Free Trade will not work with short hours. To sustain it - under our changed circumstances there must be longer hours. Fair Trade might obviate such a retrogressive poliey, but as the colliers will not we it they stand a good chance of peeing the fulfilment of our prophecy, viz :—Free imports mean less wages and longer hours for the operatives. The latter are necessary to enable the employers to meet heavy home taxes, and also to overleap foreign tariffs, which are, we again repeat, taxes on British labour. We notice that tinder Protection in Illinois the position of the puddler and the collier,with regard to wages, as compared with England, is reversed. The collier there weeks 4 hours per day at an average weekly wage of .£2 sa. 6d., whilst the puddler works eleven hours per day at an average weekly wept( £5 10a. Those are not very bad results from the American Protection which Mr. CsoorFars upholds when he is in the United , States, but which he, like MeGiregs, condemns I in England The colliers will act wisely if in I future they more closely with the capitalists in worktng the pits that foreign competition may be more vigorously and successfully met. In the hope of arousing a feeling in that i direction, we bare pleasure in concluding this article with the followins quotation from a re-presentation =ale by the Executive Board of the National Federatsin of miners and mine labourers (the meeting was held in Indianapolis on September Mk lslio) to the miners and mine-ownersof theStatessnd territories: "Capital represents theaccomulatedsavines of past labour, while labour is the most sacred part of capital. Each has its respective duties and obligations toward the other. Crapital is entitled to fair and lust remuneration for its risks and its use, and must have ser= sod protection,. while labour, on the other is ari fully and Justly entitled to reward for its Lel and its sacrifices. Each is entitled to its equitable sharel and there is no law, either human or divine, to justify the one in impoverishing and crushing the other." Let that spirit prevail among employers and employed and we may then hope to experience a far better state of things than what we are now compelled to endure from a want of true sympathy between Labour and capital.  An extreordinary ewe Or suicide occurred at Penh-n(l7e on Sati.ntsy. .Ire•iisph P.dwin Price (2), labourer, rerirg fl 4 the Build:nays Farm, Penk• ridge, rimmed a more woman named Crutchley that rooming, and tbereameeiening went out of his house end was migod alter a pro,onged absence. His clothes were Erased by the side of a cool celled the Trench Pit, and his dead body was fonnd at the bottom of the water. It is said that his intellect was effected, partientarlv ;- hot weather.