Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1882-03-25 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

PROSECUTION OF STOCKTON IRONWORKERS. Joseph Matthews and Benjamin Hardwick, two mill-farnacemen, employed at the Moor Ironworks, were summoned before the Stockton Magistrates on Thursday morning for committing a breach of the Employers' and Workmen's Act by leaving work without due notice thereof to their employers.—Mr C. J. Archer (Messrs Crosby and Archer) appeared ou behalf of the firm to conduct the prosecution. He explained that since the recent award of 7i per cent. advance in wages the firm had experienced great inconvenience and loss through the frequent irregularities of the men, who seemed to think they were at liberty to leave work whenever they liked, without giving notioe,'or in any way intimating their intention. The matter, however, had now become of such a serious character that Messrs Smith and Stoker felt compelled, in mere self-protection, to take legal proceedings against the two present defendants. The regulations required the men to give seven days' notice of their intention to stop work, but this had not been given; and the firm laid their claim for compensation for loss sustained at per day from the time the defendants ceased work. Mr Archer said he might mention that summonses had also been issued against four Fiddlers who had been employed at thel foundry; but, owing to the circumstances' in these oases being somewhat different from thecircumstancesconnected with the present ' (31008, it had been decided to leave the puddlers' dispute to the Arbitration Board to settle.—Mr Stoker and Mr L. Roberts (manager at the foundry) were then called as witnesses. They stated that the defendant Matthews absented himself from work without notice on the 13th, 14th, and 16th inst., and that Hardwick absented himself two days without notice. Matthews had been guilty of similar breaches of contract on several previous occasions. The loss sustained by the firm was considerably more than £1 a day on account of each of the defendants. The irregularities on the part of the workmen had been very serious since the late advance of 7i -per cent., and it was absolutely necessary to take action in order to give the men to understand that they must give proper notice if they wished to stop work.—The Magistrates considered the cases tally proved, and ordered Matthews to pay .f.:3 as compensation for the three days on which he absented himself, and ordered Hardwick to pay £2 for two days—each of the men having also to pay 16a as the costs of bringing the oases before the Court.  A little girl, aged ten, named Churchyard, has attempted to commit suicide by drowning at Ipswich. A relative hsd chastised her. LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES UNITED —This may sound strange, but it is nevertheless true that Liberals and Conservatives alike are unanimous in declaring that '' SUDDEN'S BALSAM OF HOREHOUND AND COLTSFOOT " Is the best remedy for Coughs, Hoarseness, Bronchitis, Asthma, and, in fact, any Affections of the Chest and Lungs. One dose relieves, one bottle cures. Ask for " SUDDEN'S BALSAM," and take nothing else.—Bottles, Is lid and Is 91. Agent for Middlesbrough, Robson, Chemist, 37, Lmthorpe-road ; Stockton, Clark. 153. High-street ; West Hartlepool , Clarkson, Brunswick-street Whiiby, Brooks, Flowergate ; Hartlepool, Jackson Bros., 134, High-street; Loftus Ellen Enaggs,47 I High-street.