Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 24th January 1852, Edition Town of 2, Page 78, Untitled Article

Page 78
Page 10
10 of 24

On this page

  • Text (4)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Untitled Article

      comprised between 3000 and 4000 member * out of the 123 ) 00 of which the society consisted . { Sear , ftmr . ) The all-engrossing subject of attention was the cooperative shop in Lancashire , for the purpose ^ f which the Executive Council were in treaty . He had seen the proprietors , and . possessed himself of-all necessary particriars , and he could assure them that it was one _ which would be capable of affording employment for 1000 men . ( Hear , hear . ) He would not say that it could employ 1000 men with the present tools , for such was not the case . It could now only employ 500 men at one time ; but by adopting a system of relays—each set of men working eight hours-the shop might be kept constantly open , and 1500 men might be so employed ; and in that case there were orders now on hand which would nna

      work for three months for the whole 1500 men . ( Cheers . ) But more than this was in their favour , as he was assured by the proprietor that , if the present crisis continued , he could , without trouble , obtain work enough for a twelvemonth . ( Cheers . ) Let the £ 10 , 000 required by the Executive be voted , and the balance of the amount necessary to complete the purchase and carry on the concern might easily be obtained from men who had expressed themselves favourable to the movement . The work done at the establishment was of a similar nature to that done by Messrs . Hibbert and Platt themselves , and it must not be forgotten that the fathers of some of the members of that firm had been mere operatives ; they had started , perhaps , with a capital of not more than £ 1000 , the value of their

      and yet they now employed 1500 men ; establishment was supposed to be not less than £ 150 , 000 , and their profits had last year been returned to the Income Tax Commissioners as £ 45 , 000 . ~ ( Hear , hear . ) These profits were high , and they came from the labour of the 1500 workmen , andif divided among them would add £ 30 ' to each man ' s annual income . ( Hear , hear . ) Such a result from such a beginning justified them in being sanguine upon the success of the cooperative system ; for if £ 150 , 000 would yield an annual profit of £ 45 , 000 , and had arisen from a small outlay , such as he had intimated in the case of Messrs . Hibbert and Platt , what m'ght * hey rtnt An hy starting with a capital , as they could do , of £ 40 , 000 or £ 50 , 000 , when the men were actuated by the incentive of working for themselves ?

      ( Hear , hear . ) He had never in his life seen so much enthusiasm displayed by any body of men as had been displayed by the Manchester men on this subject , and the same spirit had been displayed at a meeting pf the iron trade which he had attended at Bury on Saturday night . The men there expressed an earnest desire that the Executive Council would push On in this matter , without waiting to see what the employers m ! ght _ seem disposed to do ; that in any event the cooperative system sh 6 uld be carried out , so that they might reap the profits of their own labour . ( Hear , hear . ) As a proof that in those districts a feeling of complete confidence in the

      Executive existed , he would mention that the rnen of Manchester alone , remaining in work , last night subscribed upwards of £ 200 towards the support of those who had been thrown out ( cheers ) , and that sum would have been much larger but for the fact that several large firms paid wages fortnightly , and last night was not pay night . Next week , however , those men would pay a double amount . He hoped the London districts would be animated by the same spirit—that they would raise small sums and form small shops , as they could by that means do more to settle the question than could be done by waiting to be sent for by their employers . " ( Hear , hear . )

      The following correspondence appeared in the Times of Monday . An abstract of Lord Cranworth ' s letter will be found in . the Postscript of our last number . " To the Editor of the ' Times . * <« gIR )—With reference to the letter of Lord Cranworth which appears in the Times of Saturday , -and to the leading article which accompanies it , allow me to hand you for publication the enclosed letter from Viscount Goderich , Mr . Hughes , and Mr . Vansittart , and to say that Lord Cranworth was never appointed or

      selected as arbitrator by the Executive Council ; that he never heard the evidence ; that , in fact , he refused to accept the office of arbitrator ; and that the conclusions he has come to rest upon a view of the case which includes demands we have never made , and which are opposed to our opinions . Once for all , we say that if an arbitration can be agreed on , we will bow to the decision ; but it must be an arbitration taking into account the real facts , and not assuming that we ask for the discharge of unskilled labourers , or the equalizing , fixing , or increasing the rate of wages . —I am , Sir , your obedient servant , 44 W . Allan , General Secretary . 11 General Office , 25 , Little Alie-street , Whitechapel , London , January 18 . "

      Untitled Article

      " 7 , Old-square , Lincola ' fi-inn , January 17 . " Gentlemen ,- —Lord Cranworth's letter to Lord Ashburton , published in the Times of to-day , may do your cause some harm , aa it is grounded on a misapprehension of the facts of the case . " As we were the persons whom you trusted to lay the question of arbitration « before Lords Ashburton and Cranworth . it was our duty to take care that they understood clearly the points at issue , and what you really did aak . " Now , Lord Cranworth says , ' The men insist that the musters shall not employ unskilled labourers . ' Wo can only say that when we made the application to Lord Ashburton we knew perfectly well that you made no euch demand as this .

      " Again , wo knew perfectly well that you did not ask for a law compelling masters and men to submit to any arbitration whatsoever . What you did ask for was , the formation of such a board as exists . in Franco , under the title of Conaoil de Prud'hommes , to which any masters and men who choooo to submit voluntarily toils

      jurisdiction , and bind themselves to abide by its decisions , can refer alldisputes between them ; and you toldusjEPuJelt sure that all masters and men who wished / o r fair ptey and nothing more would be glad to submit voluntarily to such a tribunal as this . , . "As your case , through our means , has been put on false merits before the public , we think that youjare entitled ta this statement from us , and shall leave it wnn yonto make what use you please of it . - . ' •« We remain your faitfully , " Godebich . Thos . Hughes * A . H . Vansixxabt .

      Untitled Article

      The engineers of Manchester and Bury met on Friday week , and passed firm but moderate resolutions to the effect that fen hours was sufficient for a day ' s labour , and asserting—" That no alteration in the custom of any shop can be made , of permanent advantage to either masters or men , unless the same can be made by the consent of both parties . That while we believe it is impossible entirely to dispense with working overtime , we would respectfully request our employers to consider the propriety of making no more than is imperatively requisite , in cases of broken down and repair jobs . " .. „ ., Council of the

      At the meeting of the Executive Amalgamated Society on Tuesday night , Mr . Allan , the General Secretary , stated , for the information of the council , that although the time originally appointed for the returns of the votes upon the cooperative grant of £ 10 , 000 from the general fund of the society had that day expired , returns from only seventy-two branches out of 120 had arrived at the offices . lie was , however , glad to state that , with the exception of those from three small branches , the returns received were in favour of the proposition of the council ; in fact , the votes in sixty-nine out of the seventy-two districts referred to , were returned as almost unanimous upon the point ;

      No active steps , it was understood , could be taken with regard to the ^ statosfement-ef- ^ e- ^ eo ' perative shops until the receipt of returns from the other branches , which are expected to arrive in a few days . Mr . Allan also stated that he had received informal tion from Liverpool , that the firm of Fawcett and Co . had given notice of their intention to discharge the society men in their employ at the end of the present week ; and further , that Mr . Macgregqr , of theVulcan Works , had issued a document pledging his workmen to renounce all connection with the Amalgamated Society , and that those who refused to sign would be discharged on Saturday .

      The result of these notices , we understand , will be to throw out of employment many additional hands . A donation of £ 10 from Mr . William Coningham , of Brighton , accompanied by the following letter , was handed in by the Secretary : — " 20 , Sussex-square , Brighton , January 20 , 1852 . « Sir , —I am convinced that you will have the moral support of the public , whatever may be said to the contrary , in a- movement to limit the hours of toil for the operative , whose bodily strength is his only patrimony . An adjustment of the system of piecework is a more complicated question ; but if the employers , as well as the employed , be sincere in their desire to arrive at an

      equitable solution , then a fair adjustment may be made . When the masters , in their ' statement , ' say ' we claim , and are resolved to assert , the right of every British subject to do what we ( I ) like with our own , * they appear to have forgotten that property , or capital , has its duties as well as its rights ; and that the rights of the poor and the rights of the rich are reciprocal privileges ; the former being the condition on which the latter are enjoyed . Aa a proof of my sympathy for your cause , I beg to forward £ 10 to the fund of the Amalgamated Society of Working Engineers , &c , and to state that , if a cooperative association be formed , I shall be prepared to take some shares in it . "I am sir , yours obediently ,

      *• Wm . Coningham . " To Mr . Allan , Secretary of the Amalgamated Society . " [ Reports were received from various branches , showing the members to be firm to their previous determination to uphold the movement ; and the receipt of a large amount of contributions was announced . It was also determined that a public meeting in connection with the movement should next week be convened in the largest available building in the metropolis .

      The masters have showed no disposition to repent of the aggressive step taken by them , unless the tone they have adopted , so different from the cool moderation of the appeals and statements of the men , be taken as an indication of a sense of being worsteds The Duke of Newcastle never naBerted the claims' of feudality more offensivel y than the masters assert thoir claims to the exclusive benefit of combination . They have published a " Representation . " One paspago from jit will convey a good impression of the

      writers . ^ " All we want is to bo lot alone . With less than that we shall not be satisfied . Until we accomplish that , we shall not reopen our establishments . With eveiy respect for noble and diaiinguinhed referees , whose arbitration has been tendered to us , and with no reason to doubt that their award would be honest , intelligent , and satisfactory , we must take leave to say that we alone are the competent judges of our own business ; that we are respectively the masters of our own establishments , and that it is our firm determination to remain so . To this principle ) we recognise no exceptions . Ours is the responsibility of the details- —ours the risk oi loss—ours the

      capitalits perils , and its engagements . We ^ claim , and are resolved to assert , the right of every British subject to do -what we like writh-our own , and to vindicate the title of our workmen to the same constitutional privilege . The " constitutional privilege" of working overtime , or doing no work at all ! # . ; . Some discussion lias arisen respecting the distribution of the funds collected by the Amalgamated Society among non-society men and labourers . This is the dangerous point in all strikes . The complaints are met by the council , and will , we hope , be obviated . One of the lesser masters , Mr . Marsden ^ of Manchester , has conceded to the men and resumed work . ^—^^^^^^^^^ . ' . ^ _ - M - _ ¦' _ '

      ANOTHER SXRIKE . The shipbuilders of Hy lton , near Sunderland , have , according to a temperate statement published by the men , been imitating the iron masters , and obliging the men in their employ to strike work . The employers have combined into a Protection Society ; and , thus fortified , have made certain demands . The men have printed the demands of the masters with explanatory comments ; and as far as we can see , the men make out a good case . But as we have before us only one side , and as we ought to hear the other , perhaps some one will transmit to us the «• case" of the employers . Meanwhile , from the printed statement of these men , containing specific demands by the masters , it seems to us that the latter are in the wrong .

      CENTRA !* COOPERATIVE AGENCY , We have received the following report for the week ending January 19 , from the Central Agency in Charlotte-street : •—" Business transacted with the following stores : — Leeds , Banbury , Gamlachie , Garratt-road , Brighton , Woolwich , Halifax , Bradford , Middlesborough , Portsea , Galashiels , Derby , Selkirk , ftc . Several applications were received for rules , catalogues , and lists . Two dozen rules for forming Cooperative-Stores wereTnipplied

      to one person . The agency began its regular banking operations on Saturday , January 17 . The necessary alterations for the hew offices are m course of execution . The agency , at the request of the Amalgamated Iron Trade Society , has opened in its central office a subscription for the Iron Society ^ men and labourers put of work . The following proposals have been forwarded to the above Society : —The agency will give the benefit of wholesale prices to any amount of orders sent through the general office or branches of the Irbn ^ Trade Society ,

      for goods sold- by the agency , and will invest as a loan , in the capital of the ' associative workshops to be formed , the difference between the cost and wholesale prices . The agency think that by investing instead of giving up their legitimate profits , they shall place both themselves and the members of the iron trade on a sound footing , since nothing would be more detrimental to cooperative establishments than to be organized , at starting , upon such conditions as they could not carry out in the usual way of business . "

      Mr . Jones desires us to acknowledge , for the Leeds Redemption Society , the sum of three pounds three shillings and ninepence halfpenny .

      Untitled Article

      THE AMAZON . Nothing material or novel has resulted from the investigation respecting the loss of the Amazon . It is as uncertain now as ever how and even where the fire burst out . One witness first saw it rushing from tho store-room , and another declares that it did not originate there . All agree in describing what we haveattempted . to describe before—the awful splendour and horror of the scene . Angus , the second engineer , gave his evidence in the coolest manner , and seems to have been pretty active on board as long as there was any chance of being useful . He did not leave until all hope vanished . The only novelty ia the statement of the Reverend Mr . Blood . This gentleman is described as being old . His statement is contained in a sermon preached at the Church of St . Andrew , Plymouth .

      " On the evening of the first day he sat up until between eleven and twelve o'clock , enjoying the sea breeze and the beauty of the scene . When he retired to rest , he undressed himself , and went to bed as though he was in his own house , and slept well . On the next night—and in this he particularly observed the directing hand of God in all things , and , as a proof of the statement made in the Scriptures , that every hair of the head of man was numbered—he did not do so , something seeming to tell that he ought not to go to bed as on the first night . A voice appeared to say to him , ' Go to bed early—do not take off your clothes—not even your boots—do not go

      between tho sheets—lie down on tho outside of the bed . ' He , therefore , merely took off his cap and coat , and laid down on the outside of the bed . He did not even take off his spectacles , though he had no feeling of danger . When he awoke , i % was because ho had slept all his sleep—it was not because he heard any alarm—there was no noise , no fire-bell that he could hear , as stated in nome of the newspapers . When he awoke , having had his natural Bleep , it was about twenty minutes to twelve o ' clock , and there was a feeling of vacancy , a want of noise . He opened his cabin window , but all appeared culm and quiet ; he could hear nothing , ho could oee nothing , but a voice seemed to impel him to rise . He therefore got up , and put on his hat and coat ; but so little had he an idea of danger , that he left his watch under his pillow . As he was walking along the saloon ho thought he heard somebody say the ship was on fire , but all was so calm he could not believe it—but be Again heard the worde , and

      Untitled Article

      78 - < W / : » : »»**• ?* , ¦¦ CSatobpat , 1 ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ . ¦ ' " —^^ MM ^ M^—^¦ W*^—— ¦

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 24, 1852, page 78, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1919/page/10/