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" 7, Old-square, Lincoln's-inn, January ...
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The engineers 'of Manchester and Bury me...
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THE AMAZON. Nothing material or novel ha...
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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.
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Progress Of Association.. Tjie ¦ "Jwmpi....
comprised between 3000 and 4000 members out of the 12 , 000 of which the society consisted . ( Hear , hear . ) The all-engrossing subject Of attention was the cooperative shop in Lancashire , for the purpose of which the Executive Council were in treaty . He had seen the proprietors , and possessed himself of all necessary particulars , 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 eij ? ht hours—the shop might be kept constantly openand 1500 men might be so employed ; and in that
, case there were orders now on hand which would find ¦ 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 , and yet they now employed 1500 men ; the value of their establishment was supposed to be not less than £ 150 , 0 Q 0 r 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 , and if 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 might they not do by 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 displayedr 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 of 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 might seem disposed to do ; that in any event the cooperative system should be carried out , so that they might reap the profits of theit own labour . ( Hear , hear . ) As a proof that in
those districts a feeling of complete confidence m the Executive existed , he would mention that the men 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 Crahworth ' s letter will be found in the Postscript of our last number . " To the Editor of the ' Times . * " Silt , —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 , " W . Allan , General Secretary . " General Office , 25 , Little Alic-street , Wbitechapcl , London , January 18 . "
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" 7, Old-Square, Lincoln's-Inn, January ...
" 7 , Old-square , Lincoln ' s-inn , January 17 . 11 Gentlemen , —Lord Cranworth ' s letter to Lord Ashburton , published in the Times of to-day , may do your cause s ome harm , as it is grounded on a misapprehension of the fadts of the case ., ' 44 As we were the persons whom you trusted to Jay the question of arbitration before Lords Aahburton and Uranworth , it was our duty to take care that they understood clearly the points at issue , and what you really did ask . 44 , Lord Cranworth says , ' The men inaist that the maBters shall not employ unskilled labourers . ' Wo can only eay that when we made the application to Lord Ashburton we knew porfeotly well that you made no such demand as this . 41
Again , wo know 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 suoh a board as exists in Franco , under the title of Council de Prud'hommes , to which any masters and men who choose to submit ; voluntarily to its
jurisdiction , and bind themselves to abide by its decisions , can refer all disputes between them ; and you told us you felt sure that all masters and men who wished for fair play 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 you are entitled to this statement from us , and shall leave it with you'to make what use you please of "it . " We remain your faitfully , " Godebich . Thos . Htighes . A . H . Vansittabt . "
The Engineers 'Of Manchester And Bury Me...
The engineers 'of Manchester and Bury met on Friday week , and passed firm but moderate resolutions to the effect that ten 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 . " " m : ¦
At the meeting of the Executive Council of the 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 . He 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 establishment of the cooperative 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 information 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 . Macgregor , of the Vulcan 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 Cdninghara , of Brighton , accompanied by the following letter , was handed in by the Secretary : — " 20 , Sussex-square , Brighton , January 20 , 1852 , " . Sir , —lam 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 employerl , be sincere in their desire to arrive at an equitable solution , then a fair adjustment may be made . 4
When the masters , in their ' statement , ' say we claim , and are resolved to assert , the right of every British subject to do what we (!) 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 . As a proof of my sympathy for your cause , I beg to forward £ 10 to the fund of the Amalgamated Society of Working Engineers , & o ., 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 aggressivo 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 worsted . The Duke of Newcastle never asserted the claims of feudality more offensively than the masters assert their claims to the exclusive benefit of combination . They hav 6 published a " Representation . " One passage from it will convey q , good impression of the
writers . " All wo want is to be let 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 distinguinhed referees , whose arbitration has been tendered to us , and with no reason to doubt that their award would be honest , intelligent , and satisfactory , wo must take leave to say that we alone arc the competent judges of our own business ; that we are respectively the masters of our own establishments , and that it la our firm determination to remain so . To this principle we recognise no exceptions . Ours is the responsibility of the details' —ours the risk of Iobb—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 with 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 has arisen respecting , the ; distribution of the funds collected by the Amalgamatecl Society among non-society men arid 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 end resumed work .
ANOTHER STRIKE . The shipbuilders of Hylton , 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 .
' CENTRAL COOPERATIVE AGENCT " . "We have received the folio wing report for the week ending January 19 , from the Central Agency in Charlotte-street : — " Business transacted with the following stores : — Leeds , Banbury , Camlachie , Garratt-road , Brighton , Woolwich , Halifax , Bradford , Middlesborough , Portsea , Galashiels , Derby , Selkirk , See . Several applications were received for rules , catalogues , and lists . Two dozen rules for forming Cooperative Stores were supplied to one person . The agency began its regular banking operations on Saturday , January 17 . The necessary alterations for the new offices are in 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 out 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 brandies of the Iron 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 .
The Amazon. Nothing Material Or Novel Ha...
THE AMAZON . Nothing material or novel has resulted from the investigation xespecting 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 the store-room , and another declares that it did not originate there . All agree in describing what we have attemptedlto 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 . 41 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 the sheets—lie down on the outside of the bed . ' H »
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 hud no feeling of danger . When he awoke , it was because ho had slept all Mb sleep- —» t was not because he heard any alarm—there was nQ noise , no flrc-bell that he could hear , as stated in some of the newspapers . When ho awoke , having had his natural sleep , it waa about twenty minutea to twelve o ' clock , and there was a feeling of vacancy , a want of noise . Be opened his cabin window , but all appeared calm ana quiet ; he could hear nothing , ho could see nothing , but a voice seemed to impel him to rise . Ho therefore got up , and put on his hat and coat ; but ao little had he an idea of danger , that he left hla watch under his P » : As he was walking along tho aaloon he thought he he 0 £ j somebody nay the ahip was on fire , but all was bo calm ne could not believe it—but he » g » in he « d the words , » na
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 24, 1852, page 10, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_24011852/page/10/
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