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$ i WSsbn , T . Winkworth , G . F . Wilson , W . Wood , ' &W& ** V * ° - Wright , — Wyndham . , A BHfeiiigmm : Glass Cutters' Association , Iron Moulders * Society , Wire-drawing Trade Society . -Coventry : Ribbon Weavers' Association . Dover : -Chamber of . Commerce . Uanley : Chamber of Comliierce * Hartlepool : Seamen's Association . Leices-&& Hosiery Trade Society . Liverpool : Trades * $ uardian Society . London : Basket Makers' Society , fSfiscuit Bakers' Society , Boiler Makers' Society , ^ Bookbinders' Society , Bootmakers' Society , Brass-Jounders * Society , Brush Makers' Society , Cabinet leakers' Society , Carpenters' Society , Carpenters ' Priendly Society , Carpenters' and Joiners' Society ,
Carpenters' and Joiners' Progressive Society , Cigar Makers' Society , Coopers'f Dock ) Society , Cork Cutters' Society , Curriers' Society , Engineers' ( Amalgamated ) Society , Hatters * Society , Iron Moulders' Society , Law Amendment Society , Painters' Society , Painters' ( house ) Society , Shoemakers' Society , Shoemakers' ( co-operative ) Society , Tailors * ( co-operative Society , Tailors' Society , Tailors '( working ) Joint-Stock Company , Tin Plate Workers' Society , Typefounders' Society , Weavers' Society , Artizana'
Society , Committee of Working Men , Metropolitan Trades Committee , Amalgamated Committee in aid of Operatives , Eclectic Society , United Trades Association . Manchester : Boiler Makers' Society , Amalgamated Engineers Society , Fine Cotton . Spinners ' Society , Stone Masons' Society . Northwich : Salt Trade Society . Nottingham : Bleachers' Society . Preston : Weavers'Association . Stoke-upon-Tfent Chamber of Commerce . Wolverhampton : Tin Plate Workers' Society .
After Lord Robert Grosvenof , as chairman , had -opened the proceedings , to the suprise of everybody , Mr . Ernest Jones got on his feet and . proceeded to declaim , in his usual fashion , about the rights of labour . Requested to speak to the question , he replied by reading away at a long , resolution of the most extravagant character , couched in language unfitted for any meeting . Had' he been , allowed to
proceed , the Conference would have diverted from its purpose . The Chairman requested him not to read further ; he insisted ; the meeting covered his voice with cries of ?* Order" and " Chair ; " and then , putting on his hat and denpuncing the . meeting , " in the name of the working classes , " as , one-sided , he ¦ was hissed out of the room . Having disposed of this nuisance , business commenced . The discussion was opened ontbese propositions : —
Combinations . —Are they objectionable , whether set on foot by employers or employed , as a means of influencing the value of labour ? Would a law of limited liability in partnerships tend to ^ render such combinations unnec essary ? Do they remove the questions with which they deal from the privacy of ordinary trade management , and place them under public cognizance ; and , if go , how may that publicity be most simply and effectually secured ? Ought any legislative provision , or other-arrangement , to be made by which the right of association , if obviously exercised to the detriment of the comrmnity , might be controlled or neutralised ?
The main of the speaking ) took place upon this section . I Mj . Slaney , lat » member- for Shrewsbury , was the \ first speaker . He abrkand conclusively advocated *» law of limited liability , in partnerships , as ono means of preventing strike ^ r-M / - Aitken , ot Ash ton-under-Line , and Essery , both working man , defended combinations , denounced any attempt-torreenact the combination laws , and gave in their adhesion to a law of limited liability . Mr . Fort put the < w , se of the masters . He thought that combinations were objectionable , because they suspended production , reduced the wages fund , induced fear instead of hope as the ruling motive , exhausted the savings of the operative classes , increased their debts , reduced the quantity of the labourers' fund , and
excited untenable expectations , jealousy of superior wealth , and insubordination . A * to the question of limited liability , if the operative had the necessary amount of capital it would be a favourable arrangement to prevent strikes ; but , supposing the operative had not any capital , who was po bear the losses that occurred , or who was to pay for any new ma-¦ chinery that was introduced ? Then all trades had their secrets ; and how was silence to be preserved ? If one operative examined the details , why not all ? and a temptation might be offered to persons to make a profit of their knowledge . With regard to the next question , what grounds were there for thinking that the legislature understood the question better than the employer or employed ?
Mr . Samuel Kidd supported , and Professor Pryme , of Cambridge , opposed combinations generally , but he thought they might be useful if no violence or < l ridicule" were used against opponents . Mr . William Newton thought that combinations weru not objectionable , because they were necessary . The master did not deal with his men individually , when a reduction was made , it took place with reepect to all the hands alike , and the men naturally <; oiisulted with each other -respecting the amount of wages . Combination had not only arisen out of necessity , ltut had become a provident institution , and h : ul prevL-iiU-d strikes over and over again , be-¦ cauBO it sometimes occurred that the employers gave
the amount of wages asked for , when they ,. knew " the men were in combination , and had a fund which would enable them to bold out " against opposition . He could mention a case where men unable to . -work , or to obtain it , had received 60 , 000 * . in the course 6 f five years . The men so circumstanced , amounted to ten per cent , of the entire body ; and each of them during those five years received at ther-rate of 20 / . a year for his maintenance . Combination also enabled the workmen to occupy a more independent situation than they would otherwise have done , and enabled them to get employment by telling them where they could obtain a market for their labour .
Mr . John Petty , Mr . Gillender , Mr . Lee , all working men , strongly insisted on the necessity for combinations , admitting the right on both sides . Com * binations , these affirmed do raise the wages of labour . Mr . Edwin Hill , Inspector of Postage Stamps , said the higgling of the market settled wages ; but many of our laws operated mischievously to prevent a fair settlement of the value of labour . He argued for appointment of a commission . Mr . Rowen had been a manufacturer for forty years , and during that period had had from 500 to 3000 persons in his employment . He was desirous of doing all he could to ameliorate the condition of his operatives , because in the situation ho held he found that he was their tyrant , and they were his slaves
He had done all he could to diminish the condition of their slavery , but found , after his utmost exertions in that direction , they -were still his slaves and he was their tyrant / It was not the fault of the masters or of the men that these contests had continually taken place ; it was caused by the false position in which both were placed . He hoped he might live to see the time when there would be an end to this system of tyranny and slavery , but he was satisfied that if they sat there until that time next year they would not come to any satisfactory result between master and men so very injudiciously and so very unwisely placed . He made suggestions on the subject many years ago , which included education , and universal and beneficial employment .
Mr . Henderson ( of . ^ he firm of . Fox and Henderson ) begged to express on his own part , as he was sure he could on the part of a large class of employers , that he had a strong feeling of sympathy with the working classes , and was desirous that the antagonism which had produced strikes should he put . an end to , and some means devised by which the mutual relations of the employers and employed should be placed on a better , footing . The interests of the working classes and of the employers , if properly arranged , were identical , and they would never be able to go on rightly until that was understood . He
should prefer to put the question on the paper in this way—Would combinations , whether set on foot by masters or men , influence the value of labour ? He thought they should go back to the principle of supply and demand ; and thought it would be found that supply and demand -would influence the value of labour . A man might for a few months get higher wages , tut the result would be that things would come to their proper level . He would sooner excuse combination on the part of the workmen than on , the part ^ of-the employers , because the employers were in ^ possesWn of great control , the * operatives were in an inferior position , and if they combined together
and adopted a strike to accomplish their object , it might to a great extent be excused . He could offer no similar excuse on the part of the employers , for the employers had it all their own way , and were enabledAhy their combinations to inflict an enormous amount of misery upon those who were not guiltywho were not jnembera of the trades union , and therefore not parties to the strike . If the matter was investigated , it might be found that the majority of the men belonging to the trades union were rather opposed to them than willing to join them ; and the most objectionable feature in connection with
combination was were they compelled unwilling persons to join them , by bringing force to bear upon them . At the same time , he was quite willing to boar his testimony that , so far as he knew and believed , in later times those things were conducted very rnuch better . He admitted that an alteration in the law of liability would be very beneficial to the working classes , but he had no conception that it had an immediate bearing upon the question , of combination . He had no apprehension about any want of secresy , because , as occurred with regard to railway companies , a system could be invented to conduct those things in a way that would be beneficial .
ties which had arisen between the employers and employed ; ¦ ¦/¦ _ . J £ k : Hifidley V ^ ' "S ^ t tea that a larger number of- employers of labour were not present to come forwarttwith the same amount of boldness and rood feeling as had characterised Mr . Henderson , and express their opinion on the present important subject . He did not think that there now existed the-same amount of objection on the part of employeta to combinations which once existed . What was O » ec > tioriabte in their opinion was the mode in which ^^^ e of thei combinations were conducted , and if he - were to urge upon the workpeople one thing more than another , it * would be to avoid everything considered
objectionable in combinations and their actions . That working men'had the most'perfect right to combine , in order to raise their wages , no man could dispute ; that working men had the right to intimidate other men to pay money into- their funds , or to prevent others from working as they pleased , wasa proposi tion which could only becomea tyrant ^ whether he was found in the ranks of the working men or of the employers . Mr , Hindley proceeded to state that lie had himself , avoided all connection with the combi nations of employers of labour * and had throughout treated his workmen quite independently of the movements of other employers . With ? re « pect to the Preston strike , it resolved itself simolr into a
ouettion between theemployersof Blackbuitf and * Freston , and would 1 > e settled tp-naorrow if the manufacturers of the latter place would only consent to give the same price as the former . ¦¦ He was surprised to fina the Times constantly abusing Mr . Cowell-- ^ whoi JRw the first time in his life , he now saw—as the great cause of the continuance of the present strike . He would tell the TmesAh&t : % & . Cowell was"W ^ m feather—and it would be at false to say that the feather was driving the wind , as that Mr . GowelT possessed the power which was awigned £ b him .: T&e influence possessed by Mr . Gowell was given , to him by circumstances , and he ( Mr . Hindley ) considered that the conduct of Mr . Co well throughout had been highly creditable to hinu . ^ - ¦ i-v
A resolution was then . adopted with unanunity that an alteration of the present law of partnership is desirable . ¦ • ¦¦ ¦ . : . . ..- , -, " ' ;/ - ^ s The next resolution was then read , for the purpose of discussion , viz .: —¦ " Strikes andliOck-buts ^ r Should partial strikes , intended to take the masters of a locality in detail , be met by lock-ouU ? , Ayhat other means are likely to be effectual in terminatina them ?? ' ^
Mr . Cowell ( Preston ) stated that , as far as the strikes at Preston bore on the proposition ^ theni never had been any intention to take the masters irS detail , and for this simple . reason that the great in ^ jorityof the masters had given thCiftettwha ^ thiS wanted before the strike < Mmm ^(^ . J Wim t& ^^ &ep to the question—what olhap in ^^^ r ^ llk ^ y to be effectual in terminating strik ^ an ^ . ldck-outs ? - * he suggested three modes by which the : present strik * might be terminated ; First , thatthe masters shoMd be prepared to meet on equal number of ^ dBesajbives and masters , in order to discuss calmly tlfi ^ nife in dispute , and see if they could not ami&i >! y setf ! e biM 3 i Biiouui
^ ucsuvu , bvuuuuijt , tu »« wiw iiiu ^ uenr " rant sent to refer the difference to arbitration ; i ^ fi paiSy having the right to choose an equal numt ^ , and ; $ cj select some disinterested umpire ; and / thirdly , Jh $ employers might submit to tell their , men what it is that they really want , a proposition which had been submitted , but which the masters had declined to accede to . Local boards of arbitrattyri he thought would be exceedingly useful for the purpose of bringing disputes between masters and employed to an amicable settlement .
Mr . Beaumont ( Preston ) complained of the little courtesy which had been Bhown by the masters to the men in connection with the last strike , and contended that if another course had been adopted the difference would have long since been amicably settled . Mr . Brown ( Liverpool ) stated that in the society with which he was connected , the Trades' Guardian Association , numbering between 30 , 000 and 40 , 000 men , there existed the strongest feeling against strikes , and the exertions of the society were dl ? rected to arbitrating upon difficulties that arose between the employers and the employed , and many differences of this sort had been most successfully adjusted . The trades in Liverpool were so good , and
such had been the competition for labour among the shipwrights , that the wages of artizans of this class a short time since rose from 5 s . to 15 s . per day . He believed strikes to be moat injurious to the interests of alt classes . There were 40 , 000 workmen in Liverpool able to assist the poor look-outs of Preston , and he was greatly surprised to find that while the workmen had come forward to state their case , none of the employers of labour at Preston had condescended to afford any explanation of their conduct . The workpeople of Liverpool would think over thia circumstance , and they would conclude from it , no doubt , that tho Preston employers were in the wrong . Mr . Caleb Wright ( Tilsley , manufacturer )
sug-Mr . L . Jones observed that some masters took advuntuge of there being a surplus amount of labour in the market , to pay less wages than the honourable master was disposed to do ; but he believed the great majority of the masters would be willing to give good wages to tho workmen , if they could do it with safety to themselves . At the request of the chairman , tho Secretary read a letter , which he had received from Mr . William Knott , a working shipwright , of Sunderland , and who was one of tho chairmen of the Shipbuilders ' nml Shipwright * ' Court of Arbitration , at Ntinderland , stilting the good results which had attended the operation of the society in tho settlement of difficul-
Untitled Article
- * V . -F&tfrtjabY 4 , 1854 . ] THE LEAD E It . i q 5
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 4, 1854, page 105, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2024/page/9/
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