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    g« in ikE:ABEm CaATumB^-Y,

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    THR EMPLOYERS' KEPORT UPON THE ; PRESTON...

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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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    The Anti-Mqloch Movement. The Recent "Ex...

    purification of all Maryiefcone , rente ' -.-would rise ins tbatt-borougli-parish . But to decline to heliew in- the chastity o £ the body if they confine ' t ^ ieir clicistianity to the safe iadict-Hrent of one or two * houses—whose addresses ; the vestry confess , are only ascertained through ; the newspapers .

    G« In Ike:Abem Caatumb^-Y,

    g « in ikE : ABEm CaATumB ^ -Y ,

    Thr Employers' Keport Upon The ; Preston...

    THR EMPLOYERS' KEPORT UPON THE ; PRESTON LAB 0 U 3 UBATTLE . The privilege of " fighting , their battles o ' er agaiu " is one which all old soldiers are very fond of asserting ; and certainly" , if it be enjoyed temperately ? the practise is , to make the xnost of at , a harmless amusement . But -while to boast after a real victory , is the intemperance of a little mind , to toast after no victory at all , is the lie of a distempered one ; and whether ifc be tlie- Emperor Ificholassirigingi Te Deum . after the Victory of Odessa , or the Lancashire manufactttrers . boasting of the "Victory of Preston , thefact ? is equally albsurd and criminal . Before unites tbl-e " Report of the-GortMnittee- apr pointedfor the Receipt and Apportionment , of . the Pefenee JFund , to the Central : Association , of Master Spmaersr-and ^^ ] y & iQufacturerSj" a doeument which has heeno lately ; issiiedy , andLy . ery / Widely circulated , not only ; among , the sfULbscribers "to that . fliiidj hut also veryigejaerally throughout , th ^ country . :, Hovire . vejr ^ e nlay £ avJ 3 ; heen VinelLned to approacbi this document , with : suspicipji * : soi far as : acceptingits deductibnsi are ;; concerned , * w : e certainly expected to havefoundin . it . sonie , accurate statistics as to . effects of the strike itself . Jn . this , however , we . have beeti . grievpusly disappointed ; for ( bddly enough ) the effects ofk the , strike , instead ot . being .. exaggerated , as

    mighfc . ha . ve been expected ; ard considerably . underrated £ —an . error sv-hich could .: riot , ; in this case ,, ha ^ e been intentional ,: hut from , a -want of ; due carefulness been some . unwillingness , to Tnakediselosures which might lead to awkward conclusions as to the wealth in malting ,, vthe calculations . And this opens a door to the .. charitable : ¦ supposition that some others errors of these , gentlemen , have arisen from deficient arithmetic . rather , thanfrorn intention . In computing , the wages : of : their , operatives , for instandej . might theynotreadily raafeea flighterroroften per cent . ? The ; committee : beginsIts estimate by valumgthe ¦ ¦ ¦ " ¦ capital ^ -siinW-in '^ hiB ' establishments of thevAsso- * elated l ^ nuiactuters of Preston" at l , ooo , o 6 oZ .

    Now , in ' } An . Enquiry into t-he Origin , Progress , and . Results of : the . Strike o £ the : Operative Cbtton .-spinners of Preston , from . October , J 836 , to Eebruary , 1837 , " published , by Henry Ashwor th >; Esq . ( a doeur ment which , is indirectly referred to iu the preseiit report !" as " a . moderate estimate ' . ' ) , the capital . in . vested : in , buildings , machinery , & c , and the working capital in Preston , was estimated at 8 <) 0 , 000 / ., and the same document informs us that the mills in which that capital was invested gave employment to 6500 hands , and required a , motive power of 1200

    horses power . Now the lock-out threw nearly 20 , 000 operatives out of employ ( 16 , 000 were relieved by the Union , besides those who became ch argeable upon the parish , and those who subsisted upon chance relief ); -the horse-power stopped was close upon 3000 , and when we consider the ratio in which the proportion of machinery over labour has increased , since 1836 j the xise and progress- of the four-loom systom , and the effect of self-acting mules , and other : mechanical improvements , it is obvious that the amount of capital invested in Preston must have at least doubled since that year .

    The next itorn in the computation is " Estimated trading loss- to employers ; 50 , 000 / .: " so that the annual aggregate profit of the Preston manufacturers is to be compated at something undor 70 , 000 / . If this be true , wo can only say that erne of these gentloinen is . grossly misused by the income-tax cornmiasionera ; for they are believod to assess his gains at : 60 , 000 Z . per annum . The report then estimates the "Loss to the contributors to the strike fund , whose contributions have become a & orlivo by its failure , " 97 , O 00 J . This is an unpardonable piece of carolossneas ; for tho

    balancesheets of . the operatives were attainable , and tlio framers of the report appear to have made soino sort of use of them , for they divide the estimate among the principal contributing towns ; nevertheless , the estimate is erroneous by more than 8500 / . The actual amount spent by the committee , as disclosed by the balance-sheets , was 105 , 523 / . 14 s . GJd ., * of which 93 , 545 / . J 3 a . 3 Jd . vas spent in relief , and 11 , 9 73 / . is . 3 d . in the oxponsos of tho agitation . This is the only item of tho account in which an exact computation is possible , and hero a flagrant error is plainly demonstrable . The following ; estimate of tho pecuniary effects of * In estimating tho total cost of tho striko , wo have dropped tho odd pounds , ehiHWigB , and pence , nnd contented ouroclvca with tl » o round numbers : — Tbo hwH ' ponny bo ( Jotttiy said ' Mr . Mantalini , impatiently . " By nil inonas r yon vi & U it , " jofcwtcd Mr ; Sc « lay >— " and tho nineponco

    the Preston labour-battle approaches accuracy much nearer than that given in the report : — Trading 16 ss to . the ^ employers .. . .. .- £ 100 ^ Loss by , depreciation , interest , and other : contingencies 100 , 000 Wages * fuel , and other items , during the strike ( same as report ) 28 , 000 Loss in working machinery with less bands and of inferior description . . 20 , 000 248 , 000 LiOss-rof wages to the operatives during the strike 300 , 000 Contributions to the strike fund ( whether abortive or otherwise none can certainly tell ) . 105 , 500 405 , 500 Loss of profit to shopkeepers and innkeepers ( 10 per cent , upon thes wages subtracted , from , circulation , besides the decreased ' expenditure of the manufacturers' families ) . ... ... 30 , 000 Loss of rent to owners of cottage houses- 10 , 000 Loss to carriers and railway companies , mechanics and trades engaged-in-the building , fitting , gearing , ancUrepairing of mills . . . . . . ... ; 20 , 000 60 . 000

    £ 713 , 500 A calculation exceeding that ; of tlie report by about 33 f percent . Haying thus shown how little this report is to be . retted oft ,, so fac as facts are concerned , let uptake a survey of thef numerous- deductions , of which it makes so : liberal a display . : ; , The report declares that " the material . facts connected with the recent Pre'stoh Strike may be dismissed in a very brief narrative ; " and atonce ¦ proceeds- to prove the assertion ; by dismissing all facts raost cornpletely ; Arfter adverfcingr to the general demand'for ten per cent , on the part of the operativesy and . its " concessiph on the part of a large proportion of the employers ( who are here - stated to have been " wilting to purchase ¦ exemption from-agitation by ' some sacri / ice of their commtrciaPrights" ) , the report states that : — ¦ ¦ . ' ¦ • - ' ¦ ¦¦ ¦¦ ' "' ' : . ' ' ¦ ¦ . ' ¦ . ¦ ' ¦ ¦ ¦ ' ¦ , ¦ ¦ ¦¦ ¦ '¦ ' ¦ ¦ ¦ : .

    "Finding tbat the concessions made l > y the-employers did practically meet their o ' wn demands , the Preston operatives generally- accepted the terms ¦ which were offered ; but haying vyithdrawn their acceptance on being , commanded to do so by the . delegates , it ; became evident that conciliation only stimulated exaction ; that no aiternativo was left : to the employers but to ; protect themselves from this dictation— -to tneet conspiracy , by combination—and to show , that sp long as they maintained their . establishments , ' they were determined to bo the masters of their own property , " Now this is worth an examination .

    In therhonth of Augrnstj 1853 , everyemployer in Preston , with tlie exception of five or six , had granted the ten per cent , required by the operatives , In the five or six cases alluded to , disputes arose between the operatives a . nd thejr employers , in one . particular case tlie operatives being clearly iii the wrong , inasmuch as the advance offered was as nearly ten per cent , as common arithmetic could bring it ; in . the other , instance no advance was conceded . These disputes then resulted in isolated strikes , and tho operatives' on strike were supported by the funds of theirunion / The masters then put forward a very remarkable document , in which they declared . that they had agreed to give an advance upon , tlie then

    rate of wages ; that , notwithstanding this concession , they regretted to find ( we quote from tho document ) that the- operatives had put themselves under the guidance of a designing and irresponsible body , and that the masters had therefore resolved to close their mills until those on strike were prepared to resume their work , and a better understanding was established between the employer and the employed ., In other words ; tlio thirty-five firms who signed that document , and . the others who acted with , them , having already conceded the ten per cent ., and . having , no sort of quarrel with their operatives , thtew those operatives ouc of employment ; and exposed them to tho horrors of starvation , and the demoralising oflfectj ? of beggary , until had not

    otnen operatives ^ whose employers conceded tho advance , and who had matter of disputo with their employers ,. an < l over whose actions they could exercise no direct control , except by withdVawing tho slender pittance of assistance which wns to keep body and soul together , had submitted to tho torms dictated to thorn ; and lastly , until a state of . fooling had been engendered , which it was their own duty to bring about , nnd which they were then doing nil in thoir power to obviate and destroy , Can anything bo imagined' more illogical and absurd ? And yet tho committee has

    . tho fooo to declare in its report that " tho Preaton employors utterly rofusa to share in tho responsibility of these consequences . " Consequences ! Why wlint a triumphant proof of our civilisation it is that tho consequence wcro no heavier than they wore ! What other populace but thatoC England could have euflbrod that tho activity of a single town should bo paralysed for nine months , and no pillage , no "burning , of houses , no blooduhod , not oven aeriouB riot , bo tho consequences ? ' And'if nny of these hud b < een tho consequences , who would i havo hesitated to fix tho . entire of the responsibility

    of themt upon the Preston manufacturers * - in spite even of their utter refusal ? It is impossible to read the above-quoted passage in the Keport without noticing the delicately drawn distinction between Conspiracy axt & Combination ;—the Operatives' Union is conspiracy , the- Masters ' Association is only a combination . Anattempt is made to substantiate , by positive . date , tlje oft-repeated assertion that the combination of Masters was in consequence of the Operatives' Union—an assertion which alone gives a colour to any distinction between the two . But , grave as the charge may be , we are prepared to prove that this assertion and this date is altogether untrue , and in support of this charge we adduce a

    document which ( despite its private nature ) came to us in 1 such a manner- that we are guilty of no breach of confidence in giving it publicity . This document is neither more nor less than a copy of the resolutions passed at a meeting of the masters hold afc the Bull Hotel , in : Preston , not in the month of August , 1853 , not after the ten per cent , had been demanded and partly conceded , not after disputes had arisen concerning the partial refusal of that advance ^ nor even , after the agitation at Stockport had given presage of what might be expected at Preston , but long anterior to those evenisr—pn tlie 18 fch of March , 1853 : ¦—At this meetings over which Thomas Miller , Esq . presided ^ it was resolvedithai ; . the Master Spinners * Association be organised . upon ; the following basis :

    1 . That every Member shall suppovt , and receive the supporfc of the 'Association ., ' ¦ ';¦ . : : ^ _ 2 . That funds for carrying out the objects of the Association- ! , be provided by a-levy upon- tha-nominal horse-power employed by each member , at siicituries a _ nd in such amounts as may bo agreed ii £ bn at ' a ^^ general meeting . 3 . Thai ; ' a Conimittee of fiye ( three to form a quorum ) be appointed , to whom all . matfcets affecting the interests o £ - tne Association shall , be referred ,-and whose decisions shall be binding upon the Members . £ There are h & i-e two resolutions omitted in onr copy-3 6 i Tiiat each firm shall' on admission pay five shillings per noiainal horse ^ pflwer . to thei funds of theAssbeiatipn . At a subsequent meeting , held at tlie same liotel , on tlie 31 st of llarcli , 1853 , Paul Catterall , Esq . iu the chair , the following resolutidns were agreed to : — -

    , 1 . That the Master Gotton-spinners ' Association he reor ^ ganised iu con fortnity . with , a resolatiori passed ,-at : a , meeting held on the 18 th instant , with such additions and modifications as the meeting . may approve of . . 2 . That Messrs . T . Miller , Paul Catterall , W . Birley , J . Paley , junr ., W . -Mnsworth , Ji Humber , and James Naylor , be a committee , with power to filLup vacancies that may occur . . ,, . ; 3 . Tint a call of 5 s . per nominal horse-power be made ^ and .. that the Secretary make the requisite applications to each'member . ¦

    4 . That , it bo imperative upon all members of tho Association not'to employ ^ any self-actor minder , or hand-mule spinner , vvithout ii written discbarge , from his previous employer , After giving their estimate of the pecuniary loss caused by the strike , " the fcamers of tho report ingeniously beg the following , question : — "Surely there is enough' here of loss and . ruin to the masters ( 1 G 5 , 000 £ in tlieir estimate , 248 , 000 / . in ours ) to render the inference irresistible , that had concession been in any degree compatible with tho profitable pursuit . of their calling , the employers would not , from mere desire of conquest , have adopted so costly an ; alternative . " If the employers could have forsoon the cost of thoir alternative ( L e . the Lock-out )

    this argument might at least have been plausible ; as they could not , it is altogether untenable . When the Lock-out began there was- not a , man in the Preston Masters' Association who did not confidently expect that tho operatives would bo reduced to surrender within six weeks , and it is quite possible that they may have been content to stand tho cost of six weeks' inactivity to nchievo a victory over tho Operatives' Union . Thirty-six weeks was , however , a very different matter . Already are tho effects of the experiment beginning to bo manifested among the masters . Neither 105 , 000 / . nor our larger estimate , can be any approximation to tho inonoy they havo lost .

    Upon . tho delegates the report is particularly hard . By their , tyranny , and machinery of secret combination , they forced tho operatives to placo themselves in -ungrateful antagonism to tho very establishments on whose prosperity they solely depend for subsistence , & c . & c . Really one would imngino that tho employers woro not as dependent upon tho oporativos us tho operatives arc upon tho omploycra , from tho way these gontlomon talk ! Tho quoation of whothor tho employers could or could not afford tho ten nor cent , which was

    ( vide their own resolutions and thoir replioa to tho Mediation Committee ) tho vital point in dispute , is entirely blinked iu the report ; unless , indeed , thi s nmy bo taken us a conclusive argument : —• " that tho wngos of I'reston wore , ow . t rinpuribus , quite equal to tho avorugo of tho neighbouring , districts ia'domon * Btrablo , becuusu thoy had l > eon accepted us such by a largo miscellaneous population , who , if thoy could havo improved thoir condition by a romoval to tho region of higher prieaa , woro quite freeund nblo to clfc so . " As . this fallacy has been ; before oxplodud in tlxoao columns , wo shall do wo more than refer to . the

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 19, 1854, page 14, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_19081854/page/14/