Miners Demonstration at Hanley

Miners Demonstration at Hanley

Birmingham Daily Post, published 2 April 1872

MR. MELLY, M.P., ON THE MINES MEASURES

Easter Monday has become a great holiday for the miners of North Staffordshire, who have elected it as the occasion of a demonstration in the shape of processions and an open-air meeting.  This gathering takes place at Hanley, which is central and convenient, and which on this particular day seems to be almost given up to miners, so full of them are the streets of the town.  Everywhere yesterday they appeared either in large bodies or in littleknots(sic) , walking or standing, together with many of their wives and children.  The town was in a bustle all the morning, during which colliers were arriving from different parts of the district.  In some cases they were in strong force, marching in procession, headed with banners and bands of music.  Most of them wore ribbon sashes or rozettes (sic), some blue, some green, some tricolor, and, as a rule, were well dressed and walked orderly, though few of the processions were as symmetrical as they might have been.  The place of meeting was the old racecourse at Etruria, which had been lent by Mr. Wragge, agent to Earl Granville, and here the men mustered prior to a march of the aggregate force through the principal streets of the town.  The procession, which was of great length, was accompanied by thirteen bands and many banners and flags, and the streets through which it passed were crowded with spectators.  Something like six thousand miners walked in the procession, which, after proceeding through the town, went to the racecourse, where several hundreds of men, women, and children were already assembled, notwithstanding the unfavorable weather.   The place looked as cheerless as it well could.  The ground was deep in mud, rain threatened, and a cold wind blew.  Several refreshment tents were on the course, and were filled by persons in search of comfort, which could not be had outside.  As soon as the procession arrived, the threatened rain began to fall, and fell sharply without cessation, except for a few moments, during the whole time of the meeting.  A couple of wagons were drawn up on an elevation on the course for the speakers, and among those upon the platform was Mr. George Melly, M.P. for Stoke-on-Trent.

The meeting commenced with the singing of “The Miners’ Anthem,” after which Mr. William Brown, the agent of the association for the district, took the chair.  He said that during the last years they had added 4,000 members to the association, which in that district now numbered 6,000.  He denied that unionism promoted strikes, and defended it from the attacks which were made upon it.  He was glad to say they were on good terms with their employers, that they had had their hours of labour reduced, and their wages raised, and that their Parliamentary friends were working well for them.  They had gained all these advantages without a strike, and he congratulated them upon the good feeling which existed with the employers.  Their 6,000 members were but one-tenth of the number of the Amalgamated Association with which they were connected.  He believed that the time was not far distant when they would have a Board of Arbitration for the settlement of disputes between colliers and their employers.  He was a man of peace, but not at any price.  Of seven of their members who had intended to be present that day five had lost their lives by an explosion of gas, and one by an inundation in a colliery, both of which accidents might have been prevented.  Should they hold their noise while this recklessness was going on?  (“No.”) The dead spoke to that meeting, and said, “Unite, cry aloud, and spare not.  Let the mines be better inspected, be better managed, or else punish those who are to be blamed for the results.”  (Applause.)—The first resolution, proposed and seconded by working miners, expressed satisfaction with the report of the state of the district, and the belief that the happy changes which had been brought about were due to the efforts of the Amalgamated Association aided by the press, and pledged the meeting to use its best endeavors to retain the conciliatory spirit now existing between employers and employed, and was of pinion that a Board of Arbitration would be the right thing to settle all disputes, and the miners were willing to meet the masters at an early date for the purpose of drawing up a code of rules for the Arbitration Board.  Mr. T. Halliday (President of the Amalgamated Association of Miners) supported the resolution, congratulating the miners of North Staffordshire upon the progress of unionism amongst them, and remarking that three years ago there was no union among them, and it was said to be impossible to get them to unite.  They were now second to no other district in connection with the association.  As the result, they had better wages, and shorter time of labour, and he understood the short time was found to be working as well for the interests of the masters as of the men.  (Applause.)  He contended that unionism discouraged strikes and he urged them to strive to steer clear of disputes and strikes, and to get a board of arbitration established for the settlement of whatever disputes arose.  He also urged them to support the union, and pointed out the advantages derived from combination.  The resolution was passed and seconded by working miners, begged most respectfully to thank the mineowners (sic) of North Staffordshire for their willingness to meet their workmen in a kindly manner, and hoped on all future occasions to meet the same courtesy they had met with at Stoke-on-Trent a few weeks ago.  This resolution was supported by Mr. A. A. Walton, of Brecon, and carried unanimously,--The next resolution, also moved and seconded by colliers, expressed the deep regret of the meeting at the loss of several members of the association during the past month, by an explosion and an inundation of water, a loss which it felt more keenly on account of the opinion expressed that, if proper precaution had been taken, the accidents might have been prevented, and the poor men’s lives spared.—Mr. J. Normansell, secretary of the South Yorkshire Miners’ Association, moved he next resolution, in which the miners of North Staffordshire thanked the Government for having introduced so satisfactory a Mines Bill this session, and earnestly entreated the Government, in its progress through Parliament, to maintain in full the distinctive features of the measure, limitation of boy’s labour, weighing (not measuring or gauging), the necessity of certified managers, imprisonment and not fines in cases of flagrant neglect in carrying out the provisions of the Mines At, the payment of wages without any deduction—all such provisions being necessary to the welfare of the mining population.  The resolution was seconded and carried.—Mr. Halliday moved, that the meeting expressed its gratitude to the Government for having brought in the Payment of Wages Bill, and hoped the Government would do all in its power to pass the measure, so that it will effectually kill the truck practices so common in many parts of the country.  The meeting also hoped that the Government would pass a measure by which all deductions for wages may be put an end to for ever (sic) in this country, no matter for what purpose.—Mr. Casey, of South Yorkshire, moved that copies of the foregoing resolutions be engrossed and sent to the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary, with an expression of the confidence of the meeting in the Government, and a hope that they would carry the measures already named.  Mr. A. McDonald, President of the National Miners’ Association, seconded the resolution, and, referring to the mines Regulation Bill, now before Parliament, said it was the best Mining Bill that was ever introduced, and if the miners’ delegates had had the concocting of it, they probably could not have produced a better bill.—The resolution having been carried, Mr. George Melly, M.P., came forward to propose a vote of thanks to the Chairman.  He said, having some into the district to take part in opening a Sunday school bazaar, he could not pass that great meeting without congratulating them, first upon the increase of their wages; secondly, upon the lessening of their hours of labour(sic); and thirdly, upon the good temper they had shown throughout all their negotiations.  He wished that the spirit which had been shown by themselves and their employers, and the intelligence of the working classes of that county could spread to Warwickshire, where the agricultural labourer (sic) was trying to form a union—(applause)—that he might obtain more than 12s. a week, (Applause.)  He had listened with the deepest attention, and with complete agreement, to what had fallen from the speakers who had spoken last, with reference to the bills now before Parliament as to mines.  They had told him that, as they stood, these were good measures, and they had asked him and his colleagues in Parliament in endeavoring to improve them, not to mutilate them—not to pour any water into the milk.  (Laughter and cheers.)  Every effort would be made in the Mines Regulation Bill to pour water into the milk, and they would be told it was sufficient to inflict a fine as a punishment upon managers for breaches of the law; but what was a find of £20. To a man who might have been making £200. a week?  (Applause.)  People said, threat all men equally; but if they treated them equally they must punish them equally.  A fine of £20. to him was six months’ imprisonment to one of them.  To him it might be nothing but the profits of a fortnight, to them it was something far different.  That was the spirit in which these bills must be dealt with; and to this end, speaking words well considered, and acting as he had ever acted, he would pledge himself to do everything in his power to maintain and strengthen the backbone and life of these bills; and if he could to increase that life aad (sic) backbone and strength.  The Truck Bill covered a wide space of ground, but he was sorry to say it had been committed to a Select Committee, for that course often meant either putting off the bills to the next session, or letting them down gently.  As regarded this bill, he knew it was the intention of the Government that it should become law, and if he was a member of the Select Committee, as he possibly should be, he would take careful advice from his friends at his back before he submitted to any mutilation of the bill.  He had been extremely gratified to hear of the satisfaction with which they regarded these measures and he should go back to London and tell the Government that the miners of Staffordshire, as regarded to the Mines Regulation Bill, made but one request:---‘Stick to your own bill, carry out what you believe right; don’t let any party, be it capitalist or Conservative, change or mutilate the measures you have arranged in combination with those gentlemen who have advised you on the subject.”  (Applause.)—Mr. McDonald, in seconding the motion, called upon the miners to unite in the strongest opposition to the truck system.—A vote of thanks to Lord Granville and Mr. Wragge for the loan of the field in which the meeting was held was passed, as well as some other votes, and the meeting concluded.