A great stride has been made this week in the
progress of the builders' strike towards an end. The men have received no sym- pathy from public opinion, none from the press. The very trades' societies, not builders, have condemned the strike. The funds of the strikers were low, and the prospect of a general lock-out in the spring of the year very gloomy. Under these circumstances they snatched at a suggestion made by the Times. This suggestion was that the men should accept the proposition of working by the hour, under an increased scale of wages, which would enable them, working five days of ten hours, to knock off at one on Saturday without any dimi- nution in their weekly earnings. The negotiation arising out of this proposal is very instructive. Two days after it appeared, says the Times, a deputation of delegates waited upon Messrs. Lucas, and asked whether, if the men worked their ten hours under the hour system of payment for five days, they would object, as we suggested, to have their pay-books ready at one o'clock, so that the men might from that hour take a half-holiday. To this Messrs. Lucas at once consented. The earnings were then. calculated under this arrange- ment of the hour system and half-holiday, and found to be as fol- lows :
E s. d. Five days, at 10 hours, at 7d. per hour . . . 1 9 2 Saturday, 61 hours, up to 1 o'clock . . . . 0 3 91 Total . . . El 12 111
The earnings of the men now, without a half=holiday, are 33s., so thit for their half-day each man would only pay a halfpenny. Tlie delegates, however, appeared to think that this was too much, for they asked the Messrs. Lucas if they would give the men the extra halfpenny, making their wages, with the half-holiday, 33s., exactly the same as at present, without the holiday. This, after some minutes' consideration, Messrs. 'Lucas at once agreed to do. Emboldened by this concession, the delegates then demanded that, the masters should pay the usual nine hours on Saturday, though they gave the half- holiday. This Mr. Lucas at once firmly refused. By their offered con- cession Messrs. Lucas and Messrs. Kelk will lose 14,000/. on. their pre- sent contracts. To increase the men's pay and pay them as well for the half-holiday they give on Saturday would raise their loss from 14,0001. to nearly 40,0001. The deputation left to report to their comrades.
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