MR JAMES BROGDEN'S RETURN TO ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume IV, Issue 1014, 19 April 1873, Page 2

MR JAMES BROGDEN'S RETURN TO ENGLAND.

(Fronthe Glamorgan Gazette.) .Aberkenfig, usually a very dul\place, was on Tuesday l\&t the scene of a n O st.interesting event., The Street from brit end of ;the village to tie other was adorns ievergreens, flags and banting, and thvjuAscriptions ' upon the different devices t&\ breathed a welcome to a long absent and much respected member of the firm of John .Brodgen and' Sons, i Mr James Brodgen :was announced to ar)ive in Bridgend- at a little Ipast two o'clock in the afternoon, and preiparations were made throughout Aberkenfig and Tondu to make his reception in those places a hearty one. All down the long and 'single street of wjiich Aberkenfig can boast t heroad', was hung with all manner of gay. decorations, beginning- near the entrance of the " village, and ending only at the gate of Mr Brodgen's mansion, where an arph of evergreens had been erected, surmounted by the wo'rda ;"!Welcome Home." At Aberkenng the devices were chiefly in the form of long rows of leaves, and "welcomes" worked upon bunting, and both Mr Brogden and his son were included in.these sentiments. The railway bridge which crosses the road between Aberkenfig and Tondu was setoff in a very: tasty and complete manner with evergreens twined around the woodwork, and above, 'the, words "A happy welcome to Tondu," arid on the road to the house, " Good wishes and respects to you both.1' , Mr Brogden arrived at the Bridgend station a little past, two o'clock, when the bells rang merrily arid cannons -were fired ■ at; quick intervals.'; -He was met immediately upoftalighting from the train by Messrs|Gray and ■' Morley, who exchanged With him most hearty congratulations*. -His carriage being in waiting, he then stepped in and drove,off'>■■■with, his son, a boy about eleven years. ' Messrs Gray and Morley followed in a separate carriage. A motto was suspended above the road leading from the station, and Jin Dunraven Place Mr Brogden was confronted by: flags and'mottoes, displayed in honoHof his arrival. Here also a crowd had met who, raised cheers as the carriage drove past. The party then drove up to Tondu, and imme- •. diately upon their arrival at Penyfai the joyous news-was announced to the inhabitants of Aberkenfig by the;-repeated fifing of guns on the'common, and this continued until after the house was reached. At Aberkenfig all the inhabitants turned .out,, and, Mr Brogden was cheered repeatedly as he passed through, and he and hifi son acknowledged the4emonstratibhs' of welcome by bowing to the^eqple : > onfall'sides.1 At the wor,ks gate tHe-party•-• was met by a ii umber of workmen, .and tEe:~ band struck up "See the conquering hero comes," at the conclusion of which Mr Carrol Allen stepped forward and read, the following. - address :-^'•■ •;'i'i'-;! '■' '"• ; !. • '

" We, the. workmen and employes'of these Works, tender.to you our sincere congjgatulationJoiii your safe, return amongst us oncemore. We are sorry you should find onyour return the dispute now pending, but we hope that you will use your influence for the good of both. To your son, we would say that we are glad to see him so well after such a perilous jqufney, and'hope th.at~wb.en he^shall";; be enabled to take your place he will , in his father's footsteps, and gain the sincere love and respect of his people. Hoping you ■vjdll remain amongst us now for several years to come, and be blessed with long life arid happiness. r , T. ■ • •#■ ~!«.«We are, &c." ■ [Here follow the signatures.] Mr Brogden>'rose and said that he must cionfess that he came back with some feeling of .fegret'to find all so still there : not that the people were still, but the works were so. He thought there might be some means of rerpedying, this./distressing circumstance,'and :tjhat a little oil poured upon the water might prp.vei of material service: ('Hear,yhea?). l£k Be^ould be of service he,should feel moss;... happy to exert has influence, but he had. not the same voice in the matter now as he used'1 to, as the'works'had changed hands, and his brother had^now assumed the head of affairs, but he ishould never lose his interest in the people working at Tondu—(cheers) —and he had always looked forward to returning to the village with real pleasxire. He thanked them very much for their kind address ; he felt too overcome with emotion to answer it then, but he would do so at a future occasion. Meanwhile if they thought he could be of sprvice towards the satisfactory settlement of the present strike he would be glad to ejxert himself in bringing it to a conclusion. It was now as it used tc be. He remembered ' cjf old it was not the outsideers who told the men what they should do, but the affairs Vi re settled amicably between master and man, aad he thought during the eighteen years in vMchibe was,the > manager of the Tondu ; ' \^orks'there had been very" few" disputes.'!, between them. (Cheers). The news of the strike had burst upon him very suddenly as bje was.:cQming;iipi jbhe'Channel,;and he.then Jearnt to his great regret that no less then 60,000 persons were out of employment. This ejatailed a loss to masters and men, in the district amounting to; about. L500;000 per week. (i If the matter were carefully,, looked 'at he*''thought the -men' would- come to a -speedy settlement, for the loss of money and cbiiset[u'en!fc1 misery ocans! ed"by the strike 'was' far more to he considered, than the, matter;of dispute.' He spoke to his old workmen, and old friends, and if he could be the means of bringing the present state of things to a close he should .thank God for the opportunity. , \ When Mr Bfogderi resumedjhis seat he seemed very much affected,''and drove off amid the hearty cheering of the workmen. His carriage was now followed-by a large crowd of people, and the workmen's band and the workboys' fife and drum band'played on tbe^wayv • -At the- gate of his'house Mr Brogden was heartily cheered by a very large cbncourse of workmen." and'the band struck iip "Home, Sweet Home," as he entered. : The crowd then dispersed to a- neighbouring field where a, liberal supply of beer was, distributed'amongst those who felt thirsty; In the evening, a large bonfire was lighted on the hill above Tondu Works ; a tar barrel was burnt, and a( brilliant display of fire.works was made during the evening. Nothing . occurred to mar the interest of the proceedings, and the spontaneous outburst of welcome accorded to Mr Brogden by his men, marked in a very, hight sense the affection in

which he was held by them, and which was engendered during the eighteen years in which he occupied the position of managing partner.