NEWS FROM HOME.

Grey River Argus, Volume XV, Issue 1939, 23 October 1874, Page 3

NEWS FROM HOME.

[OXAGO DAILY TIMES CORRESPONDENT.] Edinburgh, August Bth. THE AGRICULTURAL LOCK-OUT. The great struggle between the farmers of Newmarket and the neighboring districts, and their laborers, has at length terminated in favor of the former. The " pilgrim " laborers continued their " progress" during July, and received a fair measure of support in some of the manufacturing districts of Cheshire and Yorkshire. Speeches and collecting-boxes, however, even when backed by a Union allowance, did not suffice to meet all the requirements of the men, and a number of them consequently sought and obtained work in some of the places they visited, others emigrated. But the death-blow to the resistance was given by the Executive Committee of the Laborers' Union, at a meeting held at Leamington in the last week of July. A resolution was then adopted to the effect that money should only be granted by the Union to assist men either to migrate or to emigrate, and that all other allowances should cease with that week. In consequence of this a meeting of the London branch of the Union was held three or four days later, when it was resolved to cease opposition to the farmers. But although the strike, or lock-out, is thus at an end, its consequences still remain, and some of them have yet to attain completion. There are about 1300 men still out of work, and with but Bmall prospect oE obtaining it, while a portion of the season during which in ordinary circumstances, they would have made their highest wages has passed by. The farmers, also, have gained a moral triumph, in addition to which necessity has caused them to find out that they can get their work done with a smaller number of hands than they previously thought practicable. It is stated by the special reporter of the " Times " that most of the men to whom is now presented the alternative of emigration or the poorhouse are the idle and shiftless. These men, he says, will only emigrate from sheer necessity, and all experienced emigration agents say that those who emigrate under compulsion, and not because they feel that they are the right men to do the heavy work required to be done in the Colonies, never make good emigrants. The same writer also gives expression to a well founded fear that that the Colonies will not feel grateful for emigants who are sent out thither simply to be got rid of as being nuisances at home. The cost of this struggle to the Union has been about L 10,500, lam sorry to say that, during its contiuance, some violent language has been used by the laborers and their advocates — notably by Mr Arch. At the Bury St. Edmunds Assizes ten Unionist laborers pleaded guilty to conspiring to intimidate certain other laborers, and were left off with a severe caution, administered by the Judge, Mr Baron Kelly. At a public meeting at Sheffield Mr Arch made the following extraordinary statement : — " The men who can fight abroad for their country can fight at home for their freedom." In the same speech Mr Arch declared, amid much excitement, that " a gentleman who stood closely connected with the Crown of England " had said in London to friends of his (Mr Arch), " I should not mind going to shoot these laborers down like I shot the Indians." Finally, at a meeting held at Salisbury by Mr Arch on the 28th July, to establish a new branch of the Laborers' Union, the proceedings became very uproarious, and wound up with a free fight, These displays of violent feelings will be greatly regretted by all who sympathise with the farm laborers in their laudable endeavours to improve their condition. OTHER STRIKES. Of the other disputes between em plovers and employed which have beei raging during the month, the most seriou are the strike of mill-workers in Belfast and one of cuaiminers in South Yorkshiri and North Derbyshire. In these latter dis tricts some 25,000 men turned out to re sist a proposal of the masters to redue their wages 12£ per cent. After beinj nearly four weeks on strike, it was re solved by the men to resume work (if th masters were willing to let them do so] at a reduction of 1.0 per cent. , leaving bh remaining 2i per cent., to be settled b; arbitration, in Belfast great distress pre vails among the looked-oufc operatives, ci

pecially the fenrnJe hands, many of whom wottld resume work it they coalA. Th?s, ', too, in spite of the fact they (i.e., the fe- j male operatives) hekl an open a ; r meeting some three weeks ago, when the president and speakers were all of the weaker sex, and when resistance to the last was resolved upon. On July 30th numbers of the operatives paraded the streets carrying black flags and singing songs, and several bakers' shops were attacked. In consequence of this the local magistrates have applied go the Government for 400 additional policemen, besides mounted men. On the 2nd inst, the masters threw the mill open (steam being up), to give those desirous of returning to work on reduced terms an opportunity of doing so. The work-people, however, declined to avail themselves of the chance. The loss of wages to the working classes in Belfast owing to this strike is estimated to reach L 15,000 weekly. In South Staffordshire and Lanarkshire, moreover, there have been great strikes of colliers, the former of which cost the Union £50,000 ; and in Fife another struggle is just about to begin, the masters there having resolved to lock-out the men for resisting a reduction of their wages by 5 per cent. — an ultimate reduction being intended, it is said, of no less than 60 per cent. The dullness of trade is the reason assigned for the proposed reduction, though it seems hardly consistent with the fact that the Fife Colliery Company has just declared a dividend of 20 per cent. SHIPPING COLLISION" OFF DUNGENESS, This locality, within but a few mibs of the spot where the ill-fated Northfleefc was run down, was again, early on the 28th July, the scene of a collision which caused considerable loss of life. The colliding vessels were the Hankow, a steamer of 2334 tonsgross, and the Millkanke, a steamer 843 tons register. The former was bound from London to Penang, the latter to Sunderland, from Carthagena. The Hankow struck the Millbanke amidships, cutting her half in two. Twelve of the Millbanke's crew, with the second mate and chief engineer, managed to get on board the Hankow, and four more of the crew were picked up by one of the Hankow's boats. The remaining nine of the crew, the Captain and his wife, the first mate and his wife, and the third mate—fourteen in all were drowned. The Hankow's stem was smashed in, and she was simply kept afloat by the fact of her being provided with a collision bulkhead. According to the statement of the second mate of the Millbanke, the Hankow's lights were seen about twelve minutes before the collision took place, but there seems to have been some mismanagement in her steering, as the Millbanke first starboarded, and then had to port her helm in the attempt to avoid her. The Millbanke sank in about a minute or a minute and a half after the collision, and those only of the crew who were on deck were saved. Mrs Smith, the wife of the captain of the Millbanke, is stated to have been the last member of the celebrated Bligh family— of Bounty and New South Wales fame. SCOTCH NEWS. A disaster attended by great destruction to property, but happily without loss of life, occurred at Glasgow early on the morning of the 15th July. This was the bursting of the Mokland Canal, at the spot where are situated the bleaching and finishing works of Messrs Adam and Son, Milnbank. Operations wete being conducted here for the construction of a loop canal, and on the day before the accident occurred a leakage was discovered in the bank, but it was stopped, as was believed, effectually. Shortly after midnight, however, the water burst into the grounds of Milnbank House, and flooded a number of neighboring houses to a depth of several feet. A scene of great excitement and confusion eusued, the inhabitants rushing from their beds into the street. The stream of water finally found a channel for itself in the Molendinar Burn, down which it rushed in a torrent ten feet deep. The total amount of 1 damage done is estimated at about L 60,000, while several hundreds of people have been thrown out of employment through the injury to the Milnbank bleaching works. The efforts that have been made for some time past to raise funds for the extension of the accomodatioh of Edinburgh University have been attended with a fair measure of success, the subscriptions now amounting to L 66,000. Promises of support have also been received from Scotsmen out of Scotland, including some residents in the Colonies. When the public contribution reaches LIOO,OOO, it is intended to make an effort to obtain a grant from the national purse. In connection with this University, also, 1 may mention that the Senatus have resolved, on his own petition, to report to Her Majesty in Council that Professor Bennett is incapable, through infirmity, of performing the duties of his office, and to recommend that he be permitted to retire on retiring allowance. Professor Bennett has for 26 years tilled with credit the chair of the Institutes of Medicine.