DEATH OF LORD PENRHYN.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10960, 1 May 1907, Page 2 (Supplement)

DEATH OF LORD PENRHYN.

FAMOUS QUARRY DISPUTE,

LONDON, March 15.

Lord Penrhyn died at his London residence, Mortimer House, Kensington, on Sunday night after an attack of influenza. He was jn his seventy-first year. George Sholto Gordon Douglas-Pen-nant was the second Baron Penrhyn. His father, Colonel Douglas, married Miss Pennant, of Penrhyn Castle, Carnarvonshire, and having adopted her name, was created Baron Penrhyn m 1866. Lord Penrhyn drew a rental of £67,T00 a year from his Welsh estate, and -.n additional £150,000 a year from his slate quarries at Bpthesda, where he employed 3000 quarrymen. . The revolt of. these quarrymen against his terms of labor forms one of t the most remarkable episodes m the "history , of British industry. For three years the quarrymen sustained a bitter strik*? against their employer, who stubbornly rejected every attempt at conciliation. While the riots at Bethesda were at their height Lord Penrhyn rode through, the streets without protection, and was not assailed m any way." He always believed that his quarrymen were perfectly satisfied, but that; some unseen tyranny was at work. Lord Penrhyn was- an exceedingly generous man. He: gave, each quarryman a bonus equal to a month's wages at the beginning of the year, to compensate for for the loss of work occasioned. by the severe weather. He also distributed thousands , of. pounds each . . year to churches. Sympathisers with the men had to defend libel actions brought by Lord Penrhynj and there was a good deal of angry' litigatibri^uririg the strike. Documents enough to fill two wagons, were produced during ''the hearing of one of the actions. . - '• Lord Penrhyn won the battle, although the men gained some concessions.''Butthe Welsh slate trade suffered severely. Foreign slates made inroads m the market, and for a long time desolation reigned at Bethesda. The dispute is stated to have cost Bethesda £340,000 m wages alone.