Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/477

 June 7, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 459 SS masters by which the wages were increased sixpence per day. In 1858 the nine hours’ question again cropped up, and on May 26, 1859, united action was taken by the masons, the bricklayers, and the carpenters, under the auspices of Mr. George Potter. In the July following, the men employed by Messrs. Trollope G Sons struck, and then came the lock-out of some 24,000 artisans, by 225 of the principal metropolitan firms. Nearly eight months the struggle lasted, until in February, 1860, a reconciliation was effected on the basis of the withdrawal by the masters of the “« document” or ‘‘ declaration,” whereby they had pledged themselves not to employ Union men. The nine hours’ movement had for the time to be abandoned, but we find it now once more revived. The carpenters and joiners now demand that a day’s work shall consist of nine hours, except on Saturday, when they shall only be required to work six hours, and that the wages shall be increased to 9d. per hour. This rate of payment will only ‘increase their weekly wages by about seven- ‘pence. ‘The demand has, as our readers ‘know, been refused; the men employed by two of the leading firms haye struck; and upon the action taken by the masters to-day, which by all appearances is likely to be hostile, depends the immediate result. No one can doubt that the men are much stronger than they were in 1859. Not only have they more money at their command and ‘a more perfect organisation, but they have before them the recent successful struggle maintained by the engineers in the face of an opposition quite as powerful as they are likely to meet with. There has been, more- over, a general tendency in other branches of industry in the same direction; and, if de- feated now, the ultimate victory of the men is next to certain. Is it worth while to let it bea ‘‘ victory”? Haveallattempts—have any attempts at a compromise been made? It is said that the masters ‘‘ complain loudly of the capricious action of the men, and say that the time has not yet arrived when they can reasonably or fairly be expected to yield the nine hours’ demand with increased pay.” Is there not in this complaint ground for argument, and possibly a basis for some arrangement? Cannot the masters agree to offer at some fixed date that which they are not able now to concede? On their partthe men should be very cer- tain not only of the justice but of the pru- dence of their present demand before finally taking action. ‘They cannot well have forgotten the winter of 1859-60, with the privations it entailed on them and their families. The increased mortality, induced by want, was but too evident in the reports of the Registrar-General, and in more than one of the reports of the District Medical Officers. Thetracesof ill-feeling engendered detween employer and employed have, more- over, hardly yet disappeared, and _ have, probably, many times hindered a peaceful solution of the dispute. The object in view should be not only one well worth obtaining, but one in the pursuit of which success is reasonably certain, before the workmen essay the repetition of the ‘‘ Great Strike.” After conferring with some of the masters and some of the men, we feel convinced there is no necessity for a general strike or a general lock out. ‘Though there is no lack of firmness or of courage, either on the part of the masters or the men, fortunately the discussion is not embittered as it was in 1859. Seeing that there is a general uprising of the labour class throughout the community, and that the price of the necessaries of life have correspondingly advanced, it is not unnatural that the men employed in the building trades in London should either demand increased pay or diminished hours of labour ; and so far as we can learn from personal intercourse with them, they are much less interested in in- creased pay than they are in shorter hours. They are determined to have shorter hours whether they have increased or decreased pay. They say that one man out of ten is out of work, and they prefer to divide the work now done by nine men amongst ten men. There is, no doubt, a community of feeling amongst the men which does not exist in an equal or proportionate degree amongst the masters; and this spirit is everywhere dif- fusing and deepening itself, and it is well that employers, and statesmen, too, should learn to look the matter straight in the face. Call it socialism, or what you may, there is the fact. Employers in the building trades may not like it, but architects at all events cannot object to it, as next week they, or a great many of them, will be engaged in con- gress in London, to promote a similar policy for themselves. One of the questions—we may say dhe question—which will occupy the attention of the Conference next week will be the best means to establish a uniform scale of payment, whatever may be the quality of the work done, or whoever may do it. The demand is that architects should be paid 4 per cent. on the outlay for all kinds of work, whether it is building a mill or restoring a cathedral. If architects choose to adopt this policy let them by all means do it, but let them do it with their eyes open. Let them no longer charge working men with socialism or levelling propensities, whilst they imitate socialists and levellers. To pay*two men with vastly different intellectual qualities the same price for work vastly differing in quality is to all intents and purposes socialism, whether architects know it or intend it or not. The great charge brought against the men is that they demand that bad workmen should be paid the same amount of wage per hour as the good workman. Whoever condemns workmen for this policy should also con- demn architects for establishing, or en- deayouring to establish, a uniform system of payment for all qualities of work. This, in fact, is levelling with a vengeance. It isa little remarkable that another architect, Mr. Raphael Brandon, has called together a Con- ference at Willis’s Kooms, this day, to con- sider the propriety of the State buying up all the railways and establishing a uniform fare for all distances. Mr. Brandon and those who act with him actually propose that a man shall be carried a mile or five hundred miles for, say, twopence, and that the State should do it! This is only another bid for universal socialism. Socialism may be the best system, or it may be the worst system, but let our architects know on what line they are travelling. But we took up our pen, not to advise architects, but to say a seasonable word on the threatened lock-out. Like most subjects, this has more than one side. Much may be said for the men, and much may be said for the masters. This being the case, wisdom suggests a compromise. What if the men say they will accept nine hours a day at 84d. per hour? Such, we consider, would be judiciously splitting the difference. We have reason for believing that the men would negotiate on this basis. If so, we would say to the masters, ‘‘ agree with thine adversary quickly whilst he is in the way.” If the dispute were settled on this understanding, the men would work five hours a week less than they do now, and get 1s. 5d. less per week than they are now receiving. The men would get what they long for—the nine hours’ system, and the masters would only have to sacrifice a trifle, if anything, in the long run. We hope when we go to press again to have to record a satisfactory settle- ment of the dispute. eee The ancient church at Godshill is undergoing restoration, and within the past few days the work- men, on removing the old plaster on the right of the church door, found a niche which formerly held the holy-water bowl, and a portion of the holy-water basin was also in the recess. On the south side of the altar the removal of the plaster discovered the remains of a Piscina. GOSSIP FROM GLASGOW. [FROM OUR GLASGOW CORRESPONDENT. | OTWITHSTANDING the high price of both ~ * labour and materials, building alike continues and promises to be busy. Besides those for ordinary dwelling-house accommodation, which are “ neyer- ending, still beginning,” there are in progress and in prospect many buildings that from their purpose, their extent, or their design, are of considerable im- portance. The 28th of May is removal-day in Glasgow, and as it gives over possession, there are always eagerly awaiting it many sets of plans either of existing houses to be converted or of new ones to be built. The business brought by “the 28th” is now about to be added to that of a season of un- wonted activity. Most of the principal buildings presently in progress I have mentioned in former letters, and few of them are sufficiently advanced to call for further remark. Among those about to be begun are warehouses at the corner of Union and Gordon streets by Mr. Honeyman, and, in which, I understand, there is to be something new, at least to Glasgow, in the designing of shop-fronts; a tene- ment of business premises in Gordon-street by Mr. Baird; a branch office for the City of Glasgow Bank by Mr. James Thomson; stores and warehouses in Sauchiehall-street by Mr. Bromhead; municipal offices in Springburn by Mr. Carrick ; warehouses and dwellings in Coweaddens by Mr. Alexander Thomson ; shops and warehouses in Argyle and Buchanan- streets by Mr. Spence; warehouses in Ingram-street by Mr. Monro; an eye infirmary or hospital by Mr. Burnet; and extensive stabling in Kent-road for Messrs. Wylie & Lochead (the architect’s name I cannot learn), Shortly since there was commenced, on a triangular site in Dumbarton-road, a church by Mr. Douglas, which promises to be alike original and excellent. So far as it has progressed, it is characterised by that grand, but now-a-days rather rare quality, breadth, a distinction generally of Mr. Douglas’s Gothic work. I hear nothing of the great north-western halls, of which some time ago I sent you a lithographed plan. Private enterprise is going to build a hall in Anderston—the western district— which will measure about a 100ft. by 50ft., but, ‘“Carchiteeturally,” it will be scarcely worthy of notice. I am glad to see that vour “House Planning Competition ” has not only been taken up in Glasgow, but also that no fewer than three ‘* Honourable Mentions ” have come to ourcity.* One, I find, has been given to a draughtsman in the office of Messrs. Salmon, Son, & Ritchie, an office which has bred some of our ablest draughtsmen, such as Goodwin, Smith, and Gordon, and that has enjoyed aforetime similar cause of gratulation. About twenty years ago there was formed in Glasgow a ‘‘ Glasgow Architectural Association,” its members being the draughtsmen and apprentices of the several offices. The employers took to it kindly, and among other pleasant things they did they gave certain prizes to be competed for. One of these was a gold medal by Mr. Smith for the best design of a villa, the required accommodation, the sum to be expended, and other conditions, being specified. The competitors were to appoint the judges; they chose Mr, Alexander Thomson and Mr. Burnet, and by them the premium was awarded to Mr. John Gordon, draughtsman with Mr. Salmon. Among other competitions were, for a Presbyterian Church, not Gothic, the prize Billing’s ‘‘Scottish Antiquities,” given by Mr. Charles Wilson, and gained by Mr. John Thomson; and for a hand- sketch elevation of S. George’s Church, the prize a case of drawing instruments, given by Mr. Rochead, and gained by Mr. Cousland. Part of the machinery of this ‘‘ Association ” was a series of lectures by themembers. Ihave a certain year’s syllabus before me, and on it I find such subjects as ** The Antient Domestic Architecture of Scotland,” “ Towers and Spires of Glasgow,” “Interior Decoration,” ‘ Half- Timbered Houses,” arfd ‘ Architectural Botany.’ There were also a small library and a borrowing and lending album of all sorts of odds and ends— sketches, tracings, ‘‘ bits,” &c.—the principle of which was that each contributed and all copied, the album circulating regularly among the members until the round was exhausted, when it was emptied of its contents and filled anew, and the course was repeated. At the “annual meeting ” there was a conversazione, when drawings were exhibited upon the walls and which have come to Glagoware not evergreens. I believe that the two Dromios were not so like each other as are Mr. Shaw and Mr. MacLaren’s plans.
 * Since this was written it seems that some of the laurels