Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 07 November 1902
Statement by Mr Buckingham Pope, Chairman of the Denaby and Cadeby Main Collieries
The following address had been circulated in Denaby Main, a full copy of which we append:
Denaby Main, near Rotherham, November 7, 1902
To the Denaby and Cadeby Miners:
Having been for more than ¼ of a century chairman of the collieries at which you have worked, I think it my duty to address you personally on the subject of the present strike.
For many years past Mr Chambers has, in good times and bad times, persistently brought to the attention of the Board every suggestion he could think off for increasing the comfort of the inhabitants of Denaby Main. Schools, co-operative stores, churches and chapels for all denominations, cricket and football clubs, ambulance, mining and other educational classes, rifle club, Choral Society, brass and orchestral bands, and numerous other institutions, have been largely supported by the Company.
As announced only a few weeks before the commencement of the strike, the company, finding the present Institute had become too small for the increasing number of members, decided to build another, with Baths, capable of meeting the requirements even such a populous town as Denaby Main has now become, so that all who prefer to meet their fellows at the Institute, instead of at the public house, might have an opportunity of doing so.
In addition to all these benefits, the company has played at the disposal of the Co-operative Society land at much less cost than it could otherwise be obtained, in which the society has built houses for those workmen who, if disclosed to be Provident, can own the house they live in, and acquire the freehold in it my payment of easy weekly sums. The housing of the people, the laying out of the town, and the sanitary arrangements, have all been highly commended by Government Inspectors, was stated that in all their experience they have never found such a large number of the working classes so comfortably situated.
The Board have done what they considered to be right – they do not explain gratitude, but they look for fair play, and certainly did not expect that you would try to injure the company without “rhyme or reason.” A large proportion of your number were perfectly satisfied, and would have continued to work peaceably enough and they not been made a cat’s paw by certain men amongst you, who have grown rich upon your misery; men, who, after being on strike for over 18 weeks, find themselves all of a sudden men of capital, who can afford to buy pigs, new clothes, and generally act like men of means, even going so far as to ostentatiously parade their wealth in public houses by pulling out handfuls of sovereigns in order to show that they are in possession of more money than anyone else in the room.
These men, for their own purposes, in order to keep you out of long as possible to still further enrich themselves, have not failed to tell you falsehoods of the most glaring description. They have told you that you are “slaves,” but I never before heard of slaves who could live in their master’s houses without paying rent, after refusing to work, and at the same time prevent other people from working. They have told you that your wages are “starvation wages,” and that you have been “a laughing stock” of the other Yorkshire miners for submitting to them. I find an examination of the books at the miners wages at Denaby and Cadeby to the six tons previous to the strike amounted to an average of 9s 2d per day, and if this statement is questioned the books are open for the inspection of any properly qualified accountant. In addition to this, you have had a further very great advantage over nearly all of the collieries, because work has been provided for you every working day in the year, very often at an every cost to the company in paying your wages when stacking call which they could not sell.
I find that the standard of wages was arranged 17 years ago, and since then advances and reductions have been made on in accordance with the advances and reductions in the district, and not a word has been said. 17 years ago these collieries only employed 1113 men and boys on the ground, but at the time of the stoppage they employed 3110, so since that time mentioned about 2000 men and boys come from all parts of the country to work here. Why did they flock to Denaby, if the place was reputed to be the laughing stock of the district, so far as low wages are concerned. You all of you well understand that for many years past anyone who wanted work as a miner will obtain work at any colic throughout the country. Men were scarce and everybody was anxious to employ them. Why then did these 2000 men and boys come to work at these collieries in preference to going where the higher wages you are told of were paid? Why did they deliberately come to this “starvation” place to be slaves? It follows that these men must either be devoid of common sense, and that the truth is not in those spread the reports as to low wages. It is for you to judge between the two.
I will now remind you of what led to the strike. A question concerning a small number of men, viz, the bag dirt at Denaby, arose about six years ago and culminated in a request that the company should take this work into their own hands, to which they consented. As the company and the men could not agree upon the amount of enumeration the men were received for doing the work, this point was subsequently referred to and dealt with by the Joint Committee appointed by the south Yorkshire: as Association and the Yorkshire Miners Association, by whom it was referred to the arbitration of two representatives of each association, which was a most reasonable and proper cause. This arbitration having gone against the men’s you, some few amongst you, were always on the lookout for something to enable them to make mischief, refused to accept the award, which in itself was a most dishonourable thing to do, when they had once agreed to settle the matter in this way. Any honest man would consider himself bound by the result.
Time passed on, and then suddenly, without giving any notice you go on strike, the only reason being that you refuse to accept the award of the arbitrators, which you had undertaken to accept. After you have been out for a few days your leaders found that the reason was not sufficient to keep you out, so they started this new story about “starvation wages” in order to induce you to hold out, and ask – if we are to believe the papers – for an advance of 28% in wages.
You will recollect your Union leaders, when they agreed to a reduction of 10%, stated publicly that in the present state of trade “it was impossible to resist a reduction,” and to prove that they were right I will take you a little into my confidence with regard to the business of the company. You will all remember that before the strike the company were unable to sell their cold, and a very large stock indeed had accumulated. The reason of this was because the miners in Scotland and the north of England and exercise a little more common sense than you had, and recognise that it was impossible to resist a reduction in wages, and they therefore accepted it. This enabled the coal owners of Scotland and the North of England to obtain a large portion of our trade, and the consequence was that at the time of the years when, as you know, we ought to be filling up from the stack we were constantly adding to it. And now, in spite of been unable to sell at the rate of wages we were them paying you ask us – if we are to believe the papers – to pay you 28% advance, whilst all other men had a 10% reduction.
I can only tell you that if we were now to advance your wages we should not only be undersold, as we were before by the North of England and Scotland, but also by every colliery in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire. In fact, if the company were as anxious to give as you are to receive an increase in wages, they would not only be able to keep the pits working for a month because they would be absolutely unable to dispose of their coal, except at a heavy loss; therefore, you must clearly understand that the company has no more power to advance your wages and continue to work the pits than your wives have to make a stone of bread out of a pound of flour.
I must now refer to another subject. You have been living in the company’s houses for 18 weeks without paying any rent, and you are not only doing this, but you are trying, by remaining in the houses, to prevent other men from going to work, so as to force the company to pay you impossible wages. Some of you have done even more than this, and I acted more like savages than Englishmen by assaulting, stoning and otherwise injuring men who have no dispute with the company, and who were only anxious to be allowed to work peaceably. The company have exercised very great patience with you, as they hope that before this common sense will prevail; but the company and now determine, as you do not wish to work for them, that you must give up your houses, so that those men who are anxious to work peaceably shall be allowed to do so. I do not for one moment mean to apply the strictures to all, knowing, as I do, that a large number of you are as good as any set of working men in the kingdom, but I believe, through fear a great number of failed to assert their rights as freeborn Englishmen, and now, for the first time, you really find yourselves in a position of slavery; but your slave masters of the tyrants among your own number.
I wish it to be clearly and distinctly understood that there will be no necessity for any of you to leave your houses. Anyone, after he has signed on and resume work, if he becomes dissatisfied with that work or knows of someplace very can obtain a wages, as nothing more to do than give 14 days notice at any time, and he is free to go away and receive those wages. Those men who are content with the wages paid at these collieries can remain, and the company determine that they shall not be molested by the others.
I will just give you a homely illustration of a parallel case. Supposing you had a housekeeper, and one day, when you went home expecting your dinner to be ready you found her sitting idle and nothing done, and when you wish to know what was the matter she told you that she would do no more work until you raise the wages, and further that she will remain in the house to prevent anyone else doing it. What would you do? Of course you would turn out. And unless you will go to work the Company will act exactly as you would yourselves act under similar circumstances. Who can question the fairness or justice of such action?
In conclusion let me draw your attention to the following facts: during the last few years you have received advances in wages to the extent of 60% on the standard. Why? Because the coal rose in price, and this enabled the coal owners to pay the advance. The 60% advance has now been reduced to 50%. Why? Because coal fell in price so that it could not be sold for sufficient money to pay the men for getting it. No one has ever yet been able to extract “blood from a stone.” You have been trying to do so for over 18 weeks, and the attempt at cost you more than £100,000 in wages, and you are not a bit nearer than when you started! Perhaps some of you will say this is only a “gaffers story” but I think you will do me the justice to admit that I have never deceive you in the past, and I pledge my word of honour I am not deceiving you now.
Faithfully yours,
J Buckingham Pope
Two circulars are appended to the address, the first of which reads as follows:
“if you are desirous of terminating the Strike you may sign the enclosed form. If you are unwilling to resume work, do not sign it. In any case, place the form in the envelope in which you receive it, and seal it up. You may then either post it or cause it to be delivered at the Company’s Office by an, or keep it into one of the Company’s Officers calls for it. The Company give you every assurance that no individual’s name who well sign the form will be divulged and the utmost secrecy will be observed.”
The following is a copy of the form refer to:
“To the Denaby and Cadeby Main Collieries Ltd.
I, the undersigned, of Denaby Main, agree to return to work when required on the same terms as existed on 12 July 1902
signed
November 1902.