The Strike of Match Girls.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 3005, 17 September 1888, Page 2

The Strike of Match Girls.

. A London corrcspbndont.TOtes ;~ "The lower "strata of InoVMon :V\vv-;fip world have been profoundly stirred - : - r: . \o&i attlio East End,; The girls ■were" '■' ; "• 'Wtt stirred torevoltbyMreAnnießesaiit, ■ ■ %^^i who has for sometime been an evolu- V )§■ k::^ judged ill-timeda ; by.^-hfl^^iul^tliieir.;;::' ■( ■%c/W^^ ,other'adMsers,;fbr thes^ elabk.timo iii,i^{^:i^^?fe&i!?tf^; |c}uaFliufii;out^ that;Mrs^Be3iDt'aa]|ega

tta were unfounded,' Tlio girls noitbor savings, a strike fund, ': nor an organisation, and it was con- ■;' Sdeiitly oxpeoted that the ihing would collapse at once. The friends of the ■"' girls had the greatest diioulty in ' getting their grievances stated. The . firm found ready admission into the papers for all it had to say on the ' oljmsido. The Daily News drove • twrabor party to the vorgo of mania by sonding down a commissioner (G. H Sims] to.reporfc on the case, which ho did m a cheery and optimistic spirit, representing that tlioro was nothing in tho girls'caso, Tho directors announced time after timo that they would [not stir an inch, that tliey would not submit the dispute to arbitration.cnd that they wouldnovcr take baok the ringleaders. But hero comes in the curious part of tho story, Tho directors suddenly collapsed. They gave way practically 'on all points, without over .going through the formality pf an arbitration, and they allowed tho girls, ringleaders and all, to resume work, Tho exSanation is complex. The Uryaut iJ sSnily, wP control tho firm, are eminent Liberal. Mr Theodore Bryant erected a statuo to Mr Gladstone some years ago, as ho was well ablo to do, considering the wagos ho paid to his girls; and ho and his hiojhors aro aspirants for Parliaments honours. Sirs Besant, out of thd small resources at her command, had • taken the apparently rush step of paying for a completo list of the company's shareholders. This proved to include sevoral members of parliament and other prominent politicians. Sho let it be known that if they did not bring pressure to'near on the directors, the whole strength oi tho labor party, and the socialists would be turned against them in their constituencies. Strong' representations •were also made to the Liberal whips that the Bryants must be coerced into submission, or that Gladstonianism would be for ever extinguished in the London constituencies. At first the shareholding M.P.s and the official Liberals generally wore beside themselves with rage at the idea vwhich underlay all this agitation, .jreamely, that the Liberal party must subordinate itself to the labor party. It was hoped that there would bo thus an end to the trouble; but by faralloled exertions Mrs Besant together enough money to give the girls a week's" strike-pay," and asjthe days went by the official Liberals began to realise their position. Once they united in pressing the Bryants the latter gave way, and the resistance collapsed in the suden and dramatio manner which I have described."—Exchange,