| 122, Regent’s Park Road. N. W.
19/4/71.
Lieber Eccarius
Folgendes über den Strike
der Barcelonesen das ich Dir, um Mühe zu sparen, gleich englisch hersetze:
Messrs
Batlló Brothers
, Barcelona, own a large
Cotton
spinning & weaving concern & employ about
900 workpeople. Not only do they pay, by far, worse wages than any other firm in
the trade, but they have
also
continually
attempted to reduce wages still more by superseding men by women & grown up
people by children. Lately, they have without exception discharged all such
hands as were suspected
of belonging
to the
Trades’ union of the United
Carders
, Spinners &
Weavers. On the 26
th
February a large meeting was held
by the members of this Union to consider the state of things in Messrs Battló’s
works. A new list of wages was unanimously adopted, which, although establishing
a slight rise upon the prices hitherto paid, was still very much below the very
lowest rates paid by others; and a deputation was
xxxx
appointed
to demand the adoption of this list;
while
//
and in case of this
being refused, the people
employed at the mill were to strike work.
The deputation was not even
received, Messrs B. refusing to receive any but a deputation from their own
workmen. This
beeing introduced
//
fresh
deputation submitted the new list of prices
but met with a flat refusal. The whole of the workpeople at once struck, with
the exception of about 
| 25, most of whom have since joined the strike. This
took place on the 27
th
February, & consequently,
the hands have now been on strike for nearly nine weeks, and the funds at the
disposal of the Union are beginning to run low. The remaining branches of the
International
in Spanien are doing their
best to collect money for them, but they have just now a good many strikes to
support. Not to mention minor affairs, the
Coopers of Santander
and the
Tanners
of Valencia are on strike because their masters insist upon their giving up
their Trade’s Unions as well as the International; and thus, there are
altogether some 1500 men out at present in Spain whom the various branches of
the Int
l
there have to support.
Barcelona
has
//
& neighbourhood are the
South Lancashire of Spain, there are large & numerous Cotton Spinning &
Weaving establishments there & the greater part of the population of this
district lives upon the Cotton Trade. They have lately suffered much from the
competition of English yarns & it would make a particularly good impression
in Spain if the Lancashire Cotton Trade could do something in favor of the
Cotton Spinners &
Powerloom Weavers of Spain. The active
& intimate commercial relations between the different countries of the world
have led 
| to this, that every event
taking
pl
(?)
ace
//
affecting society in one country necessarily
produces its effects upon all other countries; and it would not at all be
astonishing if a general reduction of wages in the Spanish Cotton Trade (such as
appears
inevitable
if this strike be unsuccessful) should in the long run contribute to keep wages
low in South Lancashire also.
(Die Art der Beiträge –
donation oder loan – wäre den Leuten freizustellen. Der Council könnte die
Einsendung vermitteln, oder sie können es direct schicken, die Adresse steht zur
Verfügung.)
Besten Gruß Dein
F. E.