Letter from S.C. Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 February 1916 Letters 1916-1923 S.C. Harrison

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A report from S.C. Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan (1862-1939). Harrison is writing to Nathan in connection with the working conditions of factory and mill workers in Belfast. Included in Harrison's report are interviews with various owners and workers of these mills and factories. Harrison's report makes it clear that the war is directly affecting working conditions in Belfast, writing that 'if the Dardanelles were forced fresh supplies of flax might arrive which would alter the situation...'Sir Matthew Nathan was the under-secretary for Ireland from 1914 to 1916. In 1916 Nathan offered his resignation following the outbreak of the Easter Rising.

 National Archives of Ireland NAI, CSO 1916/7443/25/10 https://letters1916.ie/item/458 English S.C. Harrison 1916-02-01 36, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland Matthew Nathan Male Industry and Public Administration Industry and Public Administration

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 36. Upper Fitzwilliam Street 1 st February. 1916. Dear Sir Matthew Nathan I regret the delay that occurred in sending you the statement on the situation of the factory & mill workers (women) in Belfast at present, — but it was unavoidable. I have sent you the names & addresses of the competent persons who gave me the information, so that it will be easy to test the truth of my statements. I earnestly hope you will proceed to do so. I shall be well rewarded for any work that I have done if I can succeed in bringing the facts of the conditions under which these women labour to your personal knowledge, for then I know you will strive to give them any chance of betterment that you can obtain for them. I am sending a copy of my note of the conversations with each person to them except Mr Mackey, as his contribution was negative to check my report but I believe it is accurate enough to forward without waiting for the answers. Any material corrections I will forward at once. Once more apologies for the delay I remain Sincerely yours S.C. Harrison To the Right Honble. Sir Mathhew Nathan. K.C..M.G. Under Secretary of State for Ireland Memorandum on the short hours now being worked in the linen mills & factories in Belfast & district, with the heavy tasks & low pay given in certain classes of war work. I visited Belfast on the 18. th—19. th January 1916, & discussed the situation of the women factory & mill hands employed in the manufacture of linen, with Miss Galway, Secretary of the Textile Operatives Association. Avenue Hall, Garfield St. Belfast. W. Greig. National Amalgamated Union of Labour Avenue Hall, Garfield Street. Miss Daunt. Board of Trade Labour Exchange W. M cDowell. Secretary of the Tenter's Society. 11. Dover Street, Shankill Road. W. Dawson Gordon. Secretary of the Flax Roughers & Servers. Engineer's Hall, College Street. W. Mackey, of James Mackey & Sons' Factory Springfield Road, Belfast & with about a dozen numbers of the textile operations association who met me for the purpose. I told each & all that I had come to get facts from them to lay before the Government. That I was to be held personally responsible for the truth of the statements I should make; that the facts would be investigated to test them, on behalf of the Government. 18. th January Miss Galway informed me that in June 1915, a Joint Deputation of Flax Roughers (men), dressers & textile operatives waited on the Flax Spinners Association at the Chamber of Commerce, — Chairman W. Garrett Campbell, Secretary, W. Wilson — Joint Deputation to Employers to ask for an increase of wages to meet the increased cost of living. This demand was refused on the ground of the lack of raw material. If the Dardanelles were forced fresh supplies of flax might arrive which would alter the situation, but, in the absence of this relief, in addition to the short time that had been worked for sixteen months, they might have to close down some of the machinery now working In June no linen workers were working more than 40 hours per week, i.e. 15 hours short, amounting to a reduction of 20 per cent in output. About 28,000 men, women & children were employed in 1906. 95 per cent are women or girls In answer to a question as to the hours being worked & the number of women employed at present, Miss Galway advised one to see Secretary of the Tenter's Miss Galway (continued.) Society, Every tenter is paid according to the output of the looms for which he is responsible, each week he has to report to the Sec. of his union what looms have been stopped or started. The tenters are mechanics & each one is responsible for a share (about 60) of the looms at which the women work, to see that the machines are in order & that the cloth made is up to standard. Miss Galway infomed me that munition work for women was just about to be started in Belfast. A notice was put up on Wednesday the 12. th January at James Mackey & Sons factory, Springfield Road, saying that women desiring munition work should apply by letter only. This factory & Coombe Barbour's on the Falls Road are called 'black shops' by the workers because they do not pay trade union rates except perhaps to a few engineers, & on this ground it was regretted that Government work had been given to them. Miss Galway had advised some of her members, who are on very short time, to write applying for work, & said we should hear from them in the evening what the result had been. W. Greig, National Amalgamated Union of Labour— deplored the fact that the Government work was given to W. Greig. (continued) three 'black shops'. He spoke of the new Government factory being opened at gretna, & pointed out that there are acres of unoccupied land close to 'the island' on the Belfast Harbour Estate on the Co. Down side, which would be a convenient site for a government factory, - here where so many good factory hands are short of work. Fifty or sixty trams come from all parts of the city to 'the island' every morning about 6.30 a.m. Miss Daunt Miss Daunt of the Labour Exchange, said that in spite of the short time being worked in the linen mills & factories few women registered, as they dared would not risk the loss of the low wages they were earning with the present high cost of living. W. M cDowell, Secretary of the Teuters Society, 11 Dover Street, Shankill Road. told me that a tenter has 28 or 34 weavers under his control, & is paid 1 s/5 superscript text in the £1 on the wages earned by them. The tenters are now getting 35/- instead of 50/- per week, (or a reduction of 30 per cent). He gave a list of the factories in Belfast & district, (attached hereto) 34 in number — 2 are working overtime xx (the Grove, & Highfield.) 18 are down as full time, but I understand that even xx these factories are said to have complained of want of workers, but I am told that they neither applied to the Labour Exchange or advertised for them. W. McDowell (continued) in these cases a number of looms are stopped; 2 are working full time in one branch of works & short time for the others; 12 are on short time, - from 45 to 27 hours' 12 factories on short time. (out of the usual 55 hours week), ' & not 75 per' 'cent. of the machinery going, & still they say' 'they can't spare any labours!' One employer, outside the district, told W. M cDowell that by working three weeks out of every four on three quarter time his material might last seven months. As tenters have no connection with mills he ad- vised me to see W. Dawson Gordon of the Flax Roughers Association W. Dawson Gordan. Enquirer's Hall, College Street. said that Miss Galway's figure was correct when 19 out of 24 mills on short time. she said that only five out of the 24 mills in the Belfast district were working full time. These are Mr. Jaffe's, Cogry , Derrymount Edenderry & Blackstaff mills. Flax workers earn an average of 25/- per week. Women (spinners) on full time would earn from 12/- to 13/-. Wages have gone down;- Where 80 spindles used to be worked for a certain wage, they now have to work 180 for a very few W.Dawson Gordan (continued) shillings more. Even one of the better employers like John Fulton & Co. are lowering their pay:— certain work on khaki shirts that was paid at 2/8 per day has lately been reduced to 2/4 superscript text . The same story was told me when I met some dozen members of the Textile Operatives falling wages & rising prices Union in the evening. Material for tents is paid at from 2/4 to 3/6 per 'cut' of 130 yards. It is very heavy work & bad pay. A widow, an experienced worker told me her daughter could not stand it, & as she herself was out of work at the time, she went in to finish the job. The flax or material used was so bad it constantly was breaking & delayed the work greatly. The looms break down under this heavy work:- the girls are 'slaughtered' by it, & get no more pay for it; — 'that is the reason weavers cannot be got sometimes. At Agnes Street Factory this mother was paid 4/8 for 126 yards 42 ins. wide of aeroplane linens — Ten years ago at York Street Mill she would have got 9/- for what they get 4/8 now. She was able to make four 'cuts' in three weeks — i.e 504 yards for 18/8 or 6 / /2 3/4 a week — Camp cloth, they said should be paid 4/- to 5/- per cut or 'set wages' of 17/6 per week. 19 thJanuary W. Mackey of James Mackey & Sons, Springfield Rd. Next morning I went to the factory which had invited women to apply for munition work. On the door posts I read that volunteers for munition work were invited to apply by letter. I entered & asked to see the Manager. I was courteously informed that I should apply by letter, but on ex- plaining that I was not coming on my own behalf, but was desirous to see that Manager & learn something about the work, I was asked to wait. Eventually I was ushered into a room & saw a gentle- man who, I was told later, must have been M r. Mackey. He repeated that the rule was to apply by letter, & when I explained that I was interested to hear that munition work was being started for women in Belfast as I knew the need there was for work for the womens factory & mill workers, he at once assured me I was mistaken: — that there was no lack of work for any women who wished to work & did not drink. I told him my experience was different, - that I knew women worked in Belfast for very low wages & were now in fear of even shorter hours owing to the shortage of flax. W. Mackey said that no doubt I would not credit it, but that at Beardmore's factory in Glasgow, the best work was done by women with University degrees who came in their motor cars. I assured him I had no difficulty in believing that people well clothed & fed & educated did the best work, & if the employers in Belfast would try paying their women workers enough to enable them to be properly clothed & fed & educated, they would find what much better work they could do. This was the experience where there were Trade Boards. I said I had come to get facts to lay before the Government, as there were at least two sides to every question. After a minutes silence he raised his head & said he thought it would be no use to discuss matters further. I agreed & asked if I could see the works, he dismissed. He added that they would start in about a weeks' time, & that there was nothing he could show me that day. Thinking of the women I had seen the night before & of their cruel struggle for existence, — the mill hands die early, mercifully:- I wished I could bring the well-off women to see what they are doing in competing for these poor women's crusts. Is it impossible to get the Government to see that instead of forbidding the increase of wages they should forbid the lowering of them, while food is rapidly reaching famine prices for the workers & the poor?. I must add that, although I have heard it suggested on several occasions that the women of Belfast suffer particularly from the prejudice & obstruction of the men, I have found no con- firmation of this theory. I found no trace of it in talking to the men & when I asked the women they said there was not the slightest ground for such a suggestion. their only criticism was this, - that men who are convinced have union- ists do not urge the women workers in their families to organise themselves, - which they con- sider they ought to do. I have the honour to remain Faithfully yours S.C. Harrison. 31 stJanuary 1916. 36. Upper Fitzwilliam Street. Dublin. A list of union member names A list of union member names Matthew Nathan Letter from James Brown to Matthew Nathan, 1 April 1916Letter from Patrick Lavery to Sir Matthew Nathan, 31 March 1916A letter from Thomas W. Delany to Sir Matthew Nathan, 29 March 1916Letter from W. Burrows to Sir Matthew Nathan, 2 April 1916Telegram from W. Burrows to Sir Matthew Nathan, 2 April 1916Letter from Max S. Green to Sir Matthew Nathan, 6 May 1916Letter from James Langan to Sir Matthew Nathan, 6 May 1916Letter from Thomas Patrick Gill to Sir Matthew Nathan, 6 May 1916Letter from Sir Matthew Nathan to Sir Neville Francis Fitzgerald Chamberlain, 1 May 1916Letter from Alexander Crawford to Matthew Nathan, 17 March 1916Letter from Alexander Crawford to Sir Matthew Nathan, 28 March 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to John Gordon, 30 March 1916Letter from William Edward Thrift to Sir Matthew Nathan, 29 March 1916Letter from Hastings Dare Draper to Matthew Nathan, 29 March 1916Letter from William Edward Thrift to Sir Matthew Nathan, 7 April 1916Letter from Basil Home Thomson, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, to Sir Matthew Nathan, 7 March 1916Letter from Maurice de Bunsen to Sir Matthew Nathan, 26 April 1916Letter from Blake & Kenny to Sir Matthew Nathan, 29 April 1916Letter from Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone to Sir Mathew Nathan, 22 April 1916Letter from Sir Matthew Nathan to Walter Edgeworth-Johnstone, 22 April 1916Letter from Robert Anderson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 21 April 1916Letter from Robert Anderson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 20 April 1916Letter from Robert Anderson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 18 April 1916Letter from C. J. Hyder to Sir Matthew Nathan, 8 May 1916Letter from John Bay to Sir Matthew Nathan, 18 April 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to Andrew Philip Magill, 19 April 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to Stanislaus Murphy, 18 April 1916Letter from H.S. Hunter to Sir Matthew Nathan, 26 April 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to J. G. Swift Mac Neill, 20 April 1916.Letter from R. Hutchinson to Sir Matthew Nathan, under-secretary for Ireland, 2 May 1916Letter from Bertram Cubitt to Matthew Nathan, 23 May 1916Letter from Patrick Clarke to Matthew Nathan, 21 May 1916Letter from Robert Brown to Matthew Nathan, 15 April 1916Letter from Robert Brown to Matthew Nathan, 17 January 1916Letter from Robert Brown to Sir Matthew Nathan, 15 April 1916Letter from Robert Brown to Sir Matthew Nathan, 22 April 1916Letter from Robert Brown to Matthew Nathan, 19 January 1916Letter from Thomas J. O'Connell to Matthew Nathan, 7 April 1916Letter from Ernest G. Moggridge to Matthew Nathan, 10 April 1916Letter from Thomas J. O'Connell to Matthew Nathan, 10 April 1916Letter from Francis Henry Downing to Matthew Nathan, 13 April 1916Letter from Francis Henry Downing to Matthew Nathan, 14 April 1916Letter from Henry Williams to Matthew Nathan, 14 April 1916Letter from F. A. Downing, County Solicitor, to Sir Matthew Nathan, 16 November 1915Letter from B. B. Cubitt, War Office, to Sir Matthew Nathan, 2 December 1915Letter from John R. Moorhead to Sir Matthew Nathan, 8 December, 1915Letter from S.C. Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 February 1916Letter from Sir Matthew Nathan to Alexander McDowell, 3 November 1915Letter from P. A. Murphy to Sir Matthew Nathan, 5 February 1916Letter from Thomas Parr to the Under-Secretary, 22 April 1916Letter from Michael O'Connell to the Under-Secretary, Dublin Castle, 22 April 1916Letter from Maurice McCartie to the Under Secretary, 25 March 1916Letter from A.R. Barlas to Matthew Nathan, 18 February 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to the Treasury, 3 March 1916Letter from T.H. Milroy to the under-secretary, 8 March 1916Letter from John Pedder to Matthew Nathan, the Under-Secretary for Ireland, 6 April 1916Letter from John Garvey to the under-secretary, 16 April 1916Letter from John Pedder to the Under Secretary of Ireland, 27 March, 1916Letter from W.A.F. Barry to Sir Matthew Nathan, 18 June 1916Letter from James D Mitchell to Sir Matthew Nathan, 20 June 1916Letter from Paul Biggane to the Under Secretary of Ireland, 3 May 1916Letter from the War Office to the Under Secretary, 31 December 1915Letter from William J. Thompson to the Under Secretary, 31 March 1916Letter from M.C. Seton to the Under Secretary, 1 December 1915Letter from the Controller, Foreign Trade Department, to Sir Matthew Nathan, 19 February 1916Letter from the Earl of Shaftesbury to Matthew Nathan, 15 February 1916Letter from Patrick Higgins to sir Matthew Nathan, 10 January 1916Letter from Under Secretary of State for the Home Office to the Under Secretary for Ireland, 10 January 1916Letter from Alfred E. West to Matthew Nathan, 3 January 1916Letter from Alfred E. West to sir Matthew Nathan, 29 December 1915Letter from Colfer & Son, solicitors, to sir Matthew Nathan, 22 December 1915Letter from Thomas W. Delaney to Matthew Nathan, 15 April 1916Letter from Charles Daly to sir Matthew Nathan, 16 December 1915Letter from Thomas W. Kilpatrick to Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915Letter from Thomas W. Delaney to Sir Matthew Nathan, 11 April 1916Letter from W. Black to Sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915Note from the Chief Crown Solicitor to Sir Matthew Nathan, 16 February 1916A letter from J.J. Purdon to sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915Letter from William R. Fetherstonhaugh to Sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915Letter from J.W. Russell to Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1916Letter from Hugh Crawford Cochrane to sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915 Letter from David Roche Browning to sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915A letter from J.A. Frith to sir Matthew Nathan, 20 December 1915Letter from William French to Sir Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915Letter from Frank Shawe-Taylor to Matthew Nathan, 18 December 1915A letter from John Furlong to Matthew Nathan, 17 December 1915Letter from William Dawson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 28 February 1916Letter from William Dawson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 25 February 1916Letter from Major Luscombe to Sir Matthew Nathan, 30 January 1916Letter from William J. Thompson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 21 January 1916Letter from Sir Thomas Little Heath to Sir Matthew Nathan, 26 February 1916Letter from the Alexander Richard Barlas to Sir Matthew Nathan, 15 February 1916Letter from A R Barlas to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 March 1916Letter from the Louis C.P. Smith to Sir Matthew Nathan, 3 March 1916Letter from Henry Doran to Matthew Nathan, 14 April 1916Letter from Sir Matthew Nathan to Sir William Graham Greene, 20 April 1916Letter from Charles P. O'Neill to Matthew Nathan, 30 Mar 1916Letter from Arthur Hamilton Norway to Matthew Nathan, 31 March 1916Letter from Robert Lonsdale to Sir Matthew Nathan, 28 March 1916Letter from Charles P. O'Neill to Sir Matthew Nathan, 3 April 1916Letter from John Robert O'Connell to Sir Matthew Nathan, 10 April 1916Letter from Sir John Robert O'Connell to Sir Matthew Nathan, 27 March 1916.Letter from John Robert O'Connell to Sir Matthew Nathan, 4 April 1916Letter from John Robert O'Connell to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 April 1916Letter from William M. Nolan to Matthew Nathan, 31 March 1916Letter from William M. Nolan to Matthew Nathan, 7 April 1916Letter from John Pedder to Matthew Nathan, 10 April 1916Letter from Andrew M. Harper to Matthew Nathan, 1 November 1915Letter from Andrew M. Harper to Matthew Nathan, 21 November 1915Letter from J. F. Henderson to Matthew Nathan, 28 April 1916Letter from Robert Anderson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 15 April 1916Telegraph from Matthew Nathan to Andrew Philip Magill, 23 March 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to Andrew Philip Magill, 22 March 1916Letter from John R. Moorhead to Robert Brown, 18 January 1916Letter from Graham Roger to Matthew Nathan, 20 April 1916Letter from Michael O'Connor to Matthew Nathan, 25 April 1916Letter from C. A. Hunter, Regimental Paymaster, to Sir Matthew Nathan, 11 December 1915Letter from S.C Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 5 March 1916Letter from W. A. Tait to the Under-Secretary, 21 April 1916Letter from J. T. Roche to the Under-Secretary for Ireland, 15 April 1916Letter from John Peddar to Matthew Nathan, 22 January 1916Letter from the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland to the Under Secretary of Ireland, 5 February 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to Basil Blackwood, 26 February 1916Letter from J. des Longchamps to Sir Matthew Nathan, 6 January 1916Letter from Matthew Nathan to James MacMahon, 10 January 1916Letter from Richard Power, Mayor of Waterford, to Matthew Nathan, 22 November 1915Letter from Henry Campbell to Matthew Nathan, 6 January 1916Letter from J. Studdert to Matthew Nathan, 11 December 1915Letter from the Under Sheriff to Matthew Nathan, 31 December 1915Letter from J.B.Donnelly to Matthew Nathan, 6 January 1916Letter from Major John Johnstone (Commandant Prisoners of War) to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 March 1916Letter from the Crown Solicitor, Cavan, to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 March 1916Letter from A R Barlas to Sir Matthew Nathan, 28 February 1916Letter from William Dawson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 26 February 1916Letter from William J. Thompson to Sir Matthew Nathan, 28 February 1916 S.C. Harrison Letter from S.C. Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 February 1916Letter from S.C Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 5 March 1916 36, Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland Letter from S.C. Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 1 February 1916Letter from S.C Harrison to Sir Matthew Nathan, 5 March 1916