Star. — London, England, 1819-08-10 00:00:00

I • (~. tit • • • • 0 i!for p \, •A " STAR %VW LONDON. TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1819. THE FUNDS. TRICK OF STOCKS THIS DAY AT ONR O'CLOCK Bank Stock 2321 3 per Cent. Reduced 1214 3 per Cent. Consols 71i 721 • ner Cent. 811 821---1 9er Cent. soi 9111 5 per Cent. Navy 101! 105 1044 Bank Long Annuities 19 3-16 India Stock 222,-India Bonds 11 13 pre. Exchequer Bills (2J.) 1 3 pre. Omnium 4(5 4.1 51 re. Consols for Acct. 71 7:2 713 7211. We have another letter frOm the " Manchester Manufacturer" to lay before , our Readets, but 'we must first notice an observation of The Morning Chro nicle of this clay, on the intelligence which we com municated yesterday, of the Ileritors (Landholders) of the Barony Parish, Glasgow, having resolved that an aid shall be given to the Weavers who now have work in hand, at vo./ges which do not yield 9s. weekly, to make up to them that sum, till they have `finished the work now in their looms ; but that no work shall be taken in hand by those now out of em ployment, or by those who now have work in hand, after they have finished the same, at prices which will not yield them 9s. weekly. The Paper alluded to praises the benevolent feelings which prompted this Resolution. " But," adds The Chronicle, " it is impossible to disguise the fact, that it is a commencement in Scotland of the system of making .up to the workmen the deficiency of his wages out of the parish-rates." In this remark our contemporary shews less attention than he usually bestows upon the premises from which he draws his conclusion. The fact is directly the reverse of what be has stated. In England it has become a regular system for the masters to pay their workmen only; part of the remuneration due to them for their labour, and to send them to the parish for the remainder and in Scotland some of the masters have been labour ing to introduce the same system. But, " No!" say the Landholders round Glasgow, by the Resolution they have come to—. No! you shall not be permitted to establish this pernicious system among us: you have, it is true, by taking advantage of the distresses of the workmen, compelled them to undertake work at wages inadequate for their maintenance; but you are mistaken if you think we will suffer this to continue. We know that the people must be maintained when employment cannot be obtained ; but we know also, that you would not give work to those wham you do employ brit from the hope of the profits that you ex-, pect from the sale of their products; and we have resolved that no longer, by any artifice of yours, will we permit you to draw any part of your profits from our pockets, by making us pay any portion of the wages of your workmen in the shape of Poors-rates„ You shall either pay your workmen wages adequate to their maintenance, or you shall not have them to work for you. Rather than submit to pay them part of their wages white you get their whole work, we will take their whole work and pay them their whole wages. We will not, however, punish those workmen whom you have bound in an iniquitous contract to finish certain pieces of goods now in hand at inadequate prices ; for even to those who you say are in employ ment we will up what you ought in justice to pay them—but only till they shall have fulfilled their present contracts, and no longer : no, not for a single day ; for you shall have no more of their labours at prices inadequate to maintain the workmen." This is the reasoning or these enlightened men, and we are surprised that 77 , :: Morning Chronicle did not see to what it must Lead should it be generally adopted and acted upon. But let us confine ourselves to the neighbourhood in which the Resolution has been adopted, and we can not mistake the result : in three or four weeks at farthest all the fabrics now in hand will be got out of the loom in succession—how then will the wage.' breaking masters stand? They must stand still, or agree to give such wages for the work they may afterwards give out, as will enable the workmen to live, without the necessity of being a burden to their neighbours. The conclusion is inevitable. We will now lay before our Readers the letter from the " Manchester Manufacturer," alluded to above, to which we subjoin a letter from a Spitalfields Ma nufacturer, controverting some of the opinions ad vanced by Mr. lIALEs (see the STAR of Friday last), but concurring in the perfect conviction that there is nothing in the trade of the country to preventfair prices being given to the workmen. This is what we contend for ; and we maintain that, let this conviction once become general, and there will then be an end to the principal sufferings of the mar.ufacturing workmen. Among our intelligence from the Manufacturing Districts, we have also given some Resolutions come to by the Frame-work Knitters at Leicester and at Nottingham, as bearing directly on the important question now under discussion: " MANCHESTER, AUGUST 7. u Sin—l hope you will excuse my troubling you to insert in your valuable Paper the following facts: o a was in - fortned on Thursday, by a very respee tac manufacturer near Stand, in Pilkington, that if something was not done to stay the hand of the op pressing manufacturers, he and others would decline business altogether. For whatever the first rate ma nufacturers gave, they had a set of men amongst them who would hive their' goods wove for Is. per piece less. Indeed they now only give 21d. per yard for weaving what they paid 7d. for twenty years ago. " A similar line of conduct is also pursued in va rious other branches of the cotton manufactory in the surrounding neighbourhood—one of the State: tinkering sycophants of the ignorant, who lives within the sound of Prestwich church bells, and who ma nufactures checks, &c. gives 6d. to Is. less for weav ing 64 yards, than any respectable house in Man-, tirester does for 58 to 61 yards, which is two to 3i per cent. less on sale price of the goods. This pesti lent fellow is perpetually railing against Ministers, whilst I.e is the Minister of oppression and distress to those who work for him. " Some of the Bolton knowing ones have 'trotted' too fast on the same road, and have nearly run the weavers off the way of life, but the Ashton Youths' infancy and fine work, have out-stripped all who have run in the same way ; they now give 6s. for fine fancy weaving, and when it first came out it was 421., and so late as nine months ago they gave 24.5. A highly respectable house here, has long given 9s. per dozen for 6.4 shawls, and before they would re. duce the price of weaving, have given up the article altogether, while the Ashton gentry have secured the I I trade by paying ls. 9d. per dozen only, for weaving: just enough for pin-winding, dressing, kc. and 3d. per week to spare for white sand and ling bosoms. "Your numerous readers must excuse my warmth: " On such a theme, 'tis impious to be calm, " Passion is reason, transport temper here !" 66 Some calico manufacturers have been so exorbi tant in their expectations, that they have asked 3s. advance on prices obtained the second Tuesday in July—want 3s.—and kindly give the weaver '3d.!— a striking contrast between self-interest and sympa thizing acts of kindness to weavers.—Alas, poor weaver! nothing can give thee security for future subsistence but Legislative enactment !!! " The oppressing manufacturer knows what he is doing—sees the extreme want and the depth of rni• sery to which he has reduced those by which he lives. And yet in act he says—oppression of the poor be thou my good—let individuals be ground to dust— let other manufacturers sink to rise no more—let the pallid-cheeked weavers become a mass of paupers— let devastation spread on every hand—let nations and empires fall—if Imy ends obtain ! !—Stop, stop thou monster of oppression►—what ultimate good canst thou derive from thy nefarious practices—what good can result to these districts, or tothe nation, in suffering such a man, or such men as thee to proceed your own way ? Good—no good, bat evil in all its odious forms, whether of a commercial, political, civil, moral, or'religious nature ! " A MANUFACTURER: " TO TIIE EDITOR OF THE STAR. " August 6. 1319. " Sta—Although I cannot expect the valuable ctlumns of your I'aper to be appropriated to a controversy on the policy of the present Regulations of the Spit Afield' Manufacture, yet as the latter of Mr. Max, Insetted in your Paper of to-day, is likely to attract notice, I trust you will permit an attempt to remove some false impressions which may be made on the pub lic mind by its perusal: and as the existing distress among large bodies of the manufacturing poor of other districts, and the cora- parative ease of the Spitalfieccis weavers, give great present ad vantage to the views of legislative intelfercnce which that Gen tleman is well known to entertain, and might lead to a belief that a similar remedy Is the only one for the unjust and unne cessary reduction of wages in other manufactures, it becomes of more importance that the arguments and facts he adduces should be correctly understood. " I cannot look upon the Act which regulates weaving in Spitalfields as securing to the industrious journeyman what may be considered R fair price for his labour,' so much as a measure of very unequal and injurious operation, securing the same wages alike to bad and good workmen, to the youth of 15 or 20, and to the experienced journeyman, often occasioning the discharge of workmen, when a temporary reduction of wages would enable their masters to continue them in employment, being instrumental in destroying our foreign trade, and as tend ing to repress all improvements and ingenuity. " Mr. Hale states the average amount of the earnings of his journeymen to be from Iss. to 16s. per week; and I have no doubt he is accurate. But the statement, in the form he has given it, is calculated to mislead your• Readers into an opinion that whatever may be said against regulation of prices by law, it cannot in this instance be alleged that high wages are the conse quence. In fact, it is not the whole truth. He does not say bow many of his hands are children and apprentices, working for the account of their parents and masters. . . The average earnings of the hands employed by the estab lishment to which I belong I find to be 15s. 6d. per week; and as a large proportion of the goods we manufacture are of a low description, nearly one-half of them are made by women and children, many of whose husbands or masters are at the tame time employed by us or other manufacturers on richer and bet ter paid articles. Such as average will, therefore, at once ap pear a very unfair criterion of a poor family's means of support. Of our workpeople, eighty-eight are single hands ; forty-nine fa milies have two looms each, twenty-four have three looms, five have four looms, and two have five looms. Taking, therefore, the above average, the gains of our Weavers will stand thus: 2,ighty hands gain each, per week £0 15 6 Forty-eine families, ditto ......... ............ 1 11 0 Twenty-four ditto, ditto 2 6 6 Five ditto, ditto 3 I 0 Two ditto, ditto " Comparati►ely, ►ery few families depend upon the produce of one loom; wages In the Silk-manufacture do not therefore staid exactly in the same place u those of most other trades. " I will not trouble you on the general question of the policy or intpolisy of wages being settled by public aut►ority, after the unanimous opinion expressed on this subject by thebest-informed Wyatt . , of the House of Commons, when a Bill was last Session presented for esti:adios to Weer places the Spitalfteds .. \ Acts, nor on the best remedy foe' , the abu - ses and distress in the northern parts of the kingdom; but I dm sure it ought rot to be inferred, that because no iistre.s is now felt in Spitalfields, itis owing to the eicellence of our system, an a time has been when we have been more distressed than other ManufActurett, and chiefly owing to that system. " Having said so much to correct misapprehension, I beg with Mr. Hale to stat e distinctly my entire convicton, that there is nothing either in the trade of Coventry, NI anclu. ster, or any other place, to prevent fair prices being given to the work men. Overtrading, underselling, and a wish to throw the whole loss on the labourer, are evils that want a cure. " I am, Sir, your constant reader, " A SIPITALFI I LDS MANUFACTURtit." THE DISTURBED DISTRICTS. MANCHESTER, AUGUST 8. The past week has not gone over our heads alto gether free from disturbance. It is usual, after the fatigues of the day, for a number of working people to assemble at the New Cross to discuss politics, &c. This was the course on Monday evening, when some Runners of the Police made themselves very active in defacing and tearing down the posting bills for the Public Meeting. Some abusive language passed betwixt them and the reople, and at last the Run ners were fairly driven away ; they came back again with NADIV at their head, and were again driven away by the people ; in a short time they returned with a body of military, the Riot Act was read, and the people ordered to disperse; they then paraded , through the neighbouring streets, striking and wound ; ing any persons who did not, or could not get out of their way. ANOTHER ACCOUNT. On Monday evening, a man employed by our Po lice in posting Proclamations about the neighbour hood of the New Cross, and protected by a Constable, was assaulted, whilst doing his duty in a steady man ner, by a numerous assemblage of persons. The Peace Officer seized one of them, but he was at once rescued by the mob, who beat the Bill-poster and the Constable, and obliged them to take refuge in the Crown and Kettle Inn to save their lives. A messen ger was dispatched to the Police Office with infor mation, and for assistance. The Boroughreeve, the Constables, the Deputy-Constable, and seven or eight Assistants, immediately made to the spot. The mob, about 2000 persons, opened a passage for them through their centre inwards the Crown and Kettle, but closed in upon them by common consent, and, shouting ":Now for it, lads!" commenced a furious attack upon them with large paving-stones, which came in tremendous showers. These highly-respect able and meritorious Public Officers were in conse quence obliged to fly to save their lives, which were in imminent danger. Though severely struck by large stones, they fortunately incurred no serious in jury. The men first attacked did not so escape; one of them received a severe contusion in the eye, and the other was much hurt. A company of the 88th Regiment, stationed in the King-street Barracks, under the command of Colonel M , Gaeonoa, was then marched by its Offi cer to the New Cross, attended by the Civil Officers, 'and dispersed the multitude ; but on Tuesday night these refractory persons assembled again, and a breach of the peace occurred, in an attack with stones upon two Gentlemen who were mere passengers. On Wed nesday evening two police-officers who were passing on their duty were assaulted in the same'outrageous way, pursued, stoned, and obliged to take shelter in a house, the windows of which were shortly demo lished by stinVers of great stones, which had been previously collected in heaps by these ruffians, to be ready for use. From this house the two men ulti mately escaped with safety. Never, at the most turbulent period, have the Boroughreeve and constables met with such indecent and outrageouts conduct towards themselves perso nally when on the duty of the public, and it is hoped no repetition of it will occur. Should this, however, be the case, the inhabitants will certainly expect that they be protected by such farther means as the neces sity of the occasion may demand. The New Cross district is at present an unsafe thoroughfare, and the town cannot be thus menaced with impunity. All proclamations and notices posted up in that neigh bourhood are as regularly torn down or covered with mud, so as to be rendered of no use to the public.— This is a serious offence. LEICESTER FRAME-WORK KNITTERS. A meeting of the Frame-work Knitters was held in St. Margaret's Pasture, on Friday last, to take into consideration the Report and new scale of prices, agreed to by the Master Hosiers, at their meeting at the Exchange, on the day preceding (see the STAR of the 7th) Mr. WILLIAM JACKSON was called to the Chair, when, after some discussion, the following, among other Resolutions, were unanimously passed : 1. That this Meeting views with regret the statement of Prices proposed to be given by the Hosiers on the sth instant, as being totally inadequate to maintain themselves and their fa milies by their industry. I. That this Meeting are . at a loss to conceive, bow any per sons could for a moment entertain the idea, that a list of wages would " prove satisfactory tq the workmen" that would im pose upon them the necessity of working fifteen hours per day, and at the same time not enable them to procure, by such ex traordinary labour, a sufficiency of the common .necessaries of life. _ _ _ 3. That this Meeting consider themselves entitled, by the im mutable principles of justice and equity, to such a reward for their labour as will enable them to live by their industry. 4. That the fears of the Hosier's Committee respecting an ad ' vance of Wages up to the list price of 1817 removing the Ma nufactory from us altogether; are totally groundless, in_smuch as the Woisted Manufactory is weaned almost csclunvely to BIRMINGHAM. this County, and no other country possessirt the rro giyes us the exclusive command of the Foreign Ms.k t , t. 5. That wbatevct disposition may have been felt by ; siets to make out a liberal statement of wages, we cart e . honent that that disposition should have been so Print wholly counteracted by motives contrary to the cumfort sty pines, of the Frame-work Knitters, and that s t y Manufacture► should still be disposed to chain the rant e man's brow et little more than half its value." 6. That if the demand is not equal to the supply, 2/13.1 „ . of wages to an amount that will enable single men at obtain a livelihood by labour of twelve bones, will t en d : , move tbh evil, as thereby the hours of labour will be ably diminished, and consequently employment afford grea ter number of hands, while rethaing the wages I. ;he hours of labour, and throws a ptoportionzte n ay , , hands nut of employment, 7. l'hat if the irtell of reducing the - *Ages of 1.1.01 it dated in, parishes will be under the necessity of takin g , nufactory into their own hands or be totally ruined. 8. That this Meeting recommend it to their ftllow-t both of the Town and County, to send all the frames is employers who will not give the list price of 1817; . strictly enjoin a continuance of that peaceable coad t m hitherto manifested. 9. That the thanks of this Meeting be given to a Public for the support already received, and which, will still be continued, till we can live by our labour, being burthensotne to the Parishes 10 That this Meeting laments the want of emil,A their regular calling, and humbly solicits the rerA nit Town and County to take the situation of the Frameirt tern into their serious consideration, and to provide other ment for them until they can obtain the List Prices cf A Notice has been issued, by crdcr of and Guardians assembled at the House of to the following effect :—" That, however ti approve of the claims of the Framework-kn; should any one or more of them belonging respective parishes so far disgrace them•eis cause as to attempt, under any pretence to travel and collect money fur the mainte: support of the men during the present stop as some have very unjustifiably done, that son shall be prosecuted as a vagrant." Several waggon-loads of frames, belonen J. Rawsou, have been sent in by his work ing the present week. The waggons acre 'he men, and excited much interest. NOTTIN'GHAM. We mentioned in the STAR of the 2d inst. Frame-work Knitters of this town had strut advance of wages. A numerous meeting (principally in the Cotton branch) was het Forest, to consider what measures aught to ed for obtaining relief from their present in consequence of the lowness of wages, icc. following Resolutions were unanimously art 1. That it appears to this Meeting, that the great oble depression of wages has principally arisen, not on the part of the Hosiers to reduce the Stocking makes misery and Wretchedness which he now endures, ' competition to undersa each other in the markat, v.„ That the reducing the wages of the tacchante , to be deprecated as injurious to the peace, happiness, sperity, of the great body of the people; for as the the people become poor and wretched, in the • must the consumption of our manufactures be iesscced. 3. That this Meeting do consider, that it is the duty of the Frame-work Knitters of to eo-operate with the Trade of Leicestershire, and ing till such time as they can obtain such a price AS will enable them to maintain themselves the assistance of the Parish. 4. That as an advance of wages is expected to the 7th of August, it is hoped, that Parishes eessary amngements, and find other employment such as cannot obtain it. 5. That a vote of thanks be given to those tester and Leicestershire, who have so nobly conic support of the distressed Workmen of that Town At a numerous Meeting of the Reform this town on Tuesday evening last, among other Resolutions were unanimou! Resolved—" lhat we do forthwith form of Society; and which Society du assume the cam. miugham Union Society. " That books be immediately opened, and prope pointed to receive subscriptions towards defrayi , of establishing the above Society ; and that tke contribution from each member be one penny per it open for larger donations. " That there shall be taken, as soon as posFibl sate room, capable of accommodating at least 20( room to be fitted up with proper benches, 4.:c. the said room czn be prepared, a weekly meeti of all the members of this Union, for the purpose such subjects as tend to political and general it devising the best means of recovering from our rights which they have usurped. " That as soon as possible after the establish] mingharn Union, a Night and Sunday School sl the Union Room, for the instruction of youth, n and words, but in such an education that will te hey and happiness of the rising generation." LEEDS, AUGUST 8. (EXTRACT PROM A PRIVATE LE The agitators of this quarter project ing on Hunslet Moor, and a Requisitioi for that purpose. It seems that the, out a tit and proper person to represe ple of Leeds in the Commons House of as one of the osteroible objects of Meeting is to elect such an individual ti —Now, hos; ever, that the firm stand Magistrates at Manchester has fully estalut9 illegality of calling a Public Meeting for purpose, it may be doubted whether our here will have the folly to pers'‘t in 1/‘ question a second time to the trial, s;rre4.,is tainty, the example of the Mal,hees will be followed by the Magistrate, :Ice 20 every where else, under the like circerng.l4s sting the !2. 1 r1+,.. 11l mreitla Msoltem e been felt by wages, we car te: t. tba e been so Sint z. to the contort ari SYCI d that /my lain the tune e t t , Littl Wr ,.„ the supply, 2n e DI s single men at k. s boors, ol ee , d . 4. labour will be ~t e a a ployment 01.4.4, 1 1 1 re 5( :ing the wag e , i zt Se oportionate nuk e , - *Ages of L.lviat y . Y 'S .cesaity of taking ts wally ruined. OUr to their fellow-wef all the frames in te • SC price of 1817; 4,1„ the seeable comluct the! CiJ s be given to a ,see eT , .5 , ed, and which, ~ Ulg s by our !abhor, mint of empkmo i.e tits the Centim e , d in of the Ft:ammo, " e ad to provide other • en, .he List Prices cf 1.11!. y order of the :ly he House of l:,2.11. • poi !at, however ti . !te ramework-knitter, -st em belonging to . bt -ace then-1 , 0.v es c 7 oni ray preterite what. • el ur the anaintenau t :al t present stop iny v . •Mt I y done, that such .s f agrant." as ames, belonging to ket by his workmen a , 'agr, , ons were thew; - c I interest. nu IA M. ila of the 2d inst. thst tir town had struck for • ..t •ous meeting of , inch) was held oa s t iures ought to bead, th their present suffer. of wages, Sec. what a manimously adopted ct ig, that the great sad pally arisen, not from as.. ! a the Stocking snakes to . IC now endures hot f • • in the market. of the mecharie Is at all *. s peace, happiness, and *pie ; for as Use great e :hed, in the same pp.. afactures be lessened under exisdog circa , rork Knitten of this I eicestersbire, and ceve rs such a price for their emulous and families s is expected to take? — sat Parishes will mole tb her employment or ree en to those Gentlemes re so nobly corn; f,: en of that Town and Co SHAM. of the Reformers, hi 'fling last, the folk !it unanimously 3!„ .. z, • rthwith form our>e:vo assume the name opened, and prep . : is7: ' towards &fro) irg tic :• r ; ar.d that the rept.; be one penny per weJ..• ns soon as possib l e, 1 S'T sating at least 20C poor . ' r benches, Sac. That •f- a weekly meeting sh sn, for the purposed 2 ' al and general inform:la: rering from our op?reloo tea the establishment Cl iunday School shall be o' ction of youth, not ez;1 0 radon that w ill :rad to it generation." ►LJG UST 8. PRIVATE LETTER.' tarter project atiothe: d a Requisition !ems that they hAre arson to represeal d ie s mons House of rar.. objects of the in individual to that !, :he firm stand mad e ter has fully estahl Public Bleeting for a°!' bted whether our r to pert p ul t : to the trial , vore...w.. the i.kia,whester ti Iklagistrate , the like circern-4!“" it