The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-07 00:00:00

this. Tito hon. member for Sheffield had inked the other

night, and it k;aelbienriiie;teiiiist;Wenini;bisleriihtl;nll
baronet, if you had not passed this corn law bill what would
have become of you in February, 1848, when the whole of
the continent was convulsed, and thrones were topplin:
down. By that bill, when the price of corn :ose a 724 , a
higher duty was imposed by 3.. than would
have been imposed by the bill of 1812. The
argument seemed to be, that we were saved from
the revolution of 1848 by the repeal of the corn
law twelve months afterwards. Whs. It was said that
distress was owing to the tariff of 1842, they were told that
free trade had not had a fair trial, and that they had ne right
to impute the disasters to that ; and, on the other head, they
main'ained that the prosperity of the country wee owing to
a bill not pulsed 12 months since. To what ludicrous in-
consistencies were talented men reduced ! His hon. friend

the member for Sussex had said that when the agricultural
interest was distressed on a former occasion, it was owing to
the low price ceased by the abundance of cons; but his right
hon. friend said that notwithstanding the abundance of corn,
the farmers were more distressed in 1836 than they now were.
There was • great distinction between the case of the
farmers they and farmers at the present moment. They
might then be distressed, but it was owing to accidental cir-
cumstances, over which the legislature of the country
had no controal, whereas at the present moment they had
told the farmer that they pissed this measure in order to
produce low prices, and that having attained that object they
would not repeal the law which had given those log prices.
That was not the case in 1836 ; they knew the cause enu tem-
porary, and parliament and the right hon. gentleman did
what they could to ameliorate the aindi'ion of the farmers,
and dui not say as they now did, we can do nothing for
you The fumes then had confidence in the House of
Commons, bat now they had none whatever. He would go
at once to what he considered the most important
is
eonsecretary
scans
question—theehad
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muter
asroet;drthe conditiona
manufacturer.i
ot t
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aof ftmuh Noul
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Nottingham.
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Some time ago he, having been mailed upon by the operatives
of Nottingham to afford them some relief under their die-
tress, wrote to inquire what were the wages they received
when they struck, and what amount of wages they struck
fur. The wages they were receiving when they struck were
6s. 6.1., and they struck for a rise of Is. 6d., or
7s. a week. (Hear, bear.) Cauld any man he con-
tented with that? He said they should inquire
into these things, and be therefore called upon the
house to vote for the motion of his bon. friend, certain as he
was, that if they had many friends in the cause of labour and
native industry, the case of the poor operatives and labourers
would be better attended to. The letter said, " I can with
eocfilence astute you that the operatives in the frame-work
knitting trade are deluded, and they begin to feel the telly
of free-trade principles, and that party to be the greatest
enemies to the working elutes. Ode of them, the greatest
manufacturer of Nottioghun, told the deputation that waised
on him on Monday last, that he was astonished at their im-
pudence in minim for an advance, now that they had gat
bread and provisions so very &Leap." (Hear.) These
unfortunate people living on five shiliogs and sixpence ,
a week. He doubted whether this was not the very tosaterl
menufacturer who wrote the letter to his right hon. fri ed.
° However, the time is arrived when the working classes are I
determined net to be deluded by that cites of men for the'
future ; fur invariably we find them the greatest ecemies to
the working classes." He would show the reduction of
wave, since 1845, in every s ecies of manufacture that was
carried on in Manchester. He did not see the l.on. member
for Manche ester in his place, but be would be able to tell
whether these returns were correct. In the year 1846, for
wearing 75 cotton handkerchiefs the sum of 49. 6d. was paid ;
in 1849, for the same amount of work, the sum of 3e. Sd
was eine. This reducti in of wages was not affected by the'
reduction in the hours of Isbaur. In 1845 and 1816, tor'
weaving a piece 5.5 yards lone, Ss. 61. was given ; for
weaving the same quantity in 1849, not more than 2s. 7d.
In 1845 and 1846, for want g 64 yards of OM e, 4a. tad. ; in
1849, for 66 yards of the same, 3.. In 1847, for weaving
a certain amount of cloth, 4s. 7d.; for weaving the
same quantity in 1849, 3s. 31. So the return went on
showing the reduction" which had taken piece in the various
articles they m enufactun d in Manchester, and show-
ing the sums they now received, and those which
they received in 1815 and 1846. There was then an
account of the redaction in the expenditure of these dif-
ferent weavers. For his cost and waistcoat in 184.5 and
1846 he gave 60.. cost price. Ups!' the prices of 5f446, nub-
jeet to a reduction of 25 per cent. in favour of 1849, there
was 12.. 61. gain. The average amount ef a bet in 1845
was lOs —a reducti en of 2.5 per cent. was 2.. Cl. knife. Has
shoes in 1845 were 15s. ; the reduction at 25 per cent. was
lia. 91. His stockings were 3s. 41. ; 101. gain. Cloth foe
I two shirts, 56. ; reduction, Is 31. liendkerchiefs, 4s. ; a
I gain of ls. Stocking weaving. particularly for wife and
children, 100 s. ; and in 1849 there was a gain of
11. 51. The reduction in the price of bread, taking
1,500. be., wee 31. 2a. 61. The whole of the gain upon
them ?mimes arieles was Riven at 61 19s. 11 ie., the gain
on purchases in 1819, as compared with 1845 ; but the wages
of the operative beteg re limed in 1849 56. per week as com-
pared with 1815 and 1816, the loss per annum to each of
such operatives was 131. The total loss per aent mto a man
with a wife and children was 61. and "fraction. Time right howl
member fi•r Temwarb, its answer to r is hon. friend the mem-
ber goo Buck., had urged that the decrees d value of our
ports was to be attributed t, the reduction in the price of raw
material, in the plc, of provisions, and in the rats s.f
wager. But the real question was, whether this country had
not suffered, and wss continuing to suffer (rem this decrease ?
It mew ared th it the reduction in value • f our exports was
at the rate of 22 percent., but making every deduction
for the diminished price of raw material there was a nett re-
daction is value of 10 per cent., being so much dead loss to
British industry. A recent increase had b. en noticed in our
eop ern, but he believed it was chiefly in the exports to
America, whence large orders were coming in anticipation of
a prohibitory act which wag certain to pass the American
legislature. Those who taunted country gentlemen with 'de-
sire to raise rents and pay off mortgages at the expense of
the labouring classes should hear with petit nce the 'tegu-
ment& of their advocate,. If such statements had been mode tiy
the hind delegates of the Anti corn Law L ague, he should
have known how to treat them, but when they came from
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and were addressed to a
British House of Commons, he felt bound to make them
hear, and if he had voice they should hear—(a laugh)—
what he had to Nay in repei:Cation. The country gentlemen
even when di sent* d by tiieir natural friends—(loud protec-
tionist cheers)—had never flinched from their long cherished
opinions; ant why? Because they were convinced, both
by reason and argument, that in maintaining protection they
were not doing no *imply (or their own Derails, but were
maintaining a system which, on their consciences, they be-
lieve d to be the best for all classes in this great
country. (Protectionist cheers.) It wee that cause which
bad preveutet them from changing, that which had sup-
p nett them in their tri els against the leading men on lettlo
sides of the house, and now when, in 1819, their principles
had received the sanction of experience, they were rot likely
re yield them to any taunt, let it come from whence is might.
Their h lief errs, that the prophecy of his hot'. friend the
inesafxr fcr Buckieghamshire would be speedily sect tom-
: ;direly fulfilled. (Hear, hear.)
Lord el, ItUSSELL—I should be wasting in respect
to the hon. g. edemas who has made this mak n, and to his
supporter., if I were not to state some at least of the grounds
on which I think myself justified in resisting his motion.
However, I should Fay that so far es the conduct of the go-
vernm -et is c ancerned, and the present state of tinder,
I should rest satisfied with the speech of my right hon. friend
the Chaneellsr of the Exchequer; and also I must say, with
'regard to the general principles of our commercial
p eicy during the last seven years, that it would be the
height of presumption in me to enter into the cur eidera-
tion of thi a, topics, or to attempt to defend thme
principles atter the able, and, as I thick, un-
answerable speech of the tight hon. ?menet the member
for Tamworth. (Loud cheers I I must now take notice
of one or two statements which were made by the
hon. member for Buckinghamshire. He produced an official
return—and, in compliance with his wish, I will deal with
nothing else—en official return showing an increase in the
poor rater, and he said that that return alone would justify
the house In acceding to his motion. I must say that I
think he came rather late into the field with his motion. His
return ends at Lady-day, 1848, comprising three-quarters of
1847 an 1 only one of 1848. Well, that was a year which
was unf or anstely distinguished by the calamity of a great
famine in Indeed, • great want of food in this country, by
great commercial convenient, and by various other ceases of
distress—circumstances which must account for a very great
increase in the poor rate. But I should hardly have thought
diet the h gentleman would have selected
that as a penitent year of calamity, because his ergs-
meet is that a high price of corn is almost synonymous
with the prosperous condition of the labouring class-s, od
that very year 1817 was distinguished over the twenty-five'
years preceding it by the very high price to which corn at-
tained. (Hear, hear.) It appears, then, that the instance
quoted by the honourable gentleman, so far from being
ot, is usually against his motion, because he
shows you national calamity attending upon high price
f food, Ann then says, "Ho into committee with
me, and I will show you how to get high prices again." A
complete contradiction in the hon. member's arguments.
(Hear, beer) But with respect to some later intelligence
to be found in official returns which I have received from
my hon. and learned friend the chief commissioner of poor
leers, I be g to inform the house that the state of the country
duce the pabligition of the hon. member's returns has exhi-
bited nips of improvement as reyards those classes who seek
relaxe in the poor-house, or who are in the receipt of out-
dose relief. Taese returns were not sent until they had been
ordered, and they relate to 106 unions, of which it appears
that there is a decreased expenditure in b 7, and an increase
in only 19, and of these only 12 are purely agricultural
unions. Si that XS far as these returns go we have
reason to think that there is improvement, not falling
eff in the condition of the agricultural labourer. The ez-
psnditure of these monies daring the year ending Lady-
day, 1818. was 863.1101.; and for the year ending Lyn-
day, 1849, 799,1511.; being • diminution of 63,9691. To
that, by having somewhat later intelligence than the
honourable gentleman, I am abs I. some respects to
throw • more cheering light on those circumstantial
which he thinks so dark and desperate. (Hear, hear.)
With respect to the country at large, I have stated generally
the members of these uniorui, but there are some purely
age col. ur 1 countiis in which decreese is shown. In Bed.
ford, Buck-, Dorset, Essex, Gloucester. Hereford, L-eiceater,
Northampton, Somerset, Sussex, and Wilts, all agricultural
esuu• 4s, where poor relief was Risotto the greatest extent,
there his heed • decrease. I will take the union in one
oily, and give • return still later than those which
I have Taw. d. With regard to the six unions in Bedford,
what has been the result with respect to in-door and out-
door relief? At Midsummer, 1848, there were 1,007 an the
workhouse, and at the same date in 1849, 901. Tee expense
of outdoor relief was, in 1813,6821., and in 1649, 5431. So that
so far from the state of the country having Deanne