The Express.
London, England, 1867-09-21 00:00:00

ritADza OrI7tAOZS COMMISSION.

MANCHESTER, Saar. 20.

The court opened at the usual hour. Mr. B. T.
Williams, barrister, of the Temple, was present to watch
the proceedings on behalf of the Amalgamated Carpenters;
Mr. W. P. Roberts represented the trades generally: and
Messrs. Cobbett and Wheeler were present on behalf of
the masters` associations.

James Johnson sworn—ls the representative and •
partner of Messrs. Knowles and Co., colliery proprietors,
of Pendlebury. They employ about 3,000 colliers. There
was • colliers' union, but they had not employed union
men since 1846. About 1,400 men left last November to
join the union. There had been no dispute about wages
to lead to it. Some of them had privately joined, and
persuaded the others. The wages were then higher than
they had ever been, and this took place when the trade
was depressed in Staffordshire and Cornwall, and the
agents of Mewl. Knowles obtained 500 colliers
from those counties, and double the number
tune of their own accord, hearing the remu-
neration was good. 17ntil the cottages were emptied
of the old families they had to purchase beds and
bedding, and provide temporary lodging for about
150 of the new men. About 1803 upwards of .100 colliers
turned out at their colliery, at Stone Clough, but most of
them came back, on the old terms. The wages of men and
hoys would average 22a.—the men's wages would be about
is. Many of the 1,400 who left had given up the union
since and come back. In March last there was • fire in •
store room where the new corners were accommodated. It
had been an oil store and burnt freely. There were AMC
worth of stores, and the damage done was about 800/. If it
had not been early discovered there must have been an ex-
plosion from the near proximity of a gasometer and a ton
of blasting powder which would have caused an immense
loss of life. It had been rumoured that great mischief was
intended, but there had not been &threatening letter. Two
letters came from the union which witness produced. The
contents were of no moment. One of then, dated Dec. 1866,
from thecommittee,asked why, as masters had unions, they
objected to the men. Witness read one of the letters,
dated 111th May, which came from the society men who
had left them. It stated that the men knew, and were
ashamed to soy, they had put the company to great ex-
pense and inconvenience, but they (the men) had been led
on, like fools, by men who axed little so long as they got
30s. a week and were made " somebodies." They offered
to make the union into a sick club and return to work if
they might be taken on again and have their fault over-
looked. Mr. Knowles replied that he could not enter into
any negotiation, but they afterwards took on any of the
men who came back and offered themselves of their own
accord. Did not think the fire originated in spontaneous
combustion, or through accident. They were told that •
man named Tattersfield bad said there would be something
serious, he feared, before long, and he feared it would
happen the following Sunday, which it did. Tatterafield
afterwards denied saying so. The fire broke out in a shed
adjoining the building destroyed.

John Walwork sworn—la a wheelwright, living at
Pendlebury, and remembered the strike at Knowles's
colliery. Remembered the new hands. He had
six of them as lodgers. While they were thine
the windows were broken. Six panes were broken
while one of the lodgers went to the front room to write a
letter, and there was a shout of " knobsticks," and stones
were thrown through the window at him. They lived
with witness about four months, and had to be guarded
to and from their work all the time. About last Christ-
mas he was attacked by a drunken collier.
Wm. Pafford, collier, said last year he was working
for Messrs. Knowles after the strike. One night in Sep-
tember something was thrown through his chamber
window and exploeled. Stones and bits of bottle flew on
to the bed where he and his wife lay. Some of the union
men bad told him he would rue coming to Pendle-
bury, and called him knobstick.
Samuel Potts, police officer, said he remembered the
strike, and he had to report a great many disturbances at
the time. Stones were thrown at the new men continu-
ally for about five months. Ten policemen had to be
placed on Messrs. Knowles's property to guard the pre-
mises and colliers.

Joseph Robinson, a collier from Bristol, said he came to
work after the strike, and was waylaid and beaten by the
turnouts. Afterwards had his windows broken. Went
back to work at Billiton, because it was dangerous to re-
main at Pendlebury.
Joseph Robinson, collier, from Billiton, Staffordshire,
said he worked at Messrs. Knowles's. After the strike a
man named Wilson knocked him down after cries of
" knobstick," while he was walking with his wife and child.
Henry Jones, one of the colliers, said he was knocked
down at his own door in February, by union men, and
rendered insensible. Some of them were tried and sen-
tenced to twelve months' imprisonment.
John Barnett, s Billiton man, gave evidence that he was
accosted while working for Knowles and Co., at his own
home, and he was felled by union men, wbo professed to
have come to ask if he would join the union.
Matthew Bowling, • factory operative, detailed a case of
outrage in which, last December, be was attacked one
dark night, and had his skull broken, and was badly
beaten, on the supposition that he was • knobetick collier.
Thomas Halladay, vice-president of the Miners' Assn.
elation, said the delegates for the different lodges met
every Monday fortnight. There were 50 lodges, and a
delegate attends from each. They looked after accidents
and wages, and sought improvements in the lsw when de-
sirable. The weekly subscliption was sixpence. His duty
in ease of • diapute was to go to the master and hear the
reason, and report it to the meetinga of lodge delegates.
Went to Mr. Andrew Knowles after he had locked out his
men, but Mr. Knowles would not hear him. His object
was to bring about a reconciliation if he could. lie heard
the master usually first, then the men, and teen made
his report. Witness is a lecturer, and bad lectured the
colliers not to use violence when strikes occurred, endea.
vouring to persuade them they would always beat advance
their cause by the observance of peace. They had all the
receipts and payments carefully entered, and all the
hooks of the association were read and open to examina-
tion if the commissioners thought lit to look at them.
They paid the 1,400 moo for the six months they were
lucked out in 1866, for being union men, and in the former
strike in 1863 he should think not less than 16,0001.
Moses Cotton, secretary to the Miners' Provident Society,
said he remembered the men being prosecuted for the
assault, at Pendlebury, but he did not know that any
money was spent out of their funds to defend them. He
produced all the books and said there had been none
destroyed and no erasures.
Mr. Pickering said he found an entry of 848/., on behalf
of victim members. How was it expended ?—Witoess--
To support men on strike. Men on strike were supported,
but if they got into trouble money was not paid for that.
John Mason, warper, stated that in November, 1857, he
was in company with a man named Doherty, at a public
house in Ancoats, who offered him a glass of ale. Ile
suspected it was poisoned and threw it away. He went
out with Doherty, when a man named Hall came up and
threw vitrol in his eyes. Doherty was sentenced to 4 years
and Hall to 6 years penal servitude for the offence.
Doherty was placed in the witness box and said he also
was a warper, and a member of • union. He denied that
he put anything in last witness's glass. His disagreement
with Mason was because the latter employed women, and
he thought it would have the effect of lowering wages.
The inquiry bad not concluded when our report was
despatched.

LANIEZTH REOIRTHATION. —Mr. Philip Hemery
Le Breton, the revising barrister appointed for the bo-
rough of Lambeth, opened the court yesterday morning at
the Sessions-house, Newington. There were only thirty.
three new claims to vote, which were unopposed. With
respect to the parish of St. Giles's, Camberwell, the ac-
counts were disputed by Mr. Bonywell, the secretary to
the Ratepayers' Association, but the revising barrister
certified them.

FAGGOT VOTES IN SCOTLAND. —We are sorry,
but not surprised, to learn that tory tactics in the east ace
being imitated in the west. The devices by which the Duke
of Buccleuch has so long succeeded in holding Selkirk-
Aire are now being resorted to in order to regain Renfrew-
shire. We understand that the manufacture of faggot
votes, for which Selkirkabire has been famous, or rather
infamous, has begun in our western county. Faithful
tories, even from Carlisle, Edinburgh advocates—including,
if we are correctly informed, even an advocate-depute—
have suddenly been seized with a frantic desire to ac-
quire property in Pollokshaws. That advocates-depute
panting to be sheriffs, and advocates panting to be
advocates-depute, should stoop to anything at the bidding
of their superiors need occasion no astonishment ; but
we are sorry to hear that some men of standing and posi-
tion are concerned in this unworthy trickery. We shall
watch carefully the registration courts, and not lose sight
of this matter, for in truth the question is becoming seri-
ous. If every county in Scotland is to be polluted by
these faggot voters, we may have reason to rejoice over the
postponement of the Scotch Reform Bill. It will not be
passed without the question of the requirement of resi-
dence in counties being seriously raised, and our repre-
sentatives will have to take good heed how they vote.—
North British Mail.

THE OAKS COLLIERY.—SUCCeIII has at last at-
tended the efforts of the explorers at the colliery. On
Thursday the men with their bankers had to make a pre-
cipit►te retreat, in consequence of the increase in the gas ;
but we are glad to report that they were enabled to resume
their arduous duties at six this morning. During the day
the stopping was satisfactorily completed, not only the
wood but the brick stopping ; and op to No. 2 shaft the
men are enabled to go with lighted lamps with perfect safety,
being now both air-tight and gaa-tight. The next stopping
is proposed to be erected beyond the chamber in the engine
plane, about 26 yards in that direction. Some idea may
be formed of the extent of the second stopping when we
state that at the point where it is proposed to build it it is
about 10 feet high, and when we bear in mind that the
whole of the work has to be done in the dark, it will be a
work of some time. This being completed the No. 2 shaft
will then be opened oat, and the ventilation properly re-
stored. Our readers will, no doubt, be glad to learn that
it is proposed to commence working three shifts, instead
of two. The report which appeared in some of the London
and provincial papers, to the effect th►t there was going to
be a meeting of engineers to-day, was without foundation,
as we were informed when we arrived at the colliery office
this altarnooa.—Leeds Mercury.