The Express.
London, England, 1856-10-23 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 28, 186 e.

COALWHIPPBRB- OP THB PORT OP
LONDON.

Yesterday evening a phi% meeting of the Coal-
whippses of the Port of Loudon wu held at the Beaumont
Institution, Beadraostuvan, Mile-end road, to take fate
ectuideradon the " Track Drinking Bietem" carried as
moss that Glue of persons, sad to take meuarse to procure
the re-easetsuat of the " Culwhippere Act," which ea-

plead lest pear. The Rey. W. 'Mars was in the ehair.
It appeared that a meeting had tykes place on a previous
engin, to which a number of coalerlippers were unable to
obtain admission, and this meeting wee held for the purpose
of allowing a fuller expression of the opinion of the work-
men in that trade.

The Ciesinermr introduced the object the meeting,
stating that It was called for the mumse of disproving cer-
tain Manassas which have appeared in an evening paper
ant founded on truth, which statements, if sot refuted at
ems, were likely to have a most prejudicial effect spot their
ntereets ; also of taking iota consideration their cause, and
devising the lest and most effective means for remedying
tic grievances of which they so justly complained, and the
alleviating of the great distress which at present prevailed
weep% them. He justified the propriety of legislative in-
terference with the trade of the coelwhippers, contending
that it wee no greater violation of the principles of nee
trade than the regulation of the cab fans. He stated that
from his knowledge of the coalwhippers they Wen an In-
dianians and respectable class; end he urged that they
should not be subjected to the demoralising truck system,
which had caused so much misery and distren among them.
Mr. BiITIOUP moved the following resolution t--" That
this meeting observe with feelings of the deepest regret the
inadequacy of private efforts to deal effeetually with the
evils of which they complain—aamely, that of a large num-
ber of coalwhippen being again compelled to neon to the
public houses for employment, in consequence of the with-
drawal of the late act of parliament ; and they are riot
surprised at the signal failure of the New Cosiwbippers'
established by gentlemen who no 'doubt meant well
towards the eoalwhippers, but an unable to attain the ob•
jet they had in view in csneequrnee of the complicated
'Manta involved In the vast transactions of the coal trade
of the port of London. Therefore, knowing that the
ultimate emcees of any measure which may be adopted for
their benefit not only depends oa their own good conduct
and due obedience to their employers, but also on tits good-
will and cooperation of the gentlemen connected with the
OW trade, they forbear expeessing any opinion which might
be construed or conveyed in any way, that the present
committee are sot endeavouring to carry out the orange-
masts which they vroleseed to do, but they would most
respectfully submit that they have failed, as fens can
noon men They. therefore. entreat the etntlentea
to /ewes he promise mane to tne noun or
Trade, end give no opposition to the palming of
• bill in the next ninon of parliament."—Hs
showed that the malowners, factors, and masters of yes-
sell who had engaged to carry out by private arrangement
the provisions of the Coalehippers' Act, and who had in-
dosed the Board of *1 rade, on the faith of their pledge, to
allow that act to expire, had sot fulfilled their promises;
and he dealed a statement which had been made in the
Shipping Goats, to the effect that teen gentlemen had
carried out the pledge they bad made. He urged that the
trade should combine to brieg their cam before parliament.
He declared that hundreds of the men then present were
nfferieg destitution from .the existing state of the trade ;
and he strenuously urged that same amelioration of their
condition should be attempted. lie contended that the coal.
whippers' PM was au exception to the policy which dept.-
sated interference between masters and men, for the em-
ployers of the coalwhippers of London were in the north,
and could not sanitise a personal supervision over their men,
and there should be ammo effectual agency established to
',minim the men in London and keep them from the
public-home *germ, and this could only be done by legisla-
tive enactment.

Mr. F. FLYNN, in secondieg the resolution, showed that
up to 1843, the ooalwhippen could early be employed
through the agency of the keepers of public-houseeL and in
that year en set was 'paned to remedy Outsell. This was
the Coalwhippen' Act, which had worked most beneficially
to the workmen, and had not interfered with the rate of
ewe. Ia 1866, the coalowners, futon, and shipowners,
had entered iota an arraegement among themselves, and
memorialised the Board of Trade to allow the Coalwhip.
pen' Act to expire, acd to permit them to establish an office
of their own, pledging themselves that no wags' should be
paid at public-honer. But that had not been carried out ;
while by the nealations of the office established by the coal-
owners, a number of men had been thrown out of work, and
were compelled to seek it esh they could get it, whe-
ther from public-hoaxer, cr any where else. The result had
been, that the employment of the ooalwltippsra had fallen
baek into the hands of the keepers of public-booms. He
contended that the only remedy for the existing state of
things was another ant of parliament.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
The following petition was then read by the Chairman :
" That your petitioners, who ere coalwltippers, working
from the New Coalwhippers'-cthce, are at the present
moment enduring a great ameunt of suffering and distress,
arising, In their opio'on, from the withdrawal of the sot
which was passed by your honourable house in the year
1843, and which, on account of it having, to a great amen,
answered the end and aim for which it was designed,
namely, the mewing to them the traits of their hard sun-
' Inge, and the general satisfaction it gave to all parties, was
from time to time renewed, but which, owing to certain
representations made to your honourable house by certein
poisons conoseted with the coal trade, that they
pawned sufficient power and influence to effectually
remedy the evils complained of without the interpo
sition of your honourable house, most unhappily for
your petitioners, your honourable house allowed to
be withdrawn. Your petitioners would most humbly
and respectfully lay before your honourable house, that
the neon of sack withdrawal has produced the most dims.
trans consequences to themselves and their families ; that
the arrangements attempted to he carried out for the accom-
plishment of the design professed to be attained have been
of the most futile character; that a course of conduct has
been applied to many of your petitioners of the most diem-
ditable character, some of them having been diembeed for no
other offence than being taken ill while at their work, end
large maniere of them who, ander the blessings of Pron.
donor, might yet be able to preform their work to the sage-
' fiction of all fair men rothleeely demisted sod told to go
! about their banana anywhere. These men, boiled oa the
spot with large families, having wasted the whole of their
lives at noel work, and thus many of them unfitted them-
selves for any other work, bane been compelled to seek for
• labour at the public-house and beer shoes, who evidently
possess an interest and fletlance paramount to that of the
new committee of managemeut, end are thu brought into
competition with the men who are retained at the office, the
result of which is that a elate of distress prevails smonget
them altogether unparalleled with that which his ousted at
any former period of their history. Your petitioners would
therefore most humbly and eoreestly entreat of your bon.
house to take the(' elite Into your immediate consideration,
with the view of meertaining the propriety of immediately
renewing the late sot of parliament, which expired daring
the last union; and, although somewhat of a lax character,
protected them from many evib to which they were exposed,
without inflicting any isonvenience, as has been asserted,
on the shipping interest, bet on the contrary affording an
amount of convenience to that body which Gould not be
afforded under any other system."
The adoption of this petition was moved by Mr. JOHN
FOLNY, a working coalwbipper. In the course of hie vi-
deos he ad,loced fads to show that coalwhippers were
now employed through the medium of public-houses, and
in one innate° he stated that the men were unable to do
their work in eonsequenos of their being drank with the
liquor they were forced to tske from the publeen who
procured then their engagements.
The resolution was seconded by Joan CIONAN, • coal-
whipper, who drew a 'Meg p•mure of the state of the
soalwhlppers under the truck system, before the enactment
of the Coalwhippers' Act, and be nonleaded that that state of
things wee fest returning.
Mr. Watts, a contemner, supported the resolution, end
also went into statistics of the hock optima in former times,
and which he declared his belief were about to return.
The petition was adored ananimonely.
Mr. Y. FLYNN moved a vote of thanks to Mr. fternuel
Morley for a donation of 61. to aid the cause of the coal-
whippers, sad for his presence at the meeting that evening.
The motion wee agreed to amidst much cheering, and
Mr. 8. Montan' returned thanks fur the reception his
slight service Led met with, and declared his readiness et
all times to aid the cause for which they had met. He
moved the thinks of the meeting to the chairman. The'
procudinp then terminated.
The meeting was a very crowded on., sod the feeling of
the men mumbled was strongly expressed by their sheers
and ezelama•ioe s during the speaking against any system
which compelled them to revert to public bosses in orderto
obtain work ; and their being thereby forced into habits of