The Express.
London, England, 1859-04-12 00:00:00

COMBINATION OP WORKMEN.

'Ms following• is a copy of the bill joat brought

boa the Comaes, to the Llitls, ietitolaill .. As Act t)
mend sad expleta so act of the sixth year of the reign of
Hiag George the Poortit, to moil the laws toistiegto the

combination et workings, sad to tasks other prowldone in
lam then(.,'

" Whereat an act wan panted la the Meth yser of the
reign of King George the Fourth, belittled An act. to repeal
the laws relating to the combination of workmen, and to
make ether provider In lien thereof.' And whereas
Manse deciekee have bele given on the con-
struction of the mid act . be It therefore dec'ared
and muted by the Queen'. Moat Excellent Majesty,
by and with the advice and consent of the Lords
Spiritual and Temporal, sad Commons, in this present par-
liament weternbled, and by the authority of the came as fol-
lows —I. That no workman or other person, whether sc-
lazily in employment or not, dell, by MUM merely of hi.
catering late an agreement with any workman or workmen,
or other person or persona, for the purpose of Axing or endea-
vouring to fix the rate of wage@ or remuneration at which
they or any of them shall work, or by reason merely
of his endeavouring peaceably, and without threat
or Intimidation, direct or indirect, to persuade others to

cease or abetain from work In order to obtain the rats of
wages or the altered hours of tabour en flied or agreed upon
or to be agreed upon, shall be deemed or taken to be guilty
of molettation' or 'ob,tru,tioo,' within the meaning of the
mid act, and shall not therefore be subject or liable to soy
prosecution or indictment for oonspirecy. provided alweys,
that nothing herein contained shalt authorise any workman
to break or depart from any contract or authorise any at-
tempt to induce any workman to break or depart from any
contr ler,"

(STANDARDS OF WISIOHTB-211D-11111S-ÜBES.

Inquiries hare recently been made of the Comp-

troller:Gsneral at the Ziolt;tpser (Lord Monter(le), by 11e
Secretary of etale for the memo Oepartreent, relative:kVA'
existing laws respecting weights ant measures ; and this
maralaff s espy was issued of s lottm ham his lordship in
reply, and ales of s report from the Astronomer Royal OE
the subject.

Fran • con,ider Won of the mane led UM,*
hies, showing the umbers of wrlghta and measures
arighslly ermined, u well a Moro reverided
from 1125 to the pound time, Prteeroar Airy
that men than two-thiris of the provincial and local stand-
ards hem bees mid awe Ursa twisty yews without re-
verillesties. It follows, in his judgment, that so cow-
Most rams am be placed is the genera utearacy
of the kcal eateadary standards now is nu and

yet th,ry torsi& tie Ifnil amuse and 'Vial ILO

iy which the isterrity tied

of the

actual weights sed m;ssittis suet for commercial tar-
pon. are ascertained and tested. For a non-conformity with
these loyal standards, legal convktioas may take place.
penalties may be enforced, and the &erecter of traders may
be snowily injured, snd yet the heal standards relied on as
• coechaeire teat, may, In themselves, be &levies end lin-
wrfret. They rim even bays been spend. alts 'bey bays
been examined end stamp d at tits Richequer, without the
interposition of say dos sutbority ; a practice which has
I occared, sad against which, fatal as It most be, there done
not seem at prewnt to be any enScient protection by epeclik
rotatable enactment ar penalty. The oxecrmity between
the commercial weights sad measures, and the loiel stand-
ard* is eaforeid by penalty; the conkratley between the

iral standards sad those et the Exchequer, trial 'blob
thew local stsedarda sheadd be ideatiesl, is not tr,ivided tar,

aborebe than by lb. it sad ortgbsafoomparisou sad ex,:

mnation,which cannot be relied on as a permanent security,
however imamate It may bee. bees when orignelly made.
This defeats altogether the ml in'entioas of the law, hyoids,
eotsilieg umet to n'y on Its adminiatistion, and the italic-
don of iajustiee ea indi v iduale in many owes. A remedy
for this stets of Wags so. me unqueetianehly to be called for,
and that remedy (says the profiteer) can only be gins
throng\ the authority id the Is gi-latme.
la Ude petrel view of the errors of the existing law, sal
tbe mime laconvenienos resulting from it, :loOraktoateagls
fatly Mileage. He &gram also with the astronomer royal
that the fees Maid, n'al to the comparison of the exchequer
etandards with the lot al standard., should he disccatinued.
This mettemonvi r royal comiders that the Interposition and
metro, of the state should he retried much fuithar then a
pretest, and suggests whether the actual meaufacturs of the
atesdarde ought not to be undertaken by the govern-
ment Waif ; bat te tbk Lied Ilcenagla epos yarions
✓oads appeara Ica der: assuming that the pinery
sealed. of the Iselamter are to be provided by the
gm resese, as/ las cestparleoss amid rordicationa are still
to be easdheatad by gowenisest odlotre—be is of °Valais,
however, theta stringent sad ell, caws bittern of iospecnon
sad amputees of the local or second. ry standards Wu yid
be introdweed, administered by public Mame like
wise. "They elv.uld be employed," he sap, "from
dm to time to visit, to Ingle:I, and to report on
the state of Ulm srawdary or local standards. The
reg'stration of each nal:dards woold afford important
elmeab foe the endows and record of such impaction
est task molts. The holder of there local men feed,.

ell sold to subject to lee, rushy tad forfeiters, it
the local totttadatele were foetal dellecilae, and their fa-
mediata correction or roplatmenest should he enforoed.
The inspotors should carry with titers • portable
working set of standard., whirl weld be aelitokst to miss
bliah • prised faro cam for ordering sty local stenelarda Ito
be mat lip to London for comparisoa with the ll:cheque
standards. It would b. by comports to with the latter only
that say flees or penalties should be imposed op the holders
it the foes' stondsrde. The effect et this /Totem would to,
as I opprehend, to compel the looslautboritsee to avert ibis
flity to lino and ren.ure, by • eigiloat ettentios to the
states sad arca len of the etondarde, shown by their reedy
tracamisid JO to the Exchequer ter reset-410a*. end *left-
most; whatever the effects of time, friction, atessim, oxy-
d.tios, or accident rtadsred such • presses testomaty."
Out e vcrificatiort and odjueusint of ths Exchequer
standards slot nqu'ra, sad Lord licataaila
submits that he should be allowed to take such

4.epe, as may el. bout delay ensure the rOItOC.
tan of any irregularities or leacmarecica white time or
other OttaltO may ban produced. " But the establialmaiet,^
be odds " of a spesial odlos for the supedatendence of
weigtda and measures, to ems which twits very serious con-
sidembine, anA as each in conformity wits the r part of the
Astrononu r Boyd, it recommends it to the onion attendee
eats ItOTCOOMOOt. In this manner it ODOM to me that
gray of the impferfectionscomplaieed of mieht be remedied.
awl a better wordy ob,a:md for the impartial minutiae of
the law spinet delinquents."

Yesterday afternoon the Lord Lieutenant, the
Cantor of Eglintoun and suite, left Dublin Cartle in a
carriage and four, preceded by outriders, for Kieeetome,
where they embarked for England. Their excellencies are
not espeeted at retina for about Hum vests.
'Phu chairmanship of Roscommon, valued at 9001.
per =MUD, is plead at the &pond of government by the
death of Mr. Henry Hutton. ♦ stipendiary usegisirateelitp
le oleo vacant by the demise of Mr. John H. Shed, resident
magistrste for the uonnty of Meath.
_ .

Lord Derby is so ►atiaded with what (says the
from) may be calkd hi. "Lite shill Adventure of Lad
Jobe Rosiell,." recited to a ntureroes serthoces yerterdsy

week, that be has pableiked it inthe farstels

. .
I)r. Amid', professor of interoatiocal and eta,-
siastioal low In Ike tisiorvity of Elloopeo, bag just bola
appointed siasoessor t,) Worse In the obak qi
Waory Yti Gyusalitus of Hamburg.

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