Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-13 00:00:00

supply of cotton might be obtained from thence. (Hear.)
What is the position of our emigration now. Look
to India—and look to China. The government allow tke
principle, but they permit a very limited supply of
labourers. They do not allow free trade, They station
a government officer, and no person is all owed to collect
the coolie,, no person is allowed to collect the Chinese for
ernigraticeo but the government officer. The government
say the country sill net admit of parties going there
individually, on their °wit part, to superinted for them-
selves emigration. But 'et the government put it on some
such footing as this. They are afraid, they say, of the
anti-slavery feeling in England. Sir, I am as much
opposed to slavery as any man in this room, and as much
opposed to anythine which cotald encourage slavery, but I
venture to say th it the case might be met in this way.
Suppose the government, say " you are at perfect liberty
to collect your Chinese emigrants, you are at
perfect liberty to collect your coolies yourselvas—
we will station an officer here—you mutt bring
them before that officer, and we will ascertain
that the emigrants are going of their own free will."
That, I think, would tn=et the case, and if the government
adopted that principle instead of the limited principle they
now adopt, I am satisfied that emigration to the West
India colonies would go on to an extent which would give
us an abundance of labour ,here, and admit of the growth
of cotton in the West India islands again. Then, again,
we are referred to Alice, and we know that cotton grows
very abundantly and v ry luxurious'y in most parts of
Africa. To the credit of Manchester be it said that two
experiments have been tried by philanthropists there. One
was tried by our friend Mr. Turner, the present member
for Manchester, in conjunction with some other gentlemen.
They established a small plantation there, and the first year
they sent home a very good description of cotton. However,
they were disappointed in many features of toe case. They
-were disappointed in finding that the cotton was a biennial
pl.nt there, instead of a perennial print. They were
disappointed, I believe, is the party who superintended
the growth of the plantation, and it was ultimately aban-
doned. But it established the fact that cotton can be
grown there in plantations, and cotton of a very good
quality. The second was a much more successful expert-
men , made by Mr. Clegg, of Manchester. He sent out,
I believe, a large quantity of the cotton seed ! he distri-
buted it to the natives. the nal; ves increased and cultivated
it themselves, and I believe the first year he got home
some 300 or 4001bs. of cotton. The next year he got a
much larger quantity, some 14,000ibs ; the next year I
believe 30,000iba ; and I believe he anticipates this year
getting 1000 hales ef very excellent cotton. (Hear, hear).
I think, sir, this is a practical question ; these two, or at
least Mr. Clegg's experiment, illustrates the fact
that cotton col be grown, and cotton of good quality
can be got from Africa. (Cries of hear, hear )
In addition to that, we have the testimony of that cele-
brated traveller, Dr. Livingstone, who informs us that
cotton grows luxuriantly through the entire of Africa, and
can be cultivated to a very great extent. lam not one of
those who think that we can look for an immediate supply
from Africa - quite the contrary. I think it will be some
years before we can look for any quantity from that
country, but I believe, from our knowledge of India and
Africa, that we may look fur an immediate supply from the
former, and a prospective suppl 3 from the latter. Sir, I
feel that with the gentlemen who have to address you, I
ought not to trespass on the time of the meeting, bat I
cannot help expressing my conviction that though the
government is in duty bound to aid, and I believe will
suppo, t, any enterprise for the promotion of the growth of
cotton, it is, as I stated its the outset, it is to British enter-
prise, and British capital alone, that we most look to as the
great instrument in promoting the object we have in view.
I have great pleasure in moving the following resolution.
—(Applause.)
That this meeting is deeply sensible of the inadequacy of the present
supply of cotton, to meet the requilenaents of manufacturing industry.
That such supply being almost entirely derived from one source, is
uncertain and precarious in quantity, and unduly fluctuating in
price. causing thereby loss and inconvenience to the consumer, and
endangering the stability and future prosperity of the country.
Mr. OHEETHAM, M.P., seconded the resolution. He
said : Mr. chairman and gentlemen, I think the remarks
of my excellent friend who has preceded me, in a great
degree relieves me from attempting to enforce upon you
the important point, That the subject which is bro ight
under our notice to-day, is one in which you are equally as
personally interested in this town of Liverpool, as we cat
possibly be in any other pert of Lancashire. (Cheers.)
It is true that some of you may say " we are not direct
dealers in this article of cotton ;" but it must be borne in
mind, that the manufacturer and mill-owner though he
deals directly only in the article of cotton for his mill.
yet he deals very largely indirectly in all the other articles of
produce, by gathering round him a large population, who
consume those other colocial products, which, together
with cotton, form the chief imports into this gre .t and im-
portant port. Any interruption then to the
working of the mills, must not only effect
the direct article of cotton, but indirectly
those other important articles iu which you are
all more ar less interested aid engaged. I must confess
that, after looking very anxiously into this question, not
only.as a manufacturer on the one band, but as holding the
important public position of rep -esentative of a great mass
of the population on the other, I have come to the con-
clusion that there never was a period in the history of oar
cotton manufacture in which that manufacture stood on
more dangerous, more doubtful, and snore difficult ground.
(Hear, hear.) I regret that it is so, but facts, I think, will
bear me out in the assertion. It is true tha an honourable
gentleman, lately a governor of the Bank of England,
after his visit to the Art Treasures. Exhibition of Manches-
ter, stated, on his return to the Httuse of Commons—and
I regret that I was not present to answer him—that
there was the utmost buoyancy of trade in the great
manufacturing district of Manchester, end that the high
price of money and the high rate of discounts were in
uo degree affecting our chief and important manufacture.
I quite agree with him to the extent that the high price of
money is only partially affecting or intetrupti.tg our treter;
but if that was the whole difficulty in our way we should
have little to complain of; that there never was a period
when the position of the manufacever was snore dangerous
than at present. It is true that the fine spinners are not
affected so materially by the raw article of cotton, and that
they are enabled to maintain some amount r f profit ; but
the great bulk of the trade are working without pry fit,
and in many cases at a serious loss. We are some-
times met with this argument, " Why do not you
consume less ?" There is this peculiar position
in themanufacture of cotton, that so long as the cost is made,
it is lsss disastrous for the manafacturer to go on. than to
c'ose his mill ; because, on the one hand, while he suspends
his works and loses the interest of his money, he is running
the risk of scattering his workpeople whom he has had for
years under his control. and whom he would have much
difficulty in collecting again. It is only in the case of a loss
exceedingly great that he is rednced to that necessity. That
is the position in which he is placed at this moment. " Short
time," which commenced with the workers of heavy goods
and yarns, is greatly extending, and without some
adequate improvement in the price at which manufactured
articles have lately been, the whole of the trade will
likely be compelled ultimately to the same course
What does this short-time mean ? It is very easy to
advise men to go upon short-time in manufacturing, but
what does short-time mean? It means the curtailment
of the comforts of their working men—the lessening of
their earnings—a pinched and cheerless home, and ulti-
mately it will lead to a very extensive emigration of their
work-people to the United States. (Hear, hear.) I say,
then, that this question is one not only affecting Manchester
and the district around, but is closely identified with your
interests in this town of Liverpool, and I congratulate you
that you have come forward so warmly and nobly to assist
us in this great work, which, if we would make progress in
it, will require the united exertions of all parties. There
have been objections raised to our attempting to interfere
with what is said to be free trade, and the sound
economical principle involved in the question. It
is said, "Why do you not leave the operation
of supply and demand to the price ?" (Hear,
hear.) Now, I quite agree that that is the sound
economical principle, the legitieeate one, and if this
association were interferring with the operations of that
principle, or deviating from the true economic principle,
I for one would be no party in connection with it. But I
say tat not only does it not interfere with the true
priaelple of supply, but that the exigency of the case will
require every remedy that may be employed to restore our
population and manufacturers to that position of comfort
on the one hand, and of fair remuneration for capital on
the other, to which both parties are so justly entitled. Let
any gentleman look to this strong fact in the case Up to
the end of 1845, we have been for some years gradually
increasing the supply of cotton, till at the
close of that year the stocks on hand were not
less than thirty-nine weeks' consumption ; but since
that period, by failures in the harvest on the one
hand, and increased consumption on the other, we have
arrived at that point that stocks in the port, and the
hands of consumers, are less than ever existed in any
official return that has been made during fifty years of
the history of the trade (Hear, hear.) Now, I hold the
opinion, that you ought not to have less than twenty
weeks' consumption in the port and the hands of cocsumers.
You have, at the present moment, or rather you had at
Christmas, not more than twelve weeks' consumption, and
though you have now a larger supply than that, yet we
know that the great bulk of the imports having come in,
we must gradually look forward to a steady diminution of
that stock. This stock having been reduced by a series of
failures in the harvests, and by increased consumption,
will take a long time to create, and it is to shorten, if pos-
sible that time, that the consumers of cotton in Manchester
have united themselves into an association, in order to
assist, by their united efforts, in promoting, if possible, a

great increase in the supply, and at the same time in
securing a better article. And there are two modes in
which we may propose to do this. The one is, that, look-
ing to the various parts of the world in which this article
may be produced with some encouragement, by advice.
and by a little outlay of capital, in the way of machinery
and seeds, we find there are many parts of the world to
which we may direct our attention, not indeed as growers
of cotton ourselves, but as promoters of that growth. I
hold it would be contrary to sound principle to attempt to
become direct growers of cotton, but we may go into
various countries—to the west coast of Africa, to the dis-
tricts to which Dr. Livingstone has pointed our attention.
We may go to Morocco, Algiers, and Tunis—all of which
have been brought under the notice of the association, and,
by some aid, we may be the means of commencing there
the cultivation of cotton, from which, at all events,
subsequent generations may obtain a large and
adequate supply. That is one department to which the
association is intended to direct its attention, but there are
two other points to which this association is desirous of
bringing their efforts with yours to bear on the legisla-
ture of the country. I can assure you that this subject
excites a decree of interest, of attention, and of grave
alarm in the House of Commons, of which, I think, you
are little aware. It is felt there that next to an ade-
quate supply of the great article of food for our popu-
lation, comes the supply of cotton. (Hear, hear.) That
a failure in that—an inadequacy to maintain in employ-
ment the vast population connected with the manufac-
ture thereof—would be almost as fatal as an inadequate
supply of food. (Hear, hear.) It is remarked, too, that
not only is there an inadequate supply of cotton, hut
of silks and other textile fabrics, which is now seriously
affecting manufactures in those trade districts, but in
none of them does the pressure tell so heavily as it does
upon cotton. You have in wool and silk much more of a
finer trade, and you supply a much more luxminus
population than those who have to manufacture
cotton do, and so large a proportion of cotton fabrics are
exported to countries where the population is poor that it
is found by long experience, that any conceivable rise such
as has taken place in cotton, is fatal to the consumption
f that article. I say, in looking forward to the position
in which our working population is likely to be placed, it
requires the united rff7rts of every one to see at the present
moment that they are fairly employed, that they are min-
t tined in the observanee of the laws and institutions of
the land, and that being so I am convinced that every
patriot and philanthropist will assist us in the great object
which we have met this dal to promote. (Hear, hear.)
There are two modes in which the association intend to
press on government this question. The one is the emi-
gration of free labour into our colonies. You all keow
that the object that at present stands in the way of that
are the restrictive laws passed by our government, and
very properly so, under the influence of that strong
anti-slavery feeling which saw in the employment
of the coolies only another mode of continuing the
system of slavery ; bat that feeling we may be permitted,
I think, now to lay aside, I think if our colonies are at
all to be encouraged in the cultivation of their soil, if we
are to do them justice, we have a right to supply the loss
of their labouring population, by the immigration of free
labourers, and by the removal of those restrictive laws, in
the face of which the colonists complain they cannot obtain
an adequate supply of labour. I put the question to the
Colonial Minister, Mr. Labouchere, in regard to Guiana,
and lie assured me that the subject was under the con-
sideration of government, and that he would soon be pre-
pared to state what course they intended to adept. But I
am quite:aware, that even if we obtained a relaxation from
government of that point, it would be a work
of considerable time before a large importation
of cotton would take place from any of our colonies.
Sugar and coffee are se attracting attention
that it will be same "time before they take to the
the cultivation of cotton, and therefore the only country
from which we can expect any increased supply or any
immediate relief, is from our great possessions in India.
Well, but what have Government to do with that ? I say
they have a great deal, and that a great responsibility lies
at their door in reference to it. India is not like this
country. India, as you are aware, is a country pee-
seising a population of varied castes and religions, and little
eeal:ned in themselves to do any of those great works which
we require from them; because not possessing the necessary
capital, and also because of the state in which we have
held them as serfs on the soil, arrogating to ourselves the
manorial rights on the whole country, and so preventing in
the population the very source of that free and independent
action upon which you call upon the people of this country
to rely -for success. Our first object, then, will he t>
remedy theigrievence so:lotnily complained of, in regard to
the land tenure in India, It is true that the same objections
may be made in regard to all the products of the soil, but I
understand that the growth of cotton is in general a less
remunerative crop to the Ryat than the other products,
and therefore the evil is felt more heavily in the cultiva-
tion of cotton than in that of any other product—at all
events it is injurious in preventing that expansion of
industry and e•zpital which is essential to the welfare ete
the country. (Hear, hear.) The President of the Board
of Control thinks the time has came when that question
must undergo revision, and, our association will press on
Government in order that that may be done. (Hear,
hear.)Lßut there is much more responsibility in regard to
India on the GAternment than the land tenure, and that
is its neglect of the most important point in connection
with the growth of cotton—the irrigation of the land.
We all know that cotton from India is of so inferior
quality, that when an abundant supply of American
can be obtained, even consumers of the cheapest article will
neglect it. That arises from its inferiority, and that
inferiority is attributable to the want of works of irrigation,
which would improve the quality and bring it more into
competition with American cotton. From the papers
Presented to the House of Commons, it appears that whilst,
during the last fourteen years, no less an expenditure than
£280,000,000 has been spent by the government of India
in its civil service, wars, &c , not more than £2,000,000
have been devoted to this important work of irrigating the
soil of India. I think that is one of the charges which we
are fairly entitled to make against government. (Hear,
hear). Another drawback attending the cultivation of
cotton is the want of communication from the interior.
In 1818 a committee of the house sat on !he question, but
as yet very little progress has been wade with it. The
small sum of £2,000,000 has been expended on such works,
but we have a right to complain that that diligence has not
been observed that ought to be observed, on a subject
of such importance. (Hear, hear.) The Indian
Government, by offering anything like a fair
per tentage, would have obtained from Eglish capitalists
sufficient money to construct those works which would
repay themselves in a few years, We have an instance
in the case of Manchester, in which the whole of its gas
works, which supply an annual income of £30,000 for the
improvement of the town, were constructed upon borrowed
capital, and, in fact, the city of Manchester never raised a
penny of this magnificent income of £30,000. Just such
a result would be obtained by a wise outlay of money
in irrigating the soil of India, and while such an ample
return would be yielded, another result would follow in
an increased and improved supply of cotton. Then there
is another point upon which the Indian government has
neglec,ed their duty, and that is in the making of railways.
They were the last government in the civilised world
which took up that question, and what difficulties have
not the English capitalists met in exacting from them
a simple five per cent., in order to carry out
that important object. The making of railways, the
deepening the navigation, the irrigation of the soil, the
abolition of the land-tenure—l say to that extent we are
bound to make this a national and legislative question,
and I am happy to say that Mr. Smith, member for
Stockport, has put a notice on the books which will open
up the whole question of the government of India, involving
not only the growth of cotton, but all the evils which
afflict that country. The Indian directors are anxious to
k-tow what we want, and if possible to aid and assist us.
I believe they are fully aware of the great difficulty in
which this part of the country is placed. They readily
admit it to bo a question not only of local but of national
importance, and I have no doubt thin from the efforts of
this association, we shall do very much, not only to promote
the real interests of India, and elevate the social condition
of its people, but we shall do very much indeed to
meet the great difficulty under which we la-
bour by promoting the growth of cotton in
that country, and making it a much better article. It
is said that that may dive rise to jealous feelings on the
part cf our American friends. I cannot see how it can
have that effect. We are acting just upon the principle
that a nation should act, in net relying upon any one lati-
tude of the globe for the articles of its consumption. The
Americans, no doubt, will do their utmost to supply us
with cotton, but they cannot control the inscrutable designs
of Providence when he chooses, by storms and other dis-
asters, to cut short their crops. There is no reason why,
seeing this, we should not endeavour to do that which He
in Ells wisdom has providently pointed out to us. He
has endowed other parts of the world besides America with
every quality which, aided by our capital and our superior
business and commercial talent, moy put us in a better
Position than we arc in, in being able to rely upon mere
than one country for our supply of cotton; and I hope
that every resident in this town will look at this question
not as one foreign to him, bat as one in which he has as
intimate and direct an interest as any man in the land ;

acd if we, by our united efforts, can procure a larger supply
of this great article, on which so numerous a population
is being supported, we shall have done our duty not only
as citizens but as patriots, and lovers of the institutions of
our land. (Applause.)
Mr. Bazley (of Manchester) next came forward to sup-
port the r( solution, and in doing so, sail be hoped he
should be pardoned for taking a part in that meeting, but