Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-11-28 00:00:00

IMPROVEMENT" OF PARK

TO THE EDITOR. OF THE NOII

DAILY 3151 Es

Sut,—By inserting this letter in roar itieuential
paper, you will confer a favour on ma my, andyprobablv
save some life, by drawing public attention

also

that of the proper authorifes, whoever they rre, to the
disgraceful state of Park-kne, nc;ar the Mest-office.
Several months ago, the Oerporati on pulied;down a lot
.of heuses between the entrance at t'ne Post-Mee end and
Li*-street. This was 'done uncl.ei what ineilled (mis-
called in the Iresent case) "the rinpreverner_t Act." Bat
udge of the improvemerit when ronhearthnta dangerous
ilead wall has been erected in the place of the house-
'and sever& persons have been killed

gainst it by

lorries, &c

To mike the abistireity •ofqie " improve:

went" greater, and the place still moreleangerous, the
Corporation leave•two houses standingrat the entrance,
and one•nt the oarnerief Liver-street, +Amuse these are

lease-1161a property !laving a few yea

to run,

because.a few :paltry pounds are required to purchase
the intrest,. the. Coloration refuse, anil say, " Oh, we
can wait until the; leases expire." This is improvement
with ;a vengeance. But this is not :all. The plate
where the dead ',wall is would, in dißlikelihood, have
been purchased .cond built on by: this time by private
individuals ; bat no one will purchase 4 foot or lay out
la penny, whilst dr; Corporation .allowstite old houses at
the corner of Liwar-street, and the entrance, to disfigure
;the whole plaee,--Hoping.this vrOaject%may come before
Lthe Council,. I am, sir, your obedient.ecivant,

Nov. 26,: 1809

WOMEN 'GRINDING CORN IN THE
LIVERPOOL WORKHOUSE.

To THE EDiDORS OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.
Gassmestew,—Having been incited to accompany
three Liverpool gentlemen to inspect the Workhouse,
in Itrownlow-hill—one of these being the chairman of
the board—it appears to me a pubac duty to make
known some facts to the ratepayers. The general good
management and thorough cleanliness of this large
sestablishment, sure apparent. We Ira went into the
mill, and examined the wheat, and fouied it a mixed lot
of very inferior kinds, the condition bad and musty.
The meal from this wheat was musty and unwholesome.
No first-class miller would buy such for flour; most of it
it-only fit for sizing. The wheat supplied lase February
was still worse, as I saw it, along with a Liverpool
gentleman, in the mill hoppers. What knowledge the
storekeeper possesses, or has •put in practice for years
past, may ,beeletermined by the ratepayers. A sample
of wheat ,was shosvn to us by the chairman then being
delivered; the storekeeper maintained that it was good
:and sweet, whereas we all pronounced it not sweet, but
musty, and I learn that they resolved to.refuse that lot.
It is satisfactory tolleam that another contractor stepped
in for one quarter this year, and did supply an honest,
sweet, good article (in wheat and meal. It should be
known that the officers .do not eat bread Gem this musty
meal; they live on the:finest of wheat, or rather flour,
supplied to suit the consumers—quantity and quality in
every .way extra to that of the paupers. A. more genuine
sympathy is desirable between the officials and the poor
persons under their care. Lady visitors promote sym-
pathy to the best of their power, which is very limited :
their visits are invaluable.
The waste in grinding in coffee-mills is very great,
as the brae clearly proved, from its mealy character.
It is re-sold to the public, and is in great request. It is a
very heavy loss per animus to buy wheat instead of good
fresh flour and meal : the motive for doing so is -to give
employment—first, to a number of women in the house ;
second, to a number of women out of the house. I
will first take a woman, A. 8., in the house. She 'has
been admitted a few weds for the first time, and is
respectable and well-behaved, as the governor admitted;;
she: is -constantly sent to grind, and has the task ,of
901hs. of tough wheat, which she may grind in eight
-or nine hours; she has no hange of work during the
week. The second class of women are those who require -a
'portion of relief, 'but receive 'nothing from the work-
house or any out-door relief. This class is very numerous ;
they earn Cal., 9d., and a few anxious and able 12d.,
according to-the work done. Some work from 7 a.m. to
5 p.m., and can only make 6d., that is, for 601bs. of
wheat. They swill work for many weeks or months at
this pittance. Is not this in favour of their
• character, bad .as no doubt Acitie may be ? They
work in long narrow passages, the handles only
•of the mills being in the place, so that no fraud
,ean exist. The passages are walled up on each
side and at the far end, and are very badly venti-
lated—even in winter the breathing space is very
-insufficient; during the summer and warmer wea-
ther, it is an outrage on humanity to see the perspiration
running down the poer women who aretkept grinding at
once the tsugh bad wheat and their own lives—the
-work is destructive to the lungs and chest ; for the laws
of Providence cannot be' disregarded without health
yielding a prey to disease. Is not this like grinding
the face of the poor :ia and out of the workhouse ?
I appeal -to Liverpool ratepayers and to the medical
men of high standing to determine as to whether
these are to continue "tile rights of women" in your
tow, which is rapidly advancing in reform of
every character,- as see your public baths and wash-
-houses, your drainage and cottages for the poor, your TO THE EDITOR OP THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.
-schools and reformatories, your free public library and SIR,-It is with much pleasure that I notice the
museum, your infirmaries and hospitals, your invalu- announcement of another meeting in London of British
-ale drinking fountains, established 1856, by the shipowners, to agitate the question of whether they are
liberality of Charles P. Melly, many of them at to regain their rights, or if the present disastrous state
'the small cost of 10 bath, isc. The tread-wheel of things must still continue
for grinding is far more effective and less oppres- Much has been said, and much promised, with
sive. Is there no other work to be found ? If reference to this question, but a great deal remains to
you cannot trust the millers apply steam power to mill- be clone; and I sincerely trust that this time it will be
stones. No doubt a small steam.engine would be of taken up in earnest, and that the product of this meet-
great value on the workhouse pretties. I recommend ing will be, that they will take measures to obtain the
mat and matting manufacturing as far more likely to l restitution of their rights (as far as practicable) by
Trove a permanent good, iby training to a trade capable every possible means in their power—as they have
to be followed out at their poor homes. This wants heretofore laid their case before the country, but
.organisation. Seem° infirm men anti vomen would without any beneficial result so far.
work to profit, and, as they are fixtures for life, teach 6tt is impossible for any observant and sensible man to
new hands. The cost of good material for mats is look around him and not recognise the evil results that
about 3d. per lb.; the maker in Liverpool receives only have .arisen from the repeal of the Navigation Laws,
4d. per lb. These are re-sold to the publie at about now the overcrowding of foreign shipping in British
60
. per lb.; hence the range for workhouse profit waters has brought down freights to that standard that
is large.
,The matting is retailed at is. sod, per yard. they will not even pay the ship's expenses at the port of
I understand the Liverpool prison ice
for good mats lading—freights in Calcutta having been 15s. to 17s. 6d.
is 6d. to 7d. per lb. A boy, of twelvei or fouxteea years per ton,
and port expenses in many cases 255. to 30s.
of age, I saw to-day, who made a 10th. mat in one day,
per ton. The advocates and carriers of the repeal en-
and no better is manufactured in the town. Facts gendered a spirit of gambling in shipbuilding by
abound to show that a more profitable and humane foreign nations, and which has resulted in an excess of
labour can be found for women and men. The present tonnage over demand—the culprit in this ease being the
iron mills waste the corn, probably at a loss of 15 foreign, the sufferer the British shipowner—as the
per cent, To successfully apply f
the labour would I ()reign owner enjoys all the privileges of our carrying
save 10 per cent. more, making probably 25 per f trade, and the reserve of his owdune'sisnhanit tohsitsceoausnetxs sails at
so that not in one solitary
cent. Even the millers grind wheat, dress, and deliver less expense, and esleapes maiel
but many, far. too many, for the
shipowner' s
it for 6d, per 701b5,, whilst the workhouse pays 6d. apex her mercanti e;marin
for 601b5., wasted in degree, and not dressed. A instance,
credit of this
set of men attend to dress the meal. The steel mills country and her legislators, the British
near the gate might be worked by vagrants in grinding compelled to sail his vessel under a Foreign
_negate,.
some other materials ; the mills cost £6O in repairs. Is it not therefore monstrous, that in this country—the.
The lunatic wards we saw; I think more classifica- parent of maritime enterprise—the want of
.protection,
should drive British
lion is needed. The idiotic and those who are sub- and enactment of ill-judged laws,
ject to occasional epileptic- tits, -and who are quite capital to foster and create a Mercantile Marine for a
sane, are obliged to spend all their time with the foreign power, to the ultimate destruction of English
idiots. This
depresas the mind of many a respectable supremacy on the seas ; so that in many of the waters
man and woman. The shower bath-box is very ob- of oar British colonies, which have been won by the
jectionable and alarming, and, without great care, bravery, civilised by the intelligent perseverance, emlti-
might cause very' serious effects on mind and body. vated by the industry, protected, and fostered at a great
The public twqemlY baths in Liverpool, warm and expense, by the mother country, the foreign flag fir

THE SHIPPING INTEREST,