The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-09-07 00:00:00

EMPLOYMENT OF THE POOR.

We stated that arrangements were making, under the„
superintendence of Mr. M-Ailatn, to employ on the turn-
pike roads in the neighbourhood all such persons as were
destitute of work. A notice was auhstquently issued by
the borough-reeve and constables, desiring persons out of
employment, and able to work on the roads, and who had
been resident in Manchester twelve months, to apply at the
Town-hall on Tuesday last. In consequ,,nce of this notice,
near 1400 persons applied on and since Tuesday. Of these
the great majority were labourers; about one-fifth were
Weavers; and the remainder spinners, and persons of other
descriptions. Out of these applicants, a selection was made
of about 300, to whom tickets were issued, entitline them to
employment in breaking stones on various roads in the
vicinity of the town. About 80 tickets were issued for the
Cheetham Hill road ; and of the bearers of these, ten
made their appearance on Thursday morning; but four
went off again before the conclusion of the day, and did
not return. On the following morning, only four made
their appearance, out of the six who were there on the
preceding evening; but seven others came, one of whom
sent off during the day, but his place was supplied by
another: so that eleven were at work on Friday evening.
On the Pendleton road, out of thirty to whom tickets were
issued, one made his appearance, and continued at work up
to Friday night. The remaining tickets were issued chiefly
for the Mime road, with regard to which no official return
has been received ; but we believe th it not more than three
or four have been at work there. We understand that the
plan adopted is, to pay the men every evening for the quan-
tity of work they have done during the day; and the rate
at which they are paid would enable persons expert in the
work to earn good wages, though men who have not been
accustomed to it of course will not succeed so well. On
Saturday and yesterday, there was a much better attend-
ance of the persons to whom tickets had been issued. On
the Cheetham Bill road 22 men were at work on Saturday
night, of whom 18 returned yesterday morning. At the
same time also 28 others made their appearance, and were
set to work ; of these, one left during the day, so that
there remained at night, in all, 43. On the Pendleton
road 13 were at work on Saturday night, of whom two only
returned yesterday morning; but 16 others came during the
day, and there were 18 at work in the evening. On
this road, we are sorry to say, they were greatly annoyed
yesterday, by a parcel of idle and profligate fellows, who
assembled round them, ridiculed and abused them for ac-
cepting such employment, and used every effort to induce
them to abandon it. We trust that effectual measures will
be taken to prevent a repetition of this shameful conduct.
On the new road to Bury six persons came to work yes-
terday morning, and 12 others in the afternoon, so that the
whole number at night was 18. From the surveyors of the
Hulmeroad, and the surveyors of the highways of Manches-
ter, no returns have been received ; and we are unable to
state the number of persons they have set to work. It is
tolerably obvious, from the preceding statement, Oat there
is now much greater inclination to accept 0--
offered, than there was at first. Indeed,
class of persons applying for tickets is
the first instance, little was known .
work to be afforded, and many persons
being under the pressure of very urgent
to betake themselves to the sort of
for them. Latterly, however, the
understood ; and the greater part
mined tickets, have been persons to
was really a boon, and they have
selves of it. The applications on
have not been numerous ; not More,
70 in the whole.—Makketer Mercury.

We understand the number of London and country
buyers, who have been in the market these few days, was
much greater than 'or weeks past, and therefore more busi-
ness has been doing in finished goods. The (It-wand for
grey cloth -continues pretty gond, and the operations of
many of the calico-printuts,•having been much impeded by
want of water, it is probable that the copious showers we
have now hail, by tending to remove that deficiency, will
bring more of them into the market, whom the drought
has hitherto kept out. The export demand fer'twist still
continues: there is no difficulty in effecting. sales, hitt we
believe prices ore at present no higher; in some instances
they ate rather lower than they were three wets ago. In
the meal time it is satisfactory to hear that in some parts of;
the country a eon,Merable proportion of the hands who were
unemployed have th:fiv obtained work, whilst in all the
cotton dis7ricts employinsnt is less scarce than it was. The.
wages, particularly of the hand-loom meavers, however..
are, and we fear are likely to continue, very low.
[From the •
IThe manufactures ofSheffield not being brought into an
open market for sale, as is the case in Leeds and many
; other places, the exact state of trade is not easily neer;
I tented. Our reports, Coereforei can only be made up from
I the general opinion, shied by ether circumstances and at-
; pearances, which may be calculated to throw light opms
the subject. We have not heard of any alteration in the
commercial affairs of this neighbourhood ,amounting tree
I general or even partial improvement; and, so.far as the,
poor mechanics are affected, we believe the distress is
rather on the increase than otherwise. This is indicated
by the applications for assistance from the fund 'for '
re-
lieving the unemplo ed poor, which are becoming mote
most . There has, however; existed one
peculiarity in the case of Sheffield, during tlfepttiod of
j embarrassment with which the whole kingdom has brew
affected, which justifies the fullest confidence in its general
solvency ; we refer to the remarkable factof no failures of
any consequence having taken place. So literally trite is
this statement, that we venture to say not a single instance
of bankruptcy has been recorded which can fairly be at-
tributed to the pressure of the times, or which would have
',been avoided had the prosperity of the past year been con-
tinued during this. This is a singular circumstance, and
one which, we fear, applies to no other town of any thing
like the magnitude and population of Sheffield. There
have been few instances of property offered fur public sale
recently. And while we account for this by saying that
it has beets because of an impression that few have had
spare money to buy, we cannot help regarding it as a proof
that few have been so necessitous as to be obliged to sell ;
' which, of course, confirms our opinion respecting the id-
' vency of the town. Sheffield is not a place wh'ere much
speculation is carried forward, and the capital employed in
' business is not fictitious, but real. If large fortunes have
not been suddenly amassed by lucky experiments, ruinous
I devastation has not been the result of unlucky' 4dvenfurea:
Our mercantile progress has been gradual, and perhaps
rather dependent upon our industry than our enterprise,
• and on this account there is good reason to believe that it
; will still be advanced, as, indeed, it is advancing, by'tho
same unwearied and unostentatious assiduify.