The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-05-08 00:00:00

STATE OF TRADE AND MANUFACTURES IN
SCOTLAND.

[From the Glasgow Chronicle"
The Commissioners of simply of this county, at their meeting at
Lanark, on Monday last, took into consideration and adopted a
resolution respecting the distressed state of the manufacturing po-
pulation. They humanely and judiciously recommend to the 31n.
gistrurs of boroughs, and the different parishes and gentlemen
within the county, to endeavour to find work for the unemployed,
very imperil prelerring this mode of relief to the gratuitous dis.
tribution of money.
We venture to remind our. .ITroper.Ward friends of the deplo.
Table condition of some of the roads in the parish .4 besmslitsprow.
‘Ve last year noticed the mad from Kirkmuirhill to Stonebyres, as
lucre resembling the best of a brook than o way whereon horses
might travel. The mail from Larkhall to Nethan.foot is equally
bad. Near Lenerk again, the road to Clydee .holm Green, b
Patrick's Well, is sadly out of repair, as is also that from Lanark
to Loekhart.hridge. We are sure that a great many of the unem.
ployell We/Veer, might find work on these roads.
The l'onimittee in this city appointed for the relief of the wen•
vers., continue to employ at breaking stones all who apply for work.
Part of the men are occasionally idle far want of stones; but ex.
retieneed quarrymen have been collected from all parts of the
country. Ten gitarryera were sufficient at first, but there are now
above forty employed, and no more can get working on the rock.
At the rommencerneut of the business. the men were allowed 64. a
day, and In. 9d. for the cubic yard of stones; but it was discovered
that some indolent fellows were in the practice of coming in the
morning for a short time, and going off till the evening, when they
returned far the sixpence. To prevent this imposition, and reward
diligence and attention. the Committee judiciously added 9d. to the
rate per yard of breaking stones. The men have now 2s. Bd. for
the yard, which is 9,1. above the price usually paid. A number or
boxes hare been made for measuring the stones, which hold half-a.
yard, and the workman is paid as the box is finished. Some men
work only a day or two, and go asly. Those who have remained
since the commencement have now got over the difficulties of the
work. Their hands have got hard ; they can use the hammer with
greater dexterity and effect, and less fatigue to themselves ; and as
they are now beginning to discover the grain of the stone, and the
best way to lay st, they do more work, and the employment is daily
lets irksome. Some of them now earn Is. Lid., but the average wages
run fro o ten pence to one shilling and three pence a.clay. In con-
sequence of this, the 3lngistratee have thought tt necessary to give
additional support to those who have families. Ott Tuesday the
Magistrates* Committee met in Hutcheson's Hospital. and sent for
a few of the most intelligent of the wearers, in order to consult
upon the best mode of relieving the families of the moat distressed
of those employed in the quarry. After some consultation, it was
agreed that schedules should be issued to the Committees of the
various districts., to be tilled up by them, and stating the number of
children belonging to the persons to whom they should be given,
weedier with the length of time they had been out of employment.
The objectof this inquiry is to give relief to the families of the
worker's. without making any distinction in the prices given to those
in the clattery. The poor men deserve praise for the patience and
fortitude which they have shown ; and in the quarry they have be.
lured in the most exemplary manner. Nothing can be more
judicious thin giving employment at breaking stones. They
tan be stowed in any plate, they suffer nothing by lying and be-
i• g constantly in demand for repairing roads, they at. sure of a
market. . .

At a meeting of weavers' delegates on Saturday timing. a per.
sun from Springburn mentioned two distressing eases in that ail-
hite. One of them was a weaver's wife, who had just been
d.eltvered of a child. and who had no food whatever in the house,
r...r fuel to make It ready, even if t'te had it. The other was that
in a weaver, wife, and three children. who For two days had no-
thing to subsist upon but a pound of °stoical. and were frequently
lu a worse situation. A gentleman overhearing two men to the
street, who had been at the meeting, talking of the above cues,
ant► having inquired minutely into dhem. he sent out two men with
live shillings to relieve each family. The name of the benevolent
gentleman is not known, but it will be satisfactory to him to know
that he has relieved two cases of urgent distress. and that his ex.
ample may stimulate others to exercise their humanity in a similar
way.
- -

The folly and pletumption of the combined cotton spinneret have
cow reached a begin which is deeply to be deplored, and that, too,
chiefly on &MOW' of the infatuated individuals themselves, and
their families. It was formerly mentioned that, in the present dia. '
tressed state of trade, the proprietors of a number of the cotton
works in town had came to the resolution of making a small redur-
ttou of the wages. The best-behaved and most intelligent, or in
other words, nine-tenths of the workmen, were willing to submit
to the proposed rethfction, hut the foolish leaders of the combine.
that took the alarm—the usual system of threats and annoyance
was adopted, and the result has been that the well.disposed part
Lave been completely overawed and controlled. and six works are
already stopt, or will be shut up by Saturday. The Glasgow spin-
ners were imperiously called on to reduce the prices, in order to
equalise the business. Most of the works in Renfrewshire pay 3id.,
while in Glasgow they pay Rd. and Id. on the shilling ; anti such
Sc- the powers of the combination, that in Bridgeton the strong.
hold and focus of the confederacy. the works are compelled to pay
• farthing more than is paid to most of the cotton works in the
Gorbals. Working only six hours a day, the spinners earn Iris.
sad Ilia. a week. In the present demented state of trade, when the
distress is wider spread, deeper and more severely felt, than it was
In any of the artuations that occurred during the war, these men,
who spurn the abatement of one-eighth from such wages, must
either he lamentably intermitted, or be c udident of ample means of
stappoet, altogether beyond the knowledge or comprehension of
people unconnected with their society. The spinners ht.ve been
ea short hours since the end of January, and must be greatly re.
doorel in their circumstances • and besides, they cannot now expect
tole so long supported in idleness u they were at their last strike.
Many of the shopkeepers who maintained them on credit at that
time were ruined, and most of the respectable dealers have declared
that they will nut tryst them a single shilling after they cease gimle-
t:ie. The ruinous efticts of the combination to the men themselves
become the more obvious, when it is considered that most of the
proprietors have such large stocks of yarn on hand, that they
are glad atilt present opportunity of shutting their works till trade
revive,. Those who wish to carry or; will find hundreds of unem-
ployed weavers. who will eagerly embrace an opportunity of learn.
erg • business which is so much better paid than their own.

The jodicioas plans taken by the proprieton of the cotton works
In Belfast are beginning to awaken the combined cotton spinners to
thecensequences of their own imprudent conduct. Determined to
lane the lawful management of their works, and to have a power
of discriminating in the choice of their weaker", the proprietors
her tak in such measure• as ore likely to rid them, once for all, of
the ruinous control of the combination. The work, are rapidly
fining with new bands. In a large cotton work, where about
seventy spinners were employed, only six of the old hands have
been allotted to return to their work. The new hands are engaged
acid boupd by a regular indenture to serve for three years. They
get half the price the that year, their prices are to be progressively
sdvanced, and they are to have full price at the end of their en-
gagement. Wearers or other workmen, who had previously been
evinces. are allowed fun price.
Mr. Wilson -erects/glen. with his usual spirit and decision, has
resolved to elreet a reduction in the pries of hts cools. On Monday
he intimated to his colliers the he intended to lower his coals to the
public tate shilling a earl, sad to make such a reduction in their
wages as would slow them firm shillings when they earned fivt
"billing. a day. Ile gave them twenty-four hours to consider of
his proposition. and ordered those who were determined not to sub-
mit. to bring up their implements. so Iliac he might know them,
ss.d Ire stated at the same lime that they must leave their houses
in twenty.tour hours after they drone-6 work. A number of the
.poriog and inconsiderate have turned out. but the old, the well-
disposed, and moot intelligent part. here wisely submitted to Mr.
Wilson's terms. Those who foolishly refused to comply, were re-
gularly warned to lease their houses yeeterday. file. Willie° is
Otswit.ined to fill the places of the combined with weaver., mil Mr.
Ronald, smith; at Pullockshaws, has received orders to make a
number of wedges, pick.. and other imnlements for the new hands.
bast week, the members of the '" %%wog Trade' Enendly So-
ciety at Govern, in defiance of every prudential consideration,
mortgaged the funds of the society fur tire support of the coal.
bitted. The "Ohl Trade" were requested to do so also ; but they
bad more pod sense than comply.

DISTRESS IN rmsLEy.

PAIS! FY. MAT 3.

We are entry to say that the depression of Cotrihe nufact
continues in our town, and that there are not et present any favour-
able symptom. appearing of a revival. Though a few sales can be
made. yet the low once of gnats le so diacuuragi•.g to manufac-
turer*, that they are obliged in the mean time to suspend their I've.
Teti it,.. It is impossible to ascertain the degree of suffering which
is at pc-rent experienced be our industrious but unemployed opera-
tiv,fa ; but. we know that the direness prevails to an unexampl. d ex-
tent. A great deal has been done, and is still Ening. by the hand
of benevolence, to grant relief, but will we know that the relief
afforded is far from being adequate to meet the prevailing distress.
Encouragement is held out to those who can give employment, by
/Mina in the fields, to thane who are able, and a few hundreds are
employed in this way in the vicinity of the town; but we have
deeply to ►egret that toe public benevolence cannot be carried to a
greater extent in this manner, a. great numbers are still wandering
•blot our streets, anti In the outeklete, in an entire state of idleness,
enff-ring under severe orienting's*. and not knowing what to mike
al themselves. To men of industrious habits such a condition
most be extreme) y painful, and it is the laudable wish of such per.
sons to engage in any kind of labou► which offers, as it is with
rot reluctance that they ran prevail upon 'themselves to salt the
smell mximiary relief that can only be afforded them. We under.
Mead Inn many of our operative:, who cannot find employment in
elletneighbourhood, have been from time to time leaving the town.
seed have eith,. found same outfield labour at a 'haulm., from
Imam, or hove taken op a temporary residence among friends or re-
Nieves in the country. A considerable number or perilous belong
log to our riaier Island hare gone home, and many more are ready
to•falk.w. amid hare received small sums to enable them to cross the
.hannel.

Ruch it the decay in the resources of the combined colliers, that
tirt week the pittance doled out to those lately In Mr. Dunlop'n
employ. was only four shilling. each man, with which to maintain
lizi, family. This week the allowance is expected to he worse.
This Is it sad difference from earning six shillings a day. At Clyde
It .works the new hands have, at their own request, been put on
tn.
i4e.work, in preference :o receiving t:te day's wages or 2s. 4d.;
d they are already earning from three to tire shillii4o a-day.
new are now fifty unassociated colliers in the pits; so that the
new h melt have abundance of teachers. The Olen, Brandywine,
*Hutchison. Carmyle, Hamilton Farm, and Camlachie pits, are
mi in full operation is the most promising mataer with the new