The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-22 00:00:00

THE DOCKYARDS.

Dockyard and Steam Factory Labour Charts
have just been issued for 1862-3, and for nine
months to the 31st of December, 1863. The Ac-
countant-General of the Navy reports that these
are the first accounts of this description which have
been prepared, and then proceeds, as follows, to state
the principles and data upon which they have been
made out :

" Under each dockyard and steam factory are
exhibited the various services upon which the work-
men have been employed, grouped under several
general heads, so as in the main sufficiently to illus-
trate the character and extent of the works upon
which they have been engaged, The several grades
of workmen so employed are likewise shown against
the ships and services, together with the wages paid
to and the time worked by each grade, the latter
being worked out with reference to the number of
men employed for the whole period of the account.

" The net value of materials issued to and returned
from the several ships and services is likewise given,
"At the end of each dockyard and factory a
tabular statement is appended, showing the per
tentage of the number of men employed and of
wages paid upon each of the general services, as
compared with the total number of men employed
and total amount of wages paid at each yard.
"Under the column of Remarks,' the profes-
sional officers of each yard have inserted brief gene-
ral observations, descriptive of the character of the
particular works for which the charges have been
incurred.

"The amounts included for wages and materials
in the accounts of each dockyard and steam factory
are certified by the Admiralty audit clerks as agree-
ing with the final classified charges for such expen-
diLure in the dockyard expense accounts, Nos. 88
and 89, for the same period, and the amount paid
for wages agrees with that taken credit for in the
finance accounts for the. period.

"In the Appendix No. 1 attached to these ac-
counts are given detailed particulars of the several
amounts paid to the workmen landing, receiving,
issuing and shipping stores, as well as those for
landing, receiving, removing, &c., timber, in expla-
nation of the total charges for these miscellaneous
services.

" In Appendix No, 2 is shown the labour expanded
in each of the workshops and at the saw-pits and
saw-mills under eaeh dockyard for manufactures
and conversions of timber, in order to indicate the
amount of labour expended upon each of these
operations, the results of which constitute the sub-
sequent issues to and charges against ships.
"A description is likewise given of the charges
which constitute the cost of labour under ' General
Expenditure' in the several workshops at the dif-
ferent yards.
"Prefixed to the accounts and statements before
referred to are general abstracts, showing in debter
and creditor form under the several heads of service,
and at the different yards and factories, the total
amount of wages paid and materials charged, and
under each service the average percentage of men
working and of wages earned on account of such
service, with reference to the total number of men
employed and total amount of wages paid at the
several dockyards and steam factories. A further
abstract is also attached indicating similar results
under each of the heads of service at each of the
dockyards and factories."
The amount paid for labour in the dockyards in
the year to the 31st of March, 1863, is £875,995,
and this represents the employment for the year of
14,414 workmen, with a fraction of 1432 days for
one man. The net value of the materials consumed
upon these several operations is £1,753,874. The
percentages of the total number of men employed
and of wages paid upon the several operations are
as follows :

Per Cent.

Men. Waes,
New work, Head No. 1 •• 11. .• 21 .. g
21i
Repairing, fitting, and maintenance of f1,...et,

Heads 2 and 3 .. .. 262,
Yard craft, Head 4 .. 21
Harbour service, Head 6 211 .. 21;
Manufactures and conversions, Head 7 291 .. 28
Other departments, Head 6 .. ..

Similar results are worked out with regard to the
services upon which the workmen of the several
steam factories is the dockyards have been em-
ployed. Only the abstracts for nine months to the
31st of December, 1863, are as yet printed, but it is
of no small importance that, before the discussing
the Navy Estimates of next year, the House of
Commons should have before them accounts of the
expenditure upon ships building and repairing up
to so recent a period, and thus b 3 put in possession
of the state of things up to the latest time, and so
be enabled to form a more practical opinion of
of future requirements.

MURDER IN WARVVICISIIIit,E,

-.---,4;.- -...--

Only a day after the murder for which George
Hall has been committed for trial at the approach-
ing assizes at Warwick, a similar crime was perpe-
trated at. Brailes, a small agricultural village, within
sight of the scene of the conflict between the
Royalists and Parliamentarians, at Edge Hills, in
1642.

The name of the deceased is Henry Clifton, and
he was employed as an agricultural labourer on the
farm of Mr. James Garrett, who has a large holding
under H. J. Sheldon,
-EFT, the late high sheriff of
the county of Warwick. The name of the murderer
is George Ditton, who for the last 12 months has
acted in the capacity of gamekeeper to Mr. Sheldon.
The crime was committed late on Ti urs(lay evaning,
as deceased was returning from his work at Mr.
Garrett's, across an orchard on land occupied by Mr.
Harris, another tenant farmer of Mr. Sheldon's, on
which orchard there is a footpath used by the in-
habitants in crossing the Brailes hills, as a short
route to the main thoroughfares leading to the Ox-
ford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway on
the west, and to Shipton-on-Stour, Stratford-on-
Avon, &c., on the north. This footpath has been
extensively used daily from time immemorial, but
Mr. Sheldon has set up a right of way for the last
12 months.

The explanation of the above facts are necessary
to a proper understanding of what is to fol-
low. Caton and a fallow-labourer, named Hol-
tom, were crossing the footpath on the night in
question, --when the keeper was stationed in
the orchard with a double-barrelled loaded gun and
a dog. As soon as he saw them approach, he asked
a man named Walker, working in the corner of the
orchard, who they were. Walker told him the
name of one of them. Ditton said he would see
who the other was. That other was deceased, who
had a stick in his hand. It is stated that he had
been previously stopped by the keeper and asked,
but refused to be searched for game. On the pre-
sent occasion, howeven, there is no allegation that
Clifton or his companion were either returning
from or going to poaching grounds ; but, however,
Ditton went up to Clifton, collared him, walking
beside him some distance with his hand upon his
collar, telling him he was on trespass. An alter-
cation and struggle ensued, the keeper wishing to
drive the man back over the hills, the deceased
desiring to get home ere the shades of evening fell,
but, it is said, promising not to come that way
agein. By a desperate effort deceased got out of
the keeper's grasp and struck him with his stick,
after which Ditton deliberately presented towards
him his gun. By this time Mr. Harris had come
andn H
ptohoilstoomrchgaarvde aantdt,he acceoorrdoninegestoint(hioeeestviodoencehe
Satur-
day,wslk walked
Dittonw ay deliberatelyto
his
lodge,
cries of vengeance. He was soon afterwards ap-
prehended. shot
followed the
deceased,by yell andan d
moirldeer.,,
coroner's jury returned a verdict of " Wilful

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