The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-13 00:00:00

the better times. Time will be many such varia-
tions before the stream flows on as of old ; there

will be ebb and flow, prosperity and adversity, in

quick succession; but so long as there is the
prospect of a fair and increasing supply of cotton

from sources wholly independent of the
American war there is no ground for public un-

easiness. In the meantime the question is how to

deal with the present pressure, and the Central
Committee as usual are prompt in action. At their
monthly meeting held in Manchester on Monday

last it was decided that they should assemble
weekly for the next fortnight, so as to act with
the caution necessary under existing circumstances.
The comparative smallness of the balance in hand

renders it desirable to husband their means with a

view to the pssible exigencies of the coming
winter, and accordingly at the two meetings of the

Executive and of the a:neral Committees held on

Monday, various schemes were proposed with this

end. The Executive Committee have good right to
take credit to themselves for the prudent distribu-
tion of the funds entrusted to their care, for, as
they justly remark in their report, the balance now
in hand would not exist if they had not striven to
enforce as much economy as appeared consistent
with the wellbeing of the people. The precautions
hitherto observed are now again enforced, and the
Executive Committee especially recommend " that
an increase should take place in the number of face
tory operatives employed on public works, and that
a larger proportion of the unemployed hitherto
should receive relief from the Boards of Guardians
or from local subscriptions." They further advise
the separate action in all cases of the Boards
of Guardians and of the District Committees.
With regard to the Public Works Act, the state
of affairs now brought to light is not
altogether satisfactory. Some unforeseen and un-
necessary difficulties seem to lie in the way, and
the result is that although large sums are raised
and extensive works carried on those for whom the
Act was especially intended do not get a fair share
of its benefits. Thus in Manchester, where there
are about 9,000 people out of employment, only
155 cotton operatives are now employed on the
public works, although £85,000 have been received
from the Commissioners. The Mayor complains
that great difficulty has been experienced in getting
from the guardians as many men as they required,
and further stated that the guardians were in the
habit of making periodical returns of the number
of persons who were fit for employment on public
works, and that at the close of September there was
A total of 65, most of whom had since been absorbed_
But the standard of efficiency must be very rigid if
so small a proportion of 9,000 are certified, and we
cannot help thinking that such a result does not at
all meet the intentions of Pdrliament, or the neces-
sities of the population. Even in Blackburn, where
the number employed is much larger, only 340 fac-
tory operatives are employed to 500 labourers. It
appears to be a miracle to carry out these works by
contract, since the contractors naturally prefer to
gat the best men they can for the money, so as to
get the work done well and quickly. if the object
is to give the unemployed operatives remunerative
occupation, and so relieve the rates, it is
by no means the best way to attain
it to employ ordinary contractors as agents.
The proportion of able-bodied men to the whole
number of factory operatives may very probably
be much smaller than is generally supposed, but
the best does not seem to be made of the matter.
The public will be inclined to echo Lord EGER-
TON'S remark, that "he never imagined it was
necessary that men should be sent by the guar-
dians before they could come under the Public
Works Act, and that if it were so, he hoped steps
would be taken to extend its benefits to others.'.
The less of a double agency there is the better, and
the local jealousies which are apt to exist between
two authorities are better avoided, as far as possible.
It would be very desirable to stretch the Act a
little further, and to be a little less rigid in the ex-
clusion of those who do not quite come up to the
recognised standard. The High Sheriff, Sir J.
KAY SIIIITTLEWORTII, remarked upon the neces-
sity which existed for increased E ffir t s on the part
of the local authorities in this matter. He said
very justly that the pressure, which was likely to
occur during the winter months, ought to be met
by increased exertions in placing factory operatives
on public works. It is not fair those districts
which are profiting by the Act to raise money and
carry oat lasting improvements in their vicinity to
neglect those to assist whom the Act was specially
passed, and to leave them to depend upon the
diminished resources of the Relief Fund. An ir•
crease of 12,000 in the recipients of
relief demands some corresponding exere
tine, and this is so plain and practical
a way of affording assistance that there is no excuse
for not care) log it out to the fullest possible extent.
It is also very wise on the part of the Committee
to ineist upon a fair share of relief being given by
the guardians, so that the two sources of aid may
be kept apart. If the Relief Fund is to be called
upon to supplement the allowance of the guardians
its stores will soon be exhausted, whereas, on the
other hand, if the relief administered is to be only
at the rate of ls. or is. 3d. per head a week, there
is good cause to apprehend disease and famine. We
are glad to find that previous to the resolution passed
by the Committee on Monday, the Blackburn guar-
dians had nearly doubled their rate of relief, and
the determination of the Committee not to make
grants to any town, unless the parochial relief
averages 2s. a head, is likely to induce other dis-
tricts to follow their example. It would be very
shortsighted kindness to the ratepayers were the
Committee to expend all the sum they have in
hand, and leave themselves without the power of
mitigating future pressure. There is little doubt
that, if need be, further subscriptions will be
promptly forthcoming, but there is every reason for
preserving a cheerful and hopeful spirit, since the
crisis is but of a temporary character. Not only
have we the past to look back upon with wonder
and thankfulness, but we have every ground for
anticipating the constant, if gradual, increase in
our supply of cotton which has already, indepen-
dently of American sources, been augmented to
an amount which most persons would have deemed
scarcely credible some two years since,

THE NEW REGISTRAR IN BANKRUPTC7.—ThE
Lord Chancellor has appointed Mr. James Stephen,
of the Middle Temple, barrister-at-law, to be a registrar of
the Court of Bankruptcy for the Leeds district, in the room
of Mr Samuel Payne, who retires on account of ago and
infirmity, after a service of upwards of twenty years. Mr
Stephen was called to the bar in 1816, has obtained the
degree of LL. D., is Professor of English Law and Jurispru-
dence at King's College, and is also Recorder of Poole.

THE QUEEN'S HORSES.—It will be thought very
naturally that the finest stud of all classes of horses
is to be found in the Queen's stables. And probably in the
days of Gat,rge IY. this was the case, but at present the
Sovereign's tastes do not include horseflesh. Probably the
influence of Prinee Albert had a great deal to do with the
neglect into which the royal stables had fallen. His royal
highness neither knew nor cared anything about horse-
flesh, and the consequence is that at the present moment
there is scarcely a horse in the Buckingham Palace stables
that can be considered first rate, and many of them are
shocking jades. The public had an opportunity of witness-
ing the second rate character of the animals sent to convey
the Princess Alexandra into London—animals that our
leading nobility you'd not have in their stables. The
riding horses are of a more inferior nature still ; with one
exception, those used by the Prince of Walea.—Once a