The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-25 00:00:00

of cotton formerly prevailing, the trade would again
extend in proportion. They could not enlarge their
operations at the present prices of cotton. The cot-
ton growing districts of India had, owing to the
high price paid for their produce, enjoyed a degree
of prosperity never before witnessed. The effect
was beginning to be seen in Calcutta. An esti-
mate had been arrived at as to the quantity of goods
they could use in the six months, from January to
the end of July, and this was one of the causes of
the large business done in Manchester last week.
The usual consumption in Calcutta was, in spite of
present high prices, only 25 per cent. per month
more than that of the first six months of this year.
In addition to this they knew that the stocks of
goods up country had been reduced materially
during the same period.
Mr. E. ASHWORTH said the money paid to India
during the last year for cotton had been about
£20,000,000 sterling more than had been customary,
and the increased amount to Egypt—to a popula-
tion of 3,500,000—was about £7,000,000 sterling.
Some portion of that money would be sure to come
back to this country for manufactured goods.
Mr. STERN did not think there would be any
difficulty in selling all the goods they could produce,
provided there was no very sudden fall in the price
of cotton.
tooLotrhdanEk.fHulowfoArßpth, coulde
r
prospectsbe
which had been held out to them, but he gathered
eMlTop"eseoitd btrhigeyht
from the conversation that a period of something
like two years must elapse before they could be
realised, and thought, therefore, that they must bear
in mind what they had to encounter in that long
interval. He was sure they would have as winter
approached plenty to do, both in applying the money
under the Public Works Act and in finding employ-
ment by other means for the distressed population.
These people, if he mistook not, would soon be
badly off for clothing, and that might interfere
with their going to a distance in search of work.
He should be glad to learn what had been the
result of efforts made by certain benevolent
persons to employ these cotton operatives in out-
door work. It would be well, especially as a long
period had to be tided over before brighter times
arrived, if such persons would publish the result of
their experience in the employment of factory
operatives at a distance. It might probably en-
courage others to follow their example by finding
occupation for the same unfortunate class.
Lord EGERTON said the expense of removing
deterred married men with families from going in
search of work to long distances; they had also a
natural repugnance to breaking up their homes.
Mr. MACLURE (hon. sec.) said that wherever

' operatives bad gone to avail themselves of specific
offers of work through this committee, he had taken
care to inquire how they had conducted themselves
as regarded their general behaviour and suitability
for their new employments, in every instance
the reports had been most satisfactory, an 3
on more than one occasion he bad laid those reports
before this committee. There was a great advan-
tage in offers of work of a temporary nature, as

they enabled single young men to employ them-
selves for a time, and yet be within reach when a
better state of the cotton trade came. The great
difficulty was, as Lord Egerton remarked, the ex-
pense of transit. He stated thht he had received
an offer from Mr. Haig, of Newton, North Wales,
for the employment of 20 men for five months,
which he hoped to be able to make available. Such
offers showed great consideration and would always
be gladly received by the committee.
Mr. E. ASHWORTH inquired whether, if the
whole of the money provided under the new act
were borrowed, employment would nct be found
thereby for the whole of the operative population
not occupied in the cotton trade. It would be bet-
ter in every sense not to send them away till it was
ascertained that there was no work for them at
home.

In reply to the CHAIRMAN, he said he estimated
4-1- days' work in the mills from January next.
The CHAIRMAN thought it highly important that
the facts detailed in the conversation should be
made public, particularly as they might tend to
reconcile an apparent inconsistency with which the

manufacturer; had been charged—namely that o

endeavouring to prevent the people to disperse to
other districts, at the same time that they made
the most dismal statements regarding the present
state of things.
After a little further conversation the subject

dropped.
The MAYOR of MANCHESTER said that in all
probability Manchester would make application for
£lOO,OOO under the Public Works Act. The cor-
poration were most anxious to follow out the inten-
tions of Parliament, and assist in finding employ-
ment for the distressed population.