The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 11, 1863.

The Central Executive Relief Committee.

The weekly meeting of the Central Executive Committee
was held on Monday in the Town Hall, Manchester ; Sir
J. P. Kay •Shuttleworth, Bart., in the chair. There were
also present Lord Egerton, Col. Wilson Patten, M.P.,
Major Egerton Leigh, Messrs. H. B. Farnall, W. Rath-
bone, jun., M, Ross, S. J, Stern, R. M'Clure, W. Roberts,
R. Gladstone, A. H. Heywood, and J. W. Maclure hono-
rary secretary. Mr. Rawlinson was also in attendance.
The HONORARY SECRETARY reported that £668 183 ld
had been received during the past week, and that the ba-
lance in the bank was £260,875 17s Bd. Four packages of
clothing had been received, and one crate of hats, one bag
of sugar, and six barrels of flour had been sent off.
The CHAIRMAN announced that ho had that morning
received from the Lambeth Relief Committee a cheque for
£145 5s 81d, the balance of their fund.
Mr. FARNALL presented the following report :—" I beg
to inform you that on the 31st ult. there was a decrease
in the number of persons receiving parochial relief in 27
unions in the cotton manufacturing districts, as compared
with the number so relieved in the previous week, of 1,552.
This decrease of 1,552 is explained as follows : There
is a decrease at Ashton-under-Lyne of 879, at Barton-
upon-Irwell of 7, at Bolton of 14, at Bury of 37, at
Chorley of 30, at Clitheroe of 4, at Glossop of 18, at
Haslingden of 108, at Leigh of 38, at Macclesfield of 10, at
Manchester of 106, at Oldham of 712, at Preston of 60, at
Rochdale of 101, at Saddleworth of 39, at Warrington of
30, and at Wigan of 89—making a total decrease of 2,282,
But there is an increase at Blackburn of 43, at Burnley of
162, at Chorlton of 168, at the Fy.de of 80, at Garstang of
5, at Lancaster of 12, at Prestwich of 86, at Salford of 59,
and at Stockport of 115—making a total increase of 730.
So that there is a net decrease of 1,552, and, since the
6th of December last, a total decrease of 144,026 has
taken place. There wero, on the 31st ult., 127,9 57 per-
sons receiving parochial relief in the 27 unions adverted
to ; in the corresponding week of 1861, 43,426 persons
Were so relieved. There is, therefore, an increase of
79,531 persons in the receipt of parochial relief, or 161.3
per cent. In the corresponding week of 1862, 224,712 per-
sons received parochial re:ief. But, independently of the
127,957 receiving parochial relief, there are, according to
Mr. Maclure's report, 50,352 persons who are maintained
by local committees of charity only, making a total of
178,309 persons, or 9.0 per cent, on the population, who
are supported ether out of the poor rates or through the
medium of charity. The total weekly cost of outdoor relief
on the 31st ult. was £7,934 4s 92 ; in the corresponding
week of 1861 it was £2,398 Cs. There is, therefore, an
increase of £5,535 18s 92 or 231.3 per cent. In the
corresponding week of 1562 it was £14,411 5s 4d.
The average per tentage of pauperism on the population of
these unions, on the 31st ult., was 6.4; in the correspond-
ing week of 1861 it was 24, and in the corresponding week
of 1862 it was 11.3. The amount of money in the hands of
the treasurers of the above unions, on the 31st ult., was
£73,372 Ils 11d."

In compliance with the wish of the Committee, Mr. Riw-
LINSON made the following statement respecting the opera-
tion of the Public 'Works Act. Ho said 40 places in the
cotton manufacturing districts had adopted the Local
Government Act, 1858, or some of its clauses, since
Christmas, as also the Public Works Act, 1863. Many
other places were taking the necessary means to adopt
these acts; so that with few exceptions, the whole of the
distressed district would come voluntarily under their ope-
ration. He had, by himself or by his assistant, Mr. R. A.
Arnold, inspected and reported on works in some 42 towns
and districts, the total amount reported on being £616,245.
The work of examination and reporting was in progress.
Notices had reached him as to intended applications for
sanctions reaching to about £BOO,OOO additional, or in the
whole to £1,416,245; and there were applications from
other small districts to come in. The whole of the dtstressed
towns would be improved under the powers of the act of
1863. Public parks would be established—miles of streets
would be cowered and paved—and other forms of sanitary
works executed. No work was made specially for the °cut•
sion, but the whole was work actually necessary, and in all
cases was devised and set out by the local authorities, and
conducted entirely under local inspection and management,
The value of the works to the several districts would, in his
opinion, be far more than the money cost. Property was
increased in commercial value by proper sanitary works,
8 executed: employeda efficient Ccioetnt
cotton
opsewers,operatives
i v.
egoods? roads, and paved streets. :The
raeis,iiierm.
itpo.wyeLdiin all cases worked well and willingly.
ajor Ltran inquired whether these works were being
en contract and if so, whether the contractors
practicable in all cases and others
of the employment of
prop undliesrol:erleplied that some were upon contract,
proportion of the work
as compared with skill:
in every place his recommendatiorrt
Pae,riinabteon:ents. It was quite im-
enootttsometoroeutthlV:roknsew:hiicrhd
owfoullnldskailllloewd
n operatives solely. In a large
could ibe employed—but
o the local authorities
in
hft
had:been to give preference to the class of
instance which would give occupation to worksthe largestte pos-
siblelrs number of unskilled labourers ; and he believed that a
ready assent had everywhere been given to the suggestion,
Lord Eciznim asked if in giving out coutractts any au-

pulation was made that the contractors should use the
utmost amount of unskilled labour that the works would
admit of ?

Mr. RA.WLINSON said such a stipulation was made.
On the motion of Colonel PATTEN, seconded by Mr.
FARNALL, it was resolved :—" That the various local com-
mittees be informed that the Central Executive Relief Com-
mittee is prepared to take into consideration applications for
clothing for cotton operatives employed in public works,
carried on under the provisions of the Public Works Act
of the last session of Parliament. That the local commit-
tees in every such application specify the number of un-
skilled cotton operatives so employed on outdoor work for
whom suitable working clothes are required."