The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONI-NyN, fULI6DAY EVENING AUGUST 18, 1863.

LANCASHIRE DISTRESS.

CENTRAL RELIEF FUND.

The usual weekly meeting of the Executive Committee
was held at the Town-hall, Manchester,yesterday. The Earl
of Derby presided, and there were present Sir J. Kay-
Shuttleworth, Lord Egerton of Tatton, Lord E, Howard,
Colonel Wilson Patten, Major Egerton Leigh, Messrs.
Key, Stern, Heywood, Roberts, E. Ashworth, Goodair,
Hugh Mason, Platt, Ross, G. L. Ashworth, Hutchinson,
Rawlinson, R. M'Clure, and Commissioner Farnall.
Mr. J. W. McClure, hon. sec., reported the balance in
the bank of £314,596 12s 11d, and that £513 3s 2d had been
received during the week. Two small parcels of clothing
had been received, but none sent out.
Mr. Commissioner FARNALL presented his weekly re-
port :

"I beg to inform you that on the Bth inst. there was an
increase in the number of persons receiving parochial relief
in 27 Unions in the cotton manufacturing districts, as com-
pared with the number so relieved in the previous week, of
91. This increase of 91 is explained as follows :—There is
an increase at Burnley of 23, at Bury of 231, at Chorley of
18, at Clitheroe of 44, at Garstang of 9, at Glossop of 25, at
Haslingden of 28, at Leigh of 25, at Preston of 501,at Prest-
wich of 38, and at Rochdale of 13—making a total increase
of 955. But there is a decrease at Ashton-under-Lyne of 94,
at Barton-upon-Irwell of 42, at Blackburn of 49, at Bolton
of 107, at Chorlton of 132, at Lancaster of 18, at Maccles-
field of 9, at Manchester of 263, at Saddleworth of 6, at
Salford of 107, at Stockport of 28, at Todmorden of 5, at
Warrington of 1, and at Wigan of 3—making a total de-
crease of 864; so that there is a net increase of 91; and,
since the 6th of December last, a total decrease of 126,134.
There were, on the Bth inst., 145,849 persons receiving
parochial relief in the 27 Unions adverted to; in the corre-
sponding week of 1861, 46,874 persons were so relieved;
there is, therefore, an increase of 98,976 persons in re-
ceipt of parochial relief, or 211.2 per cent. In the corre-
sponding week of 1862, 118,824 persons received parochial
relief. The total weekly cost of outdoor relief on the Bth
instant was £8,930 12s 7d ; in the corresponding week of
1861 it was £2,240 18s 8d ; there is, therefore, an in-
crease
of £6,689 13s 11d, or 2985 per cent. In the cor-
responding week of 1862 it was £6,609 9s ld. The
average percentage of pauperism on the population of
the Unions on the Bth inst., was 7.4 ; in the correspond-
ing week in 1861 it was 2.4. The amount of money in the
hands of the treasurers of the above Unions on the Bth inst.
was £73,929 15s. 4d. I take this opportunity of stating
that the provisions of the Public Works Act will shortly
come into operation in most of the large towns and in seve-
ral of the parishes of the cotton manufacturing districts ; I
am therefore justified in anticipating that a great number of
able-bodied unemployed operatives will soon be removed
both from the poor-rates and from the charitable funds."
Mr. MACLURE, referring to the increase last week and in
the previous week in recipients of relief from the guardians,
expressed an opinion that to some extent it arose from the
closing of the operations of various relief committees, a re-
sidue of whose recipients of relief were now transferred to
the guardians. The usual monthly returns at the end of the
month would show the exact number of the recipients of
relief from all sources, and what change had taken place in
the numbers.

Col. WILSON PATTEN inquired whether measures were
being taken in the places applying for loans to show even-
tually what number of men had been employel upon public
works, and the number taken off the relief committee books.
Mr. FARNALL said he should take care to see these men at
work, and report to this committee as to the number of previ-
ously unemployed operatives who were included among them.
Mr. GooDAIR, in reply to an inquiry from Mr. Parnell as
to the cause •of the increase of 501 persons in receipt of
parochial relief in Preston, said that during the past week
two mills had been reduced to short-time working, and that
the local relief committee were throwing off their books a
certain number of persons who might possibly be finding
their way on to the books of the guardians. In answer to
the Chairman, Mr. Goodair also said that in the present
state of the market for cotton and manufactured goods it
was'impossible to predict with any degree of certainty how
long these mills might continue upon short time.

Mr. RAWLINSON stated that the after-named towns had
sent in applications, accompanied by plans and estimates,
for loans for purposes here stated :—Blackburn, £78,300,
for main sewers, for cleansing river, deepening, forming,
and paving the beck through the town, for forming and
paving streets, and for other works (a further sanction is to
be asked for during the winter) ; Preston, £28,500, to form
public parks and recreation ground, and to complete sewers
and streets and paving and repairing footpaths on the banks
of the Ribble, and for other works ; Dukinfield, £2,000, for
main sewers and other works. These applications had been
reported on and sanctions would be granted. Blackburn
would have a first instalment of £lO,OOO, and additional in-
stalments as the work proceeded. Preston would have the
same, and Dukinfield would have the £2,000 asked for, as
it was thought of £lO,OOO being asked for when plans could
be got ready. Denton is preparing plans for main sewers,
and Wigan has given notice for £50,000; Bolton was about
to apply for a sanction to borrow £lOO,OOO for waterworks,
extensions,cleansing and improving river, severing, forming
paving, and completing streets, recreation grounds' exten-
sion, markets' extension, and new town hall. The plans
and specifications are in coarse of preparation. Stockport
was about to make application for some £50,000 for forming
sewers and streets, cleansing river, and other works. Most
of the boroughs and towns in the distressed districts would
apply for loans as soon as plans and estimates could be pre-
pal ed.

The ChAIRMAN (Lord Derby) asked if the public works
carried out under the new act in places named would absorb
a large amount of unskilled labour.

Mr. RAWLINSON replied that they wauld. At the present
moment something like 550 unskilled labourers were em-
ployed at Blackburn. At Bolton a large number were also
at work. At Dukinfield public works had been commenced,
in anticipation of obtaining a loan, for the purpose of find-
ing employment for applicants to the relief committee, there
All the men were employed in gangs and paid for measured
work.

The CHAIRMAN suggested that in the event of a larger
amount than the million and a half at present appropriated
to public works being applied for and granted, the Poor
Law Board might exercise a discretion in limiting its ap-
plication to such works as would employ the largest amount
of unskilled labour.

Mr. FARNALL said he had no doubt that, under the cir•
cumstances mentioned, some such discretion would be exer •

cised.

Grants were then made to various towns to the amount
of £3,955, including £l,OOO to Blackburn.
The CHAIRMAN asked Mr. Rawlinson what steps had
been taken there to put the new Public Works Act into
operation ?

Mr. RAWLINSON replied that Blackburn was the first
place to accept the provisions of the act ; and as regarded
the preparation of the necessary plans and specifications and
the carrying out all the other preliminary details, that town
might serve as a model for the rest of Lancashire, for no-
thing could be more complete and perfect. He begged also
to remark that in Blackburn they had forestalled the act,
in setting men to work for wages in the way provided for in
the act itself. They certainly deserved the warmest praise
of the committee and of the country.