The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-03 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN COMMISSION OF

SEWERS.

A general court of the Metropolitan Commissioners
of Sewers was held yesterday at the Court-house, in
Greek-street. Present—Mr. R. Jebb (in the chair),
Lieut.-Colonel Dawson, Mr. George Baker, Sir Charles
Fellowes, Mr. Thomas Hawes, and Mr. George Spencer
Smith.
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMISSION OF SEWERS.
Lieut.-Colonel DAWSON, who had given notice at the
last court, that he would this day ask the following
question :—" What progress had been made with the
arrangements for reconstructing the commission," said,
before this question, he would ask that the letter received
from Lord Palmerston be now read.
Mr. WooLitYca, the secretary, then read the follow-
ing letter :

" Whitehall, Feb. 18, 1854.
" Gentlemen,--I am directed by Viscount Palmerston
to transmit to you the enclosed copy of a letter from Mr.
F. 0. Ward, relative to the comparative advantages of the
systems of drainage advocated by the commissioners of
sewers and the Board of Health respectively ; and I am to
state that, in his lordship's opinion, the system of drainage
recommended by the Board of Health, is that which ought
to be adopted, as combining the greatest degree of effi-
ciency with the greatest degree of economy.
" I am, sir, your obedient servant,
" HENRY FITZROY."

Lieut.• Colonel DAWSON then said—The letter that has
just been read bears the date of the 18th of February,
and we have now arrived at the 2d of May. I rise to ask
the question of which I gave notice on the 4th of April,
and which I will now repeat, although I have no wish
to cause any embarrassment to the management of the
commission at any period that may be unreasonable or
unnecessary. Nor do I ask the question solely for my
own information, as I have obtained sufficient for my
own purpose, but I wish the public to know, after what
has passed, why we are continued in office, and for what
further period. I now, sir, ask what progress has been
made for reconstructing the commission ?
The CHAIRMAN- -The gallant colonel has asked me
what progress has been made towards reconstruction,
and what the Government has done towards placing the
commission on a new footing, and re-establishing it on a
permanent basis? I have a difficulty in answering the
question, as I have not the means of answering him how
soon it will take place. In the next place, I have had no
communication from the Government ; but I have been
in correspondence with them, and am so at the present
time, on the measures likely to be adopted, but I am not
in a position to give any information on the subject.
The Government have the subject under consideration,
and I have no doubt before long it will be brought before
Parliament. Probably they should know nothing of
the matter until it was brought before the house, but I
have seen nothing of the bill having been brought before
the house, as far as I have been able to learn from the
public papers, and I know nothing further about it.
The conversation then dropped.
The other portion of the business was quite of a routine
character, and of no public interest.

THE PRESTON STRIKE.

PRESTON, May 2.

Yesterday, after the retirement of the weavers had
been made known, the operative spinners and self-actor
minders were called together, in order that they might
instruct their committee whether they should proceed
with the contest or abandon it. The spinners and
minders, with the piecers and others connected with
them, number about 3,000, and having had a " union "
for many years, are understood to be in possession of a
considerable fund. There was a full attendance at the
meeting (which was held in the large room of the Albion
Inn), and the proceedings were characterised by the ut-
most unanimity. Mr. W. Parkinson presided. After
an introductory speech from the chairman,
Mr. THOMAS BANKS proposed the first resolution,
which was as follows :
" That we, the spinners and self-actors of Preston, pledge
ourselves to stand by the committee under every circum-
stance."

Mr. R. GREENOUGH seconded the resolution. It was
supported by a delegate from Bolton, and carried amid
enthusiastic cheering.
The second resolution, moved by Mr. R. Iticiimm-
SON, seconded by Mr. J. SARGEANT, and supported by
Mr. TURNER (of Stockport), was also carried unani-
mously. It was,
" That we the spinners and self-actor minders of Preston
do hereby pledge ourselves not to resume work until we
gain our object—that is, the same prices we had previous
to being locked out, or an average of the trade."
The annexed resolutions were then adopted, after ad-
dresses from Messrs. G. Eccles, J. Richardson, R. T.
Hodgson, Livesey, and M'Clean :
" That we, tie spinners and self-actor minders of Pres-
ton, do hereby return our sincere thanks to the public and
trades of this country for their generous support, and beg
respectfully a continuance of the same until we have gained
the just claims for which we are struggling."
" That this meeting returns its sincere thanks to the
Amalgamated Committee for the noble support which they
have given to us during our struggle."
A spinner from Manchester, who, with a number of
his companions, had been brought to work in the mill of
a Preston manufacturer, reported that he and his friends
were dissatisfied with the prices paid them, and they
had that day turned out for an advance of 20 per cent.
The meeting, which occupied about three hours, con
eluded with a vote of thanks to the chairman.
To-day the weavers have been paid by their committee
half-a-crown per head.

THE STRIKE AT STOCKPORT•

Except on the part of the mulespinners, there appears
to be no obstruction to a general resumption of em-
ployment, and considerable numbers of workpeopleare
presenting themselves at the mills. The mulespinners,wody,
hole b,
although in numbers only a fraction oft the oolong the
might by their stubbornness seriously p
struggle, were they unanimous, but even
tevmendissomef
resuming
fethfiorsme
have returned to work. In the t
there were between 1,800 and Iw,r9owo peopeleelepsinemmieinigt
he e
employment yesterday, beino, the
minus about 80 mulespinners .
The y
and 80 of the senior
ounger piecers
piecers, or assistant sp
ibn:lt iers
the older ones (the more
skilful piecers, in
were willing to wfaorekt,
with whose assistance a shift
might be made, even in the absence of the spinners)
clung to the strike.
The mule spinning is about the
best paid labour in cotton factories, and the number of
these workmen in proportion to other hands was for-
merly much larger than now. They were always the
in strikes, and stories are told of them in the earlier
firstday sof cotton spinning, and within the memory of many
now living, which sound almost like romance—how
they earned such liberal wages, that, something like,
gold diggers of the present day, they began to feels
very independent of work for periods extending over
days and weeks ; betook themselves to taverns,
and other places of enjoyment ; and it is saicl
that, when occasionally discovered by the anxious ;
and harassed millowner, they sometimes refused to returi
to the mill, unless he would pay for a coach that they
might ride to work. Such annoyances had to be born e
with by millowners for the time, but plotting heads and
hands were at work from time to time to lessen their
power. Nothing struck so severe a blow, perhaps, at
their sometimes wanton disregard of the employers' in-
terests (as well as their own) as the invention of the self-
actor. This new spinning-frame, while it considerably
reduced the number of men required, had the effect o f
forcing down wages ; and, instead of complaints tha t
spinners are too well paid to work, the often-raised Cr y
of being too poorly paid has certainly more of reason - in
it than was the case not many years ago. Without s:. y-
ing whether they are justified in their present strike, or
in keeping unemployed so many people in other brand Les
who depend upon them, it may be stated that the m 11-
owners are now at work leaving no means untried to do
without them. Already, with the assistance of o •er-
lookers in the mills and of piecers more or less skil' ted,
the employers have succeeded in starting many thou" .and.e
of mule spindles ; and if, in the present corD t'v
slackness of trade, mulespinners, for whom th. ere is no
room at Preston or elsewhere, do not offer themsd- yes at
Stockport, it is proposed to train up a number of ;wads,