The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-03 00:00:00

hands, fully as many as we have had at any previous period.
The advance in wages is by no means an index to the great
increase in comfort of the working-classes. The low prices
of provisions enable them to live much more comfortably
with the same means. I consider the fall in price of commo-
dities equal to an advance of 25 per cent. in their wages, more
or less. The same statement would apply to Manchester;
but I will not detain the House with any lengthened details
relative to Manchester, as gentlemen who know that district
much better than I do are likely to address the House and
give all the information that can be derived. I may state,
however, that at a district of the Bury Union four miles
north of Manchester, the relieving officer is now paying 201.
per week less than he did a year ago. whilst at Bury the
relievin4 officers is paying 501. a week less than he did a
year before. A gentleman connected with a large house in
Manchester gives this general view of the state of their
operatives. He says :—" The operative manufacturers are
fully employed and at full wages. Cotton, which in 1847
and 1843 was used only to the extent of about 24,000 bags
weekly, is now used to the extent of 32,000 bags—an in-
crease of nearly 35 per cent. While such is the condition
with respect to the demand for labour, the wages have kept
up. In general terms wages are the same as they were in
1844; and food, taken altogether, bread, beef, groceries, &c.;
we: e never in recent times, as a whole, so IoW. These circum-
stances place the mass of the industrious class in a decidedly bet-
ter position, with a greater command of the necessaries and
comforts of life, than they enjoyed even in 1836, which was
the most prosperous year they ever had in my experience."
'The gentleman goes on to allude to the pressure that pre-
vailedqi9llllBogtheseeB4 sl7.t;
,i;ot
hnhsa oaean bi
da harassingl
yet
nnygo
indeed,
Jo years
June,
ep,ta:agi
difficulties
aann d
astonishing
thisth enmgiodedsl or, n
degree,
class s a
tye:h—e
actuallyw rFrome cev e allr
re-
covered. Industry of every kind is returning to its regular
channels ; confidence is expanding ; profits in the home
trade are satisfactory, though moderate; while, in some
foreign trades, the East Indian and Ame:ican, they are un-
-4Hw9e:asrl.),4BBl.T;heonou
jtu-ndeso:77llBie4fBh,aist,waac-s
ac-
cordingly, greatly diminished. In the week ending July 3,
it was 5761.—(Hear.) I lay great
weight on the diminution of crime, and on the good con-
duct of the working classes, as an indication of comfort
and prosperity ; and I rejoice to learn from the report of the
Inspectors of Prisons at Manchester, in which there is a com-
parison of the offences in 1840 and 1848, that in 1840 the
offences against the person were 1,420; in 1848 they were
753. Against property, they were, in 1847, 211; in 1848
they were 110. Offences against property without violence
in 1846, 3,454; in 1848, 1,697. Miscellaneous offences, in
1840, 7,064; in 1848, 3,43o.—(Hear, hear.) As to Scotland,
Duringa gentlemanthe in
past
Dundee, speaking
nstphesakainvgeryof
extensive
eenlisnivene trade,and mresayasa—e.
trade;rat i remune-
rativeh
tradete workinghas been
classesenjoyedh inav
e
all
beendepartmentswell
pol
employed,
they edt
linenand
wages of labour have certainly been more than an aver-
age." And from Glasgow a gentleman says—" With one
or two exceptions, and these not of large extent, all our
cotton mills and powerloom factories are in full operation, and
working full time. Calico printers are well employed, and
there is abundance of employment in the different depart-
ments of hand-loom weaving. Other trades are also in a
state of moderate activity, so that there is full employment
for all our operatives. The rate of wages is not generally
higher than it was last year, but the people
are in more comfortable circumstances than they
were, in consequence of the prices of both pro-
visions and clothing being so moderate," " Note
of River Trust revenue for five months-1848, 21,925/. ;
1849, 23,2661." " The number of applications to the Dean
of Guild Court for authority to execute building operations
has been, up to the 21st of June this year, 103; and in the
corresponding period of 1848, only 78." " All the factories
in the (Glasgow) district are in full work at present. The
persons employed are now in a better condition generally
than they have been in for the last two years, as to the
means of obtaining the necessaries of life." "All the mills
in Belfast district, now working, are on full time, and the
position of the manufacturing interest is generally admitted
to be better than it has been for two or three years. The
condition of the people employed, from the cheapness of food
at the present time, is certainly more comfortable than in
1847 or in 1848, and there is work for all." Well,
Sir, I have now gone through all the seats of manu-
facturing industry in the three kingdoms. 1 have read
reports from them all. I have stated facts connected with
the condition of the people in all of them ; and no
one can deny that those facts show an improved condition
of the working classes; that they show that the people are
employed at increased remunerative wages, and that even
those who receive no increase of wages are improved in their
circumstances of comfort in consequence of the greater
cheapness of the articles of food, clothing, and other things
which constitute the ordinary items of consumption among
the industrious classes. It must necessarily be so; for who
can say that the cheapness of the raw material does not con-
siderably increase employment; or that the taking off the
duty from that raw material does not contribute to increase
the amount of its importation ? I will read to the House a
statement of the increased amount of importation of certain
main articles constituting the raw materials of manufacture
in this country, which has taken place in consequence of
the cheapness which has been brought about by the altera-
tion of the law. I take the comparison between the amount
imported in the year 1841, being a period before this mis-
chievous legislation, so strongly denounced by the Hon.
Gentleman, commenced, and the amount imported in the
year 1846, when that unfortunate, law commenced, and the
year 1848:

IMPORTATION OF RAW MATERIALS.
1841. 1846. 1848.
Flax, cwt. ... 1,355,475 1,146,743 1,462,007
Hemp, cwt. ... 643,423 880,810 832,212
Oil, train, &c., tuns 23,717 17,542 21,959
„ palm, cwt. ... 303,849 367,054 510.129
„ olive, tuns ... 5,316 8,532 9,995
Tallow, cwt. ... 1,243,112 1,189,685 1,411,944
Sheep's Cotton wwooooll, Clwb
.t .
53,020,0673,931224
645:711716:632678 63,946,3735734
Silk, raw, lb. ... 3,388,662 4,390,008 4,413,360
2°o
Take, then, either of the two years which the Hon. Gentle-
man has taken for his period of comparison—take either the
year 1816 or the year 1848, it must be obvious that there
has been a very considerable increase of importation of
raw materials. Now, the argument is irresistible that where
there is an increased importation of a raw article of manu-
facture into any country there must necessarily be an in-
creased impetus given to employment. It would be absurd
to contend otherwise, and it would be equally absurd to
argue that when the people were fully employed they
were not in a far better condition than when they were
only partially employed —(Hear.) The Hon. Gentleman
then referred to the subject of exports, and made use of one
of those ingenious arguments which have been urged by
others on that fertile topic. The non. Gentleman admits
that there has been a very considerable increase of the quan-
tity of articles exported—the produce of British industry and
of British skill ; but be says that tee ..1.0 or those
ex-
ported articles is diminished; and he further argues that as
the working men have been employed at higher wages, and
as from the increased demand of the raw material its price
must also be higher, the natural inference is, that from the
reduced price of the articles of British industry exported the
manufacturers of this country must necessarily be ruined.
But are they ruined ?—(Hear.) I leave the Hon. Gentleman
to settle that argument with the manufacturers ; my opinion
is, that though they may give a higher price for their raw
material, they certainly are not ruined; and that though
they pay better wages to their labwrers, still, in spite of all
that, they look with pleasure at an increased and increasing
export of their manufacturing produce, and rejoice to know
that misfortune has not yet fallen upon them, and that they
are not yet ruined, notwithstanding they have been export-
ing larger quantities of goods since the reduction of duties,
and since prices have been diminished.—(Cheers.) But it is
a most extraordinary thing, that when the Hon. Gentleman
was pointing out the utter ruin of this country in conse-
quence of the increased exports of British manufactures, and
was indulging in those desponding views with regard to our
manufactures, he did not perceive that he might with the
same justice have taken similar views with respect to almost
every other article of British produce. For I find that, as
respects agricultural produce, there has been a very consider-
able increase of exports—of British and Irish manufactures.
The comparison in the following table is between the four
months ending the sth of May, 1848, and the sth of May

1849 : ... V
EXPORTS OF BRITISH AND IRISH MANUFACTURES FOR THE
FOUR MONTHS ENDING THE STH OF MAY.
1848. 1849.
Butter, cwt. ... ... ... 7,897 14,483
Candles, lb. 458,369 887,478
Coals, tons ... ... ... ... 886,548 930,835
Cordage, cwt. ... ... ... 17,863 32,128
Cotton manufactures, yds. ... 330,006,028 417,346,084
Lace, yds.... ... ... ... 19,930,517 35,542,263
Cotton yarn, lb. ... .. ... 36,180,024 40,933,700
Herrings, barrels 19,696 24,329
Bottles, cwt. ... ... ••• 68,075 72,428
Leather, wrought, lb. ... ... 338,230 507,685
Linen, manufactured, yds ... 30,845,052 33,623,128
Linen, thread, lb. ... ... 563,538 706,545
Linen, yarn, lb. ... ... .. 3,270,133 5,557,052
Iron, wrought, tons ... ... 23,302 37,730
Copper, wrought, cwt. ... ... 4,420 5,669
Brass, cwt. 3,245 6,477
Lead, tons 1,672 4,179
Oil, gallons ... ... ... 888,965 1,055,941
Salt, bushels ... ... ... 4,406,337 6,000,829
Silk, manufactures, lb. ... ... - 65,061 90,399
Silk, stockings, doz. pairs ... 3,919 5,945
Silk, twist, lb. ... ... --- 61.678 82.551
996,76 , 3,259,2 I 8
W 001, lb. 652,076
woollen, manufactures, pcs. ----- ''4B
woollen, :ono. tuccares, yds. ... 8,603,254 12,841,952
Woollen, stockings, doz. prs. ... 19,020 31,200
Haberdashery value in the first four months of 1818 was
275,5841., and in the first four months of 1849 was 324,4661.
There was, in fact, hardly a single branch of English manu-
facture of any sort or description,- the exports of which,
during the past year, as compared with former years, had
not increased in a very extraordinary degree. The Hon.
Gentleman had described the manufacturers to be in a state
of distress, notwitstanding the increased amount of exports,
on account of the diminished value of the goods exported.
Rut even the declared value had not diminished. In the
first four months of 1848 it was 15,239,000/. ; in the same
period of 1849 it was 16,836,000/. And although he had not
the whole particulars of the first five months, he was en-
abled to state that the amount was in 1818 18,914,000/., and
in 1849, 21,191,5431.-(Cheers.) So that, whether they
compared the first four or the first five months of the
year, the returns showed exports increased in a most
extraordinary degree. The Honourable Gentleman had
somewhat sneered at the idea that investments in railways
had had much effect upon the condition of the capital of
the country. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer)
did not find it necessary to reiterate the . opinions
which he had before expressed upon the effect of invest-
ments in railways. He should merely say, as •he had said
in 1847, that it had had a great effect in withdrawing capital
from industrial occupations. lie thought so then-he
thought so now. But the Honourable Gentleman thought
it very extraordinary that it should not have been felt in
1846 as it was in 1847. Why, the Hon. Gentleman showed
clearly that he did not take the necessary trouble to inform
himself of the facts. No doubt the contributions were
larger in that year than they ever had been before, but the
effects could not be felt until a little time had elapsed, and

then it was that the weight of the obligations incurred began
to tell with severity. In 1845 the sums invested in railroads
amounted to 16,129,8091.; in 1846 they were 37,814,993/. ;
and in 1817, 41,025.4871., in shares paid up and loans made,
being 25,000,000/. more than had been raised two years
before. Why, all the money had to be withdrawn from some
other mode of investment, or some other description of in-
dustry. But the Honourable Gentleman was wholly incon-
sistent with regard to the capital of the country. He said
that nothing could be more certain than the decline of the
wealth of the country, whilst at another period of his speech
he spoke of the abundance of money, and said that mercan-
tile bills could be more easily discounted at the present time
than ever. He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not
know how the Honourable Gentleman could reconcile those
twoycleeanreshet
he would
t ae
nm e
wntosfiu.
dd(
tlliho eaoakt r ,ot
our
re sad laughter.) utt
nhhv tees
was r.
t m)
en
nott But
of
declining, f
c tph et
al Hon.
laalast
d
that the resources of this great country would bear to a
greater degree than, he confessed, he himself was prepared
to find the withdrawal of capital. In the year ending with
the commencement of 1849 the sum invested in railroads,
partly in shares paid upon and partly advanced upon loan,
Was, ui this ruined country, no leap than 35,000,000/,