The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-10 00:00:00

EVENING SUN

informant, "in business 26 years. I have never expe-
riencedsuch disastrous years of trade as the few last. The
working classes do not buy nearly so much as formerly in
amount, and what they do purchase is of a lower and
coarser kind. I have almost ceased to give them credit,
in consequence of their repeated losses, and their inabi-
lity to pay. Very many of the small shopkeepers have
become insolvent ; and those remaining, who had
saved a little money in good times, appear to me to be
fast approaching to the condition of the others, who have
been already broken up. As far as my observation ex-
, tends, I believe the working classes to be in a
. most deplorable condition ; the common neces-
saries of life being, in many instances, barely
, attainable by them. Nor is the class above them in
. a much less distressed state—the dread of poverty
being ever present to their minds, without any present
• prospect of relief." The next is the evidence also of a
gentleman engaged in one of the largest businesses in
Leicester. He says—" That the general or universal
experience of the small shopkeepers, who supply the
• working classes with grocery and provisions, proves a
very great diminution in the consumption of articles of
• commerce and necessity. The extreme poverty of the
' majority of the working classes prevents them now ob-
. taining credit as formerly, while, at the same time, the
' extensive losses sustained by the small shopkeepers, have
reduced a large proportion of them to a state of actual
insolvency. The amount at present expended by the
same individuals and families in grocery goods, cons-
' pared with what it was a few years ago, is diminished
• by at least one-half, and in numberless instances by
• even two-thirds. Three parts of the working man's
wages are now expended in bread and house-rent, and
• the remaining one-fourth is all wanted for coals, can-
' dies, and grocery ; the consequence is, that many shop-
' keepers have to retail their various articles in the
smallest-possible quantities, and it is quite common for
the poor to purchase three or four articles for one
' penny. Cheese and butter are dainties many cannot now
• obtain. The lowest and coarsest quality of goods are
those,which are most in request among them, and even
the poor luxury of tobacco is in many instances aban-
doned from necessity."—(Hear, hear.) The next is
the evidence of a partner in another large grocery con-
' cern. He says :—" The working classes, who constitute
a large proportion of our customers, do not buy half so
much as they formerly did. Our weekly returns for the
last five years have decreased fully one-third ; while, at
the same time, we have had an increased number of his
description of customers, and an advance in price on
many of the articles sold them. Very many of the
small shopkeepers are in a state of insolvency ; for the
last five years our losses by them have been annually very
' considerable." Again, another and concluding evidence of
this class of general dealers. Another grocer states :---
"Th at part of my tradewhich is more immediatelyconnec ted
with the working classes has fallen off at least one-half
In a majority of cases working men do not purchase
more than one-third of the quantity of provisions which
they did a few years ago. We are further great suf-
' ferers in consequence of their inability to pay. The
small shopkeepers, to whom we sell, do not purchase half
so many goods as they formerly did ; they are many of
them insolvent, and some absolutely brought to poverty,
by giving credit to the working classes, and have no
chance or prospect of redeeming themselves. I know
some cases where shopkeepers' returns were four years
ago from 161. to 20/. weekly, and who now only return
• from 31. to 41." I have further evidence from other
gentlemen, who have kindly supplied me with infor-
mation to the same effect ; but I presume that what
I have already adduced will be considered ample.
I now propose to introduce the evidence of two other
tradesmen occupied in the making of clothing ; the
first of whom says,—" Five years ago I employed
twenty-seven men weekly, on full work ; I now only
emistoz from ten to sixteen,' and those but partially.
The middle classes neither buy so much as formerly,
nor pay so promptly. The working classes purchase
very little of the tailors, and their payment is still worse."
The next, with which .1 shall conclude the evidence of
" this class of tradesmen, says,—" There has been a gra-
dual falling off in the demand in my business for seve-
ral years, but to a greater extent within the last two.
My regular customers, who are principally among the
middle classes, do not order so many clothes as formerly ;
and among those of them connected with business there
is a great deficiency in their orders ; credit is also more
hazardous. From Midsummer to Michaelmas last, the
trade was much worse than it has been from the time I
commenced business, in 1821. The demand this year for
, winter clothing has fallen much below the average, and
the prospect for winter is most distressing. My case is
- not an exception to the trade—it is so universally ; and
'with those more dependent upon the working classes the
case is much worse."—(Hear, hear.) I now adduce the
evidence of another tradesman, whose sales, from the
nature of his business would be principally among the
middle classes ; and who deals in articles which may be
considered luxuries, and would be retrenched, probably,
as soon or sooner than any other ; he is a fancy jeweller,
watch-dealer, and, toyman. He says,—" We find the
outlay on the part of the middle classes very much
diminished. During the last four years our business
has fallen off nearly one-third. We do not take half
the amount in ready money we formerly did." I now
propose to introduce the evidence of the owners and
proprietors of house property, and particularly of small
houses tenanted by the working classes. The first of
these gentlemen gives me the following information :
" I own forty-five houses. I have owned house property
for forty years ; I never experienced a state of general
depression like the present. My rents_fell short last
year upwards of 100/. I lose at least one-fourth of my
rents. I have three times as many houses unoccupied as
at any former period ; the houses I used to let at 3s. sd.
per week I now let for 2s. 9d., and should be glad to let
them all upon those terms, but cannot. House property
• has depreciated at least from twenty to thirty per cent. ;
in fact it cannot now be said to be vendible at all. There
have been many attempts to sell bouses bypublic auction,
but in no one instance have sales been effected. In some
cases there have not been even any bidders present. My
tenants' are at present greatly in arrears, but I am fully
. aware that they absolutely cannot pay. If I were to
change them I should not get a better class in their
places?' I now adduce the evidence of another house
proprietor—an Alderman and retired tradesman—who
says :—" My
,tenants never were so much in arrears
as at the present time. They all plead the badness
of trade, as an excuse for non-payment. I have
more small houses empty now, than at any former
period. I think in property of that kind, within my
observation, there are at least two houses empty in eight."
I shall conclude this, description of evidence, by citing
• only one example more—that of another large house
proprietor, who says :—" I am an extensive owner of
small houses. I have superintended the collecting of my
own rents for the last sixteen years. House property has
depreciated at least twenty per cent.; a great reduction
has also taken place in rents throughout the town, more
especially within the last two years. There is a much
larger proportion of houses untenanted now than in
former years. One reason for this is, that two or three
families are obliged, through poverty and want of em-
ployment, to be crowded together in one house ; and
another is, that many, after having pawned and sold all
• their furniture, and lived upon the proceeds till they were
all consumed, have been then compelled to go into their
respective poor-houses. I have for some time observed
that the poorer class of tenantry are yearly and daily
getting worse ; they have less furniture than formerly,
less wearing apparel than they were wont to have, and
less of all those domestic comforts which make life
- happy ; for, sure I am, that these deprivations have had
a great effect in alienating their respect for their em-
ploy ers, and in injuring their morals. They feel them-
selves, as many of them tell me, as degraded beings ;
and lose altogether that self-respect which it is so neces-
sary every human being should possess"—(Loud cheers.)
The last evidence fpropose to adduce in connection
with the distress in Leicester, is that of an old gentle-
man, whose vocation affords him ample opportunity of
making general observations, and whose integrity and
shrewdness entitle his report to credence and attention.
It is brief and rather recapitulatory. He says:—
, " Within the last four years, the numbers of persons in
the habit of pledging clothing has very much increased.
Very inferior articles of clothing are now generally pur-
chased by the working classes. Groceries are purchased
in smaller quantities and of inferior qualities. The owners
of small houses find great difficulty in collecting their
rents. A collector of rents for sixty owners of small
are in arrears of rent Keepers of small pro-
houses, having 400 tenants, says that 200 of them, or fully
one-half;
vision shops, say that they have given credit to those
of those partially
they consider honest,
.until they have not the means of
to recover debts
affording the same assistance,. and many
dependent upon them. are in exatrreemedis' distress. This
Igntgheir creditors cla
customers,is
uponas uselesstheynn trying class of traders
of their poorer generally arrears
say
ylt
to their landlords, who,.
• seize what few goods they -
morons, immediately possess'"
men concluded our
We have now, Gentlemen, case as it
of the distress in Leicester, and
the country generally, and p
respects the existence
painful and disheartening
as
's, redun of wages,
is this recital of declining businesh
sical sufferi cting,o and moral
depreciation of property, p y
deterioration among the manufacturing population, I
fear that not only is there no present chance of remedy,
but that if the present causes remain unremoved, there is
become worse.--
almost a moral certainty that it will
°
(Hear, hear.) We have forced our corn -growing neigh-
hours, and customers, on the Continent, to become ma-
nufacturers, and their cheaper labour is gradually beat-
ing ours out Of every foreign market in the world. Not
contented with this, it is invading us at home; and the
Saxons are at this moment sending cotton gloves into
England, at just one-half the price for which English
manufacturers can afford to sell them. Without our
commercial policy is therefore quickly changed, these
midland counties are foredoomed to inevitable and speedy
ruin; and while we manufacturers shall be gradually
losing our capitals, we shall have the painful anxiety of
livine in the midst of a yearly impoverishing and natu-
rally discontented population, who, feeling keenly, and
at the same time being only half informed upon the sub-
ject of political !economy, will possibly consider us the
cause of distresses over the production or prevention
of which we have not the slightest possible control.
But, Gentlemen, I will now quote the concluding evi-
dence 'I propose to lay before you, on the sub-
eCt of German competition and the growth of the
tarry
osiery manufacture on the Continent. One of the
largest manufacturers in Leicester—in fact, the present
)or
Ma '
• —who once did a considerable business with Bel-
gium and Germany, informs me " that the demand for
worsted hosiery for the Continent commenced with him,
and several other manufacturers in Leicester and its
SFA 113aighbourhood, at the close of the war, or about the
r_si
sr-7ears 1816 and 1817. The goods supplied to that market
sa ese:is" were women's hose t wenty-two to thirty gage, stout and
adr - well fashioned, in black and slate colours, and men's
• Inarble ribbed
hose.Thetrade
years, and a considerable business was done in 1832,
ets- when it began to decline, and since that time it has been
gradually diminishing, and is now almost extinct—the
rg.k. Belgians being now almost entirely supplied with hosiery
• from their own manufacturers and those of Saxony.
The next is the evidence of a gentleman who has been in

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