The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-09 00:00:00

BOTTLE-NOSED WHALES.

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Mr. Alexander Drew, of Nairn, must be more apt at
a joke than Scots generally are. His request that Mr.
Bright, of all men in the world, would grant a sub-
sidy for the destruction of bottle-nosed whales and
porpoises, is really most laughable. Mr. Bright hates
Government subsidies as he hates a Pall-mall lounger.
If he had been President of the Board of Trade a
thousand years ago he would certainly not have
sanctioned the reward paid for wolves' heads. Bottle-
nosed whales and porpoises are safe so long as the
Right Hon. John Bright presides over the Board.

TIIE WEAVERS' DREAM.

Just a quarter of a century ago eight-and-twenty
weavers at Rochdale, having reason to complain of
the high charges of the grocers, clubbed together
2d. a week each, in order to establish a society whose
objects were thus defined : " The social and intellec-
tual advancement of its members ; providing them
and the public with general groceries, butchers' meat,
drapery, tailoring, boots and shoes, and other general
articles." The project was styled in ridicule "The
Weavers' Dream." How far the dream has become
a reality the following figures will shew. The society
commenced operations with a paid-up capital of £2B;
it is now over £128,000. The business transactions
during one year have amounted to nearly a quarter
of a million, the profits on which were over £40,000.
The number of members has increased from 28
to 6,823. The establishment comprises a large
central store, newly erected in a command-
ing situation in Rochdale, pronounced univer-
sally an ornament to the town ; ten
branches, a library, consisting of nearly 7,000
volumes, news rooms, and an educational department
accessible to members and their families. It will be
seen, therefore, that both classes of objects have been
carried out. The members are able to supply the
wants of the body at a moderate cost, and at the
same time they have provided for the wants of the
mind.

One of the latest developments of co-operation is
the formation of the London and Provincial Co-ope-
rativeßuildingSociety. The obj ect is to enable journey-
men builders and others to build houses for themselves.
A considerable number of shares have been taken by
building operatives ; but there does not seem to be
the same amount of self-reliance that there was in
the Rochdale Pioneers. Though there are COO
shareholders, and though half the capital is paid up,
and the associatioa is in a position to take contracts,
it is found that the capital is insufficient,
and a promise of help has been obtained from
"gentlemen of influence both in a social, com-
mercial, and political point of view." Meanwhile
Colonel Maude and his Free Labour Society are
having no inconsiderable influence on the building
trade of Manchester. A circular has bcen drawn up
addressed " to the master builders and other
employers of labour connected with the building
trade of Lancashire and Cheshire." setting forth

fourteen arbitrary rules imposed by trades unions upon
brickmakers, brie-I:layers, and masons, pointing out
that if Government had imposed such restrictions
they would have been thought intolerable, and that
unions have no better right to impose them ; and
urging that a free exchange of labour should be pro-
moted, and that employers should give a preference of
employment to non-unionist workpeople, or members
of the Free Labour Registration society. The
address is signal by ninety-seven commercial firms
of Manchester: