The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-06 00:00:00

Mr. Trafford—There will be a conviction in this case.

The court then proceeded to hear similar charges against
a woman named Eliza W oodall, and a boy named Hall,
two other women, Mary Broadbent and Martha Pollitt,
Sarah Bradley, Edward Schofield, and Joseph Tonge.
There were second charges against James Broadbent and
Mary Broadbent. The evidence, however, was not sufficient
in any of the cases to warrant a conviction. Upon the
dismissal of Eliza Woodall and Hall, whose case was a
joint ono, Mr. Trafford remarked to Mr. Roberts—lt is
possible that even I can dismiss.

Mr. Roberts—l was just commiserating your loss, and
thinking what your feelings must be to have two of them
taken away.

Mr. Trafford then called upon the three lads, Broadbent,
Syddali, and Wharmby, to.stand up. He told them it was
quite clear they had taken an active part in molesting
Messrs. Crossley's weavers, which they had no right to do.
There was no tyranny more unbearable than the tyranny of
one workman over another. They were each liable to three
months' imprisonment under the information which had
been laid. Some time ago some parties were summoned by
the police for a similar offence, and were ordered to keep
the peace; and he (Mr. Trafford) mentioned that they were

liable to be summoned under the Intimidation Act. It was
a painful thing to him to send such children as they were
to prim, but he could not help it. He should, however,
give them a short time—seven days; and he wished it to be
known that if those who had egged them on had been in
their place they would have been imprisoned for a longer
term.

Broadbent, who seemed the youngest of the three, and
appeared perhaps 14 years old, began to cry when he heard
the sentence ; and the sight of his mother, who came to the
end of the table where he was standing, to implore the
magistrate not to send him to prison, only made him cry
louder: At length he became so excited that he rolled about
as if unconscious. The police then interfered, and Ser-
geant Bent caught hold of him by each arm. They boy
yelled frightfully, and was so violent that Bent could
scarcely hold him ; and his mother made matters worse by
endeavouring to release him from the sergeant's grasp. At
the same time, Mr. Roberts, addressing Mr. Trafford, said,
" It's a shame to commit a child like that. It will send
him into fits in a few minutes." Then, turning to the ser-
geant and another constable, who had hold of the boy, who
was still plunging violently, Mr. Roberts cried out
furiously, "Don't hold him so ! Oh I you cursed rascals !
Isn't it a shameful thing ?" Turning again to the magis-
trate, apparently much exasperated, Mr. Roberts said,
" The child shall not be sent to prison. I give notice of
appeal on my own responsibility."
Mr. Trafford (calmly)—But the law requires sureties on
notice of appeal being given.
Mr. Roberts—l take it that lam myself sufficient.

Mr. Rutter, at Mr. Trafford's request, referred to the Act
of Parliament, and said that two sureties in £lO each were
necessary. In the meantime the boy had been removed
into the dock, and upon being sharply commanded to keep
silent° his noise ceased.

' Mr. Roberts said he was not at that moment prepared
with the sureties, but (as we understood him) he would
pledge himself to appeal against the committal. He added
(to Mr. Trafford)—Do not let him be sent to gaol. It is an
awful crime if you do, for which you will suffer.
Mr. Trafford—Ah !

Mr. Roberts (impetuously)—As truly as there is a God
in heaven; there will be a punishment for sending that child

,o prison.

Mr. Trafford—Mr. Roberts, I cannot stand here to be
threatened on the bench. If you will not be quiet I must
adopt an old course.
Mr. Roberts—l know you are capable of a groat deal.
Mr. Trafford—l know I am.
Mr. Roberts-w-1 see no other line. It is my duty to

check -
The rest of the sentence was lost.
Mr. Trafford then called the next ease, and the business
was proceeded with.

FEMALE PRINTERS.

A meeting was held at Edinburgh on Wednesday
for the purpose of forming a branch association in
connexion with the London Association for the
Employment of Women. Professor Pillans oceu-
pied the chair.
Miss BESSIE R. PARKES read to the meeting the
paper she had prepared for the Social Science As-
sociation, entitled " A Year's Experience of
Women's Work ;" and Miss EMILY FAITIIFIL
read a paper on " Printing as an Employment for
Women.' After the reading of these papers,
Professor PILLANS said he might be allowed to
anticipate a difficulty which would perhaps occur
to some present, which had not been touched on in
either of these papers. Supposing this scheme were
successful to the very utmost of their wish, would
it not tend to lower the wages in the various me-
chanical employments, whatever they might be, of
the ordinary labourer of the other sex? This was
a difficulty which, perhaps, it _would require some
political economist to solve ; but he did not see,
supposing the plan to be fully accomplished, how
they could get rid of this difficulty, that in raising
the one sex it had a tendency to degrade the other.
(Hear.)
Miss. PARKES thought it was undeniable that by
introducing female labour they would lower the
wages of the whole trade, at whatever amount these
might be. She did not suppose that this could come
to the point of causing, misfortune ; but whatever
degree the wages of the men might be lowered must
be set against the fact that women of that class
were not at present admitted to a fair share of the
industry of the country; for unless man undertook
the entire support of woman it was only fair to
allow women a fair share of the harvest, though it
might lower the wages. Women must be supported
somehow, and if she were not supported by her own
industry she must, in many cases, be supported in
the workhouse, and there was an enormous number
of ablebodied women in the workhouses of England.
She had heard them stated at 20,000.
Mr. DUNCAN WLAREN—More than that.

Miss PARKES—It was very clear that woman must
be supported and clothed in some way, and the ques-
tion therefore was, whether she should be allowed
an opportunity of supporting herself, even at the
risk of lowering the man's wages, or whether she
should be supported off the poor-rates.
Miss FAITHFUL said that, supposing workmen re-
ceived 308. or 365. per week, and supposing their
wages reduced 10s. per week by the competition of
women, the man's daughter, who hitherto had been
at home, would be receiving 10s. to 155., and the
change would be a benefit in place of a disadvantage.
Miss PARKES—In short, we relieve the pars.nt.
Professor PILLANS said there was a large class to
whom it would be a great advantage if their wages
were reduced—namely, those who worked for two
or three days at the beginning of the week and who
spent their wages and the rest of the week in all
sorts of sensual indulgence. To these men, if they
were brought to work every day by the lowering of
their wages, it would be a great advantage.
Mr. G. W. HASTINGS thought, as far as the
printing business was concerned, it would be a
great advantage to the public if wages were lowered
and he thought this would be one of the good re-
sults that would follow from the present move-
ment. At this moment it was difficult to get print-
ing done at a rate that would pay booksellers, who
could not get books to sell at a cheap enough rate.
They heard complaints from all of them as to the
difficulty of getting printing done so as to enable
them to sell books at a profit and at a sufficiently
low rate for the public market. He had had occa-
sion to look a little into that matter before Miss
Faithful's office was started, and he found that
owing to the great power exercised by the Prin-
ters' Trad6's Union in London—which was one of
the most powerful of all the trades' unions, and
, one of the most strict—they were enitbled to pre-