The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-24 00:00:00

THE STORE AND CLOTHING DEPOTS

AT WEEDON.

INQUIRY-(THIS DAY.)

The Royal Commissioners appointed to inquire into the
state of the stores and clothing depots at Weedon, Wool-
wich, and the Tower, resumed their investigations this day,
in No. 11 Committee Room of the House of Commons.

Mr. Selfe, the magistrate of the Thames Police, occupied
the chair ; the Commissioners present were Mr. Turner,
M.P. for Manchester, and Col. French, of the War-office.
Mr. Whitham, of Huddersfield, formerly employed at
Weedon—When I went down to Weedon a man in a pack-
ing-room named Groves was suspended in consequence of
a communication made by a labourer named Holmes ; but
through the intercession of friends he got reinstated as
boot-viewer. He is now at Weedon. Holmes said Groves
had been bribed. Groves himself, after he was reinstated,
said to me he had taken bribes. He told me he had been
bribed twice. I cannot recollect the name of the party (a
beetlcontracter) who he seid had given him the
bribes. He (Groves) said he had had a bribe of
two sovereigns and another of one sovereign. I

am 'willing to meet Groves. I only know about this. that
Groves told mecthat Holmes had split upon him. I never
heard that Groves passed goods too easily. He was sus-
pended in consequence of taking a bribe. Holmes was dis-
charged from Weedon. I never heard that Groves was
suspended through bad eyesight. Groves told me he had
been called before Mr. Elliott to meet the charge of bribery.
He told me the circumstance, and I looked upon it that the
charge had been made out. That is the only case I ever
heard. I don't know whether it would be called bribery for
the boot viewers to make boots for the army contractors.
The names of the viewers are Warlters, Martin, labourer,
but supernumerary ; Coales, and another man, Thwaites.
These men were all bootmakers, and were employed as
supernumerary boot viewers. These viewers made boots
for the Northampton makers. The boots made by these
men at Weedon were actually rejected by the boot viewers.
Mr. Turner—That showed there was no preference.
(Laughter.)
Mr. Selfe—Where did Groves tell you what you have
stated ?

Witness-.7-It occurred in our bedroom ; we lodged in the

same house.

Mr. Turner—Could it be of much value to a contractor
for these boot viewers to act as workmen ?

Witness—Not much ; but it might inflneneelhem to pass
a particular contractor's work, as ha might give them better
pay for the work they had done for him.
Mr. Turner—What are the names of the inspectors over
the boot irieivers.
Witness—Folkard and Watson.., I have known one in-
spector reject the work passed by the other.
Mr. Selfe--Which of these inspectors is the most severe
in his duty P

Witness—l cannot say. Viewers had a divided opinion
as to the capabilities of the inspectors, and the inspectors
had their favourites.

Mr. Selfe—What do you. mean by favourites ?
Witness—Why, men whom they would praise to the
authorities, the result of which would be that promotion
would follow.

By Mr. Selfe—At Weedon they detect faults in the dye
of cloth by muriatic acid. Spotted cloth can be detected
by the eye, but that which is not so can only be tested by
the acid. In the event of the cloth not being properly
wooded by indigo it would turn a dirty red yellow. I con-
sider that a very unfair test. It was employed at Weedon
to test the colours of the cloth. I. never knew the manu-
facturers complain of clothes being returned from being
tested with muriatic acid. I don't believe they knew it was
done. I know a large manufacturer who supplied a large
quantity of cloth, isome of which was improperly dyed.
The bad dyed cloth was passed but the good rejected.
By Mr. Turner—Parker lived at Huddersfield, in Henry's
house. He said he had a quantity of loosely dyed clothes
which he should chance with the good, as by so doing he
should get his contract completed within the time. The
result was as I have stated, the loosely dyed was retained
and the firmly dyed was sent back.
By Mr. Turner—Blue cloth dyed with logwood would
loose its colour immediately by being tested by the acid.
By Mr. Selfe—l have packed thousands of yards of cloth
at Weedon, not sufficiently, dyed. I have told the authori-
ties about it and said there, ought to be a better test used
than that then in use. I consider Mr. Daly a bad packer.
He would not be employed in any shipping house in Lon-
don. He was what was called a hand packer. The machine
used at Weedon for testing :cloth is useful to a scertain ex-
tent, but it can be defeated by the manufacturer by scrib-
bling cotton with the wool.
Mr. Selfe—Did net that make it stronger ? -

Witness—lt rendered it more liable to break or crack.
The way I should test cloth would be in a very different
manner. I should take the pattern of cloth, pull out a few
threads of the weft and the warp, see whether there was any
shoddy in it, and then test its strength.
Mr. Turner—ls not that done ?

Witness—l don't believe that the inspectors knew fivo-
tenths of the shoddy:in the cloth. I have packed thousands of
yards of cloth at Weedon for rejection, and also a large
quantity of that which had been accepted. I found the
cloth which was to be rejected, better than that which was to
be retained.
Mr. Turner—How did you do that?

Witness—By pulling out a thread or two of the- waft and
warp. I never knew cloths rejected which were equal to
pattern. I cannot say that cloths that did not come up to
the mark had been passed. I know this that I have had
cloth to pack which had been but a short time received with
the moth in it. I should say the more shoddy that is put
in cloth the more likelihood there is of passing it. .1 have
packed some cloth whicharrived at Weedon fromthe Tower
which had forty or fifty parts shoddy in it. It was Oxford
grey cloth. There was about 10,000 yards of it. I don't
know w'hat became of it.

Mr. Selfe—Do you think all the manufacturers of York-
shire deceive the Government by sending cloth which is not
pure wool ?
Witness—l believe the Government have never had a
yard of cloth from Yorkshire all pure wool.
Mr. Selfe—Have you any more to say about packing
cloth ?

Witness—l have often packed Cloth at Weedon in a state
quite unfit for such a proceeding—it being wet and damp.
Mr. Turner—Did you make any complaint on the sub-
ject?

Witness—Yes, to Mr. Daly.
Mr. Selfe—Under whose directions did you pack the
goods ?

Witness--I had the goods under my own control I got
no directions.

Mr. Selfe--Then if you knew it was bad to pack wet
cloth, why did you do so ?
Witness—l had no option in the matter. The cloth was
sent from the cloth-room for me to pack.
Mr. Selfe--Do you mean to say that you did not make
the slightest complaint about the state of the cloth ?
Witness,--I have said to Daly, who was my superior
officer—" Why, this cloth is wet ;" but he said he could not
help it—l must pack it up—and I did so.
Mr. Selfo—l call that a direction to pack.
By Mr. Turner—Goods packed wet keep their colour
better, and it also makes them weigh heavier. I have very
often seen the viewers at Weedon make a damage in cloth
which was not there before.

Mr. Selfe—Do you recollect the names of the viewers
who did so ?

Witness—Perry and Stocker.

By Mr. Turner—When warp threads were not very large
the viewers cut a hole in the cloth, and charged the manu-
facturers with a quarter of a yard. I have packed bales of
goods at Weedon in a state totally unfit for the public
service. I have packed goods—clotiling for China, perhaps
—in a piece of canvass quite unfit for service and without
papir. The wrapper would offer but a slight resistance to
bad weather. The bales ought to have been packed with
tarpauling, straw, paper, and canvass. We used to put
25 great coats in a bale. We were short of canvass for
two months together. There has been requisition after re-
-qxlisttbin for the canvass. We had to stitch old bits of
canvass that had come back from the Crimea together
.to pack the goods in.
Mr. Turner—You don't mean to say that stores were
packed with merely a single wrapper of that description.
Witness—Yes. The goods were not for shipping, but to
transport to certain depots. _ _ .

Mr. Turner—Have you ever packed goods to go a sea
voyage in a single wrapper.
Witness—Yes. I have packed goods in that manner to
go to China.
Mr. Turner—l supposo you could get the tarpauling if
you had required it ?
Witness—During the 15 months I was at Weedon
I never saw a yard of white tarpauling used for any Purpose.
Mr. Turner—Can you give us the date of that ?
Witness—l have a great many dates down in my dairy
(diary), but I can't give them to you now.
Mr. Turner—Why ?

-•-
Witness—Because I have not got my dairy (diary)
with me.

Mr:Turner--Then you can't give us the cream of it ?
Laughter.)

Mr. Ileladen was then examined by 31r. Selfe----In 1855
I was at Weedon, as cloth inspector' I am now at the
establishment at Mark-lane. I principally inspected tunic
cloth. My salary was £lOO a year. It has not been raised
at_ the present time. lam married. I have no private
means excepting what I derive from the sale of the
machine I have invented to detect the presence of shoddy
in cloth. I have sold a great many machines. The
average price of the machine was £3O. I have sold about
100 machines. The cost price of those machines would be
about £l6. I should say I have realised about £BOO profit
by the sale of my machines. I employ an agent to make
my invention known. I have been into Yorkshire about
twenty or thirty times. I have always spread the
virtues of my machines. I have sold machines
to persons who have supplied gaods to Weedon.
I always received the orders for machines at Weedon. I
have sold them to parties connected and unconnected with
Wooden. I have been in the shoddy trade, and formerly
done a good business with the Yorkshire manufacturers.
I don't believe any person can detect shoddy
ill the qorauraeut cloth =less it is put ill Tery