The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-27 00:00:00

(LEFT SPEARING..)

HOUSE OF COMMONS—This EVENING.
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Lords amendments to the following bills were con-
sidered and agreed to:—Cardiff and Penarth Road, Crick-
howell Gas and Water, and Neath and Brecon Railway.
The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Bodmin Railway; and Lampeter, Liandyssil, &c., Gas.
POSTAL COMMUNICATION.
Mr. GRAVES asked the Secretary to the Treasury, if
any arrangements had been made, or are in contemplation
to be made, for the conveyance of mails between the
United Kingdori and Nassau, Bermuda, and the British.
North American Provinces, on the expiration of the pre-
sent contract in December next.

Mr. HUNT said an arrangement was in contemplation,
but it bad not yet been completed.
REMOVAL OF TROOPS.

Colonel S. KNOX asked the Secretary of State for War
whether it was the case that on the 11th and 12th inst., de-
tachments of troops en route to Liverpool from Chatham were
conveyed to the Great Northern station, King's-cross, Lon-
don, by the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway ; that on
their arrival at King's-cross they were marched, together
with their baggage, to Euston Station, and sent on to Liver-
pool by the London and North Western Railway ; and
whether, if instead of marching to Euston Station, they
had been forwarded to Liverpool from King's-cross by
the Groat Northern Railway, they would have performed
the journey without change of carriage or transhipment
of baggage for the same fares as by the London and North
Western Railway.
Sir J. PAKINGTON said he did not think the matter a
case of hardship, and the reason the troops did not go by
the Great Northern Railway was that, if that had been
done, a larger amount of travelling expenses would be-
come payable to the soldiers. The distance of march was
only half a mile, and he did not think that the extra
expense to the country ought to be incurred for so short
a march.

ECCLESIA.TICAL TITLES ACT.
Mr. NEWDEGATE asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer whether the attempt to proceed with the nomination
of the select committee on the Ecclesiastical Titles Act,
ttc., at late hours of the night, when the members of this
house are exhausted, had the sanction of her Majesty's
Ministers; and whether they will use their influence to
prevent the members of this house being subjected to this
annoyance.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
could not agree with the hon. gentleman. The hon. mem-
ber was not, of course, able to move for the appointment
of the committee out of the usual order of business, and
if that occurred at a late hour the hon. member was not
responsible for that.
Mr. BOUVERIE thought the terms in which the ques-
tion had been put on the paper by the hon. member for
Warwickshii e was objectionable.
Mr. M'EVOY defended himself againtt the charge of
creating annoyances to hon. members. It was as incon-
venient to him to have so frequently to postpone the
motion as it could be to any hon. member.
REPRESENTATION OF THE PEOPLE BILL.
Mr. GLADSTONE asked the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer whether he could give any further information to the
house as to the rating area of the new boroughs before the
house went into a discussion on the subject.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCIiEQUER said he
believed there was already a return giving the required
information, but if there was not he would undertake to
have the information furnished.
The house then went into committee on the bill.
The discussion was resumed on the new 31st clause,
appointing the boundary commissioners, and defining
their powers.
Mr. D. GRIFFITHS moved an amendment to the effect
that persons who had acted as election agents should not
be qualified to act as assistant commissioners.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said if the
Goverament were to have the appointment of theirassistant
commissioners they certainly would not appoint to that
responsible office persons who bad acted as election agents,
and he had no reason to believe that the commissioners
would be less discreet than the Government, He there-
fore objected to the proposed amendment.
The amendment was withdrawn.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the
following clause in lieu of clause 37 :—" Whereas it is
expedient to amend the law relating to offices of profit
the acceptance of which from the Crown vacates
the seats of members accepting the same, but does
not render them incapable of being re-elected: be it
Enacted, that where a person has been returned as a mem-
ber to serve in Parliament since the acceptance by him
from the Crown of any such office of profit as aforesaid,
the subsequent acceptance by him from the Crown of any
other such office or offices, in lieu of and in immediate
succession the one to the other, shall not vacate his seat."
Mr. AYRTON suggested that the particular offices
affected by this clause was to enumerate them in a sche-
dule and attach them to the bill.
Mr. HENLEY objected to the new clause altogether.
[LEFT SPEAKING.j

---
Bank of England Be turns.—This Evening.

An Account, pursuant to I
cap. 32, for the week ending

Le Act 7th and Eth Victoria,
redneSday, JULIO 26, 1167.

'ART2dENT.

MUM DB
Notes issued .n 486,102,250

!Goyernmt. Debtall,ols,loo
Other Securities 3,984,900
Gold Coin and
Bullion
Silver Bullion

.£36,102,260
BANNING D.

436,102,250

iPARTIMINT.
Governmt. Secu-
rities(including
Dead Weight
Annuity) ....412,886,314
Other Securities 20,098,076
Notes 12,897,310
Gold and Silver
Coin

Proprietors' Capi-
tal £14,553,000
Rest 3,123,026
Public Deposits
(including Ex-
chequer, Sav-
ings' Banks,
Commissioners
of National
Debt, and Div
Accounts) 11,105,413
Other Deposits 17,854,106
Seven Day and
other bills

430,619

£47,066,164

447,066,16 t

MLRKE T S.-

METROPOLI'

This day.

'AN CATTLE.

The supply of beasts on sale here t3-day was very mo-
derate. The trade for most breeds ruled quiet at Mon-
day's currency, the top quotation being 5s 4d to 5s Gd per
Blbs. The supply of sheep in the pens was moderate.
For most breeds there was a fair demand at full prices.
Prime Downs and hall-brads realised 5s 4d per 81bs.
Prime breeds were a steady demand, and realised 7s per
81bs; but inferior qualities were very dull. Calves—the
supply of which was moderate—moved off slowly at late
rates. The trade for pigs was quiet on former terms.

Per Blbs. to sink the offal.

sdsd s d s d
Crse & inf. beasts... 3 4 3 6 Tmeers-wool sheep 4 8 4 10
Second quality do ..3 8 4 4 Prime S'thdown a 0.5 2 5 4
Prime large oxen ..4 6 5 0 Large coarse calves. 4 0 4 10
Prime Scots, Ltc....5 45 6 Prime small do. 50 5 6
Crse. and int. stieep.3 8 3 10 Large hogs ...3 4 3 10
Second quality do ..4 2 4 6 Smal! porkers 4 0 4 6
Lamb....6s Od to 7s Od.

Suckling calves, 218 to 218 ; and quarter-old store pigs, 23a
to 26e each.
Head of stock on sale.
Total supply. Foreign supply.
Beasts 750 Beasts 330

7,810100 Cows.
Slleep awl 1 .mbs
Cows.
61leep and lambs 3,1,0
Calves 3so Ca res . . ZeO
Pigs 2BO Pigs llO

Sheffield Trades' Union Connnissiov.

EIGHTEENTH DAY (WEDNESDAY).

At the commencement of the sittings to-day
George Castle, secretary to the Sickle and Reaping-
hook Grinders' Union, produced the books of that
union. Mr. Overend discovered that several pages
of the r.-...inute book which had contained minutes for
several months of the year 1880 had been torn out.
Single pages and half pages had been also torn out
in other parts of the book. Witness was unable to
say why the rages had been torn out. He said the
books came into his possession four years ago in the
same state as they were in now. He had never
asked his predecessor why the pages had been torn
out, or had inquired about it to any of the
members.

Mr. Overend said the fact of the leaves being
torn out for a portion of 1860 looked very suspicious,
because a sickle manufacturer had been blown up in
that year, and it was supposed that the society had
authorised it and paid the expense. One other very
suspicious circumstance was that the edges of the
pages which had been torn away looked very clean,
as if they had been removed only a short time.
Witness said one reason of their looking so clean
was because the book had not been in use for some
years; it had been locked away and a new book
used instead. He could not positively swear that
to his knowledge the leaves had not been torn out
to prevent the examiners from seeing what they
contained. During the four years he had been
secretary there had not been more than six cases of
rattening. The names of defaulters were read over
at the general meetings ; he was not aware that the
rattenings took place after the general meetings.
All the branches of the sickle and hook trade were
amalgamated for thepurpose of assisting each branch
to carry out its rules. He knew that Mr. Rother-
ham, sickle manufacturer, was blown up, but he did
not know who did it. He had never seen any entry
of the matter in the society's books, and as far as
he was aware no money had ever been paid by the
society for it.

Mr. Overend asked where the cash book was which
contained entries previous to last September.
Witness replied that the last time he saw it was on
the fire in their committee-room. It was thrown on
the fire in presence of the committee, but he could
not tell by whom. It was full of entries running up
to the 15th September, and he supposed becans.
was done with it was destroyed. He did not notice
it on the fire till it was in flames. That was the only
reason why he did not attempt to save it.

Mr. Overend—A book like that would not burn
quickly ; why didn't you take the tongs and re-
move it from the fire?

Witness—Because there were none. (Laughter.)
The committee had torn out some of the leaves
which were not written on before the book was
thrown into the fire. I was writing at the time,
• and therefore could not see who it was t hat threw
the book into the fire. Witness was closely exa-
mined as to whether the book was not burned after
the Commission was appointed, and the earlier en-
tries transferred from the old book to the one pro-
duce]. The chief examiner pointed out that the
entries up to February were carefully, cleanly, and
accurately written in quite a different hand from the
subsequent entries which were written evidently
from time to time. 'Witness admitted the difference,
said he was unable to explain it, but persisted in his
statement that the whole had been written from
week to week, adding that the old book was full
when it was burned, and that he bought the new
book in August, 1366.
Samuel Stacey, secretary of the Edge-tool
Grinders' Union, said—We ratten in our trade, and
do not consider it a sin. lam not aware of any vio-
lence to person or property having been committed
upon any one in our trade within the last 10 years.
We have about 226 members in the Union. No
threatening letters have been sent. In rattening we
merely remove and hidethe property, restoring them
when the men settle. If the men do not settle gene-
rally the bands are never found. Witness, in illustra-
tion of the system, named a late case of rattening in
which the man rattene I was charged ss. for the job,
in addition to 10s. arrears. The man thereupon rat-
tenel two other men who were also in arrears, and
sAtled with me by p:tying ss. instead of
retaining the las. for Fattening the other int.ui.
(Lan.;hter.) Witness said the trade ratteued for
arrears only—not to compel men to join or to re-
mai❑ in the Union.

This witness is secretary cf
.the trade which ob-
jected to the employment of a maker of engineers'
tools by Mr. Ward, named Addis. It will be remem-
bered that Mr. Ward had to pay £3O to the Union
to settle the dispute. Witness admitted this. He
denied that the assault committed on Addis was in-
stigated or paid for by the Union. Ile knew nothing
of the matter until it was reported in the news-
papers. Power to recover trade contributions in
the County Court would stop rattening, and be a
very good thing.
James Camm, secretary to the United Joiners'
Toolmakers, said—The Union is composed of the
following four branches :—Joiners' toolmakers,
brace-bit forgers, filers, and grinders. I have been
secretary nearly four years. Rattening is occa-
sionally done in our trade, chiefly to enforce pay-
ment of arrears of contributions. During the time I
have been secretary there have been only some four
or five cases of rattening. Power to recover arrears
of contributions from members would do away with
rattening in our trade.
For all purposes ?—I never knew a man, who
was not in arrear, violate tht rules in other respects.
An occasional difficulty might arise as to appren-
tices. We restrict apprentices to the sons of mem-
bers, because our trade is over-handed. We should
extend the privilege to others if the trade was un-
derhanded. In my branch a good workman will
not average more than 275. a week wages. Our
trade grind skates. Some time ago Widdovvson, the
secretary of the Surgical Instrument Grinders,
ground skates for Mr. Camm, a manufacturer. ,We
called a meeting, heard his explanation, and then
passed a resolution requesting him, as he had a
good trade of his own, to keep out of ours. He
complied, and there was an ehd of the matter. We
should not have resorted to violence if he had re-
fused to comply. There has been no violence or
threatening letters in our trade.
Mr. Cutts, secretary to the File Smiths' Union,
was recalled, and was asked whether he persisted in
his former statement that rattening was not adopted
in Lis own trade. He replied that he did ; but they
were in alliance with the file grinders, who had ad-
mitted. rattening.

Charlesßagshaw, secretary of the Fork Grinders',
and also of the Patent Scythe Makers' Unions, ad-
Mitted the practice of rattening in both those trades.
it was done, however, without the knowledge or
sanction of the societies. On one occasion a man
came to him to be paid for rattening another, but he
refused to pay him anything, and the man brought
the case before the committee. Witness told them
if any money was paid out of the funds for ratten-
ing he would cease to be secretary, and as a result
no money was paid. lie had set his face against
rattening, and he only took office in the Fork
Grinders' Union on condition that rattening in
future should never be resorted to. There had been
a good deal of rattening in the trade before that.
lie was aware that three outrages were committed
in the fork grinder.i' trade on one day--that was
that powder was put into the troughs of three
grinders. At that time he wa.-; not secretary, and
could not tell whether the men who were blown up
were in arrears. Ile considered that the outrages
looked very much like trade affairs, and he told the
committee so. One of them said they were not i❑
connexion with the trade, but his (witness's) belief
was they were, and that they had been paid for out
of the funds of the society. When he became sec-
retary of the Union the society had been almost
broken up, and he was told by the committee that
all the books with one exception, had been lost or
were in the possession of one of the former secre-
taries. None had been destroyed in anticipation of
this inquiry. There were 130 forkgrinders in union,
and 30 out of the union. Of these there would be
from 50 to 40 on the box. The contributions to
the Union are about 4s. a week. The forkgrinders
earn about £2 a week. The patent scythemakers
earn about 30s. a week.

liullurs, secretary of the i'orkulakeriti'

Union, said they did not recognise " rattening,"
and he was not aware of any personal violence being
used to members of the trade. There were 134 men
in the Union, and about 40 out of the Union.
About 17 were now on the box. The contribution
amounted to 2s. a week for a man, and ls. for a boy.
George Austin, secretary to the railway spring-
makers and also to the scythemakers.—There had
been no rattening among the railway springmakers.
But he knew of four cases among the scythemakers.
He did not know who did the rattening, but he be-
lieved the trade encouraged them, thinking they
were doing right. He had set his face against
rattening, and bad heard of no case for 18 months.
In the scythe trade he heard of an outrage in Jan.,
1866, when some bellows were cut in the neighbour-
hood of Ileeley. He investigated the case, but
could not ascertain how it was done. In the Railway
Springrnakers' Union there were 360 men, and only
five or six out of union. The men out were of bad
character. There were 48 men in the Scythe-
makers' Union, and not many out. This was
quite a distinct trade from the patent scytliemakers.
Joseph Mallinson, secretary of the Razorgrinders'
Union, said the Union was established in 1862,
when he was appointed secretary. There had been
no rattening since then, but before that time the
trade suffered much from it. There were 290 mem-
bers in the Union, and about 30 out. The contri-
butions were 2s. a week per man, and Is. per boy.
An average earning for a man and boy at common
work would be 365. to 40s. a week. On the finer
class of work they would make £3 to £3 10s. a week.
William Simpson, secretary to the work-board
hands of the scissors trade, said they had 119 men
in union, and about 40 out of union. The contribu-
tions were 6d. a week for a man, and 3d. for a boy.
The average number on the box had been-from four
to five. A good workman would average about
275. a week.

James Heaney, secretary to the edgetool forgers,
said they rattened in extreme cases, when they could
not get their contributions without. There had not
been more than a dozen cases in the last ten years.
He remembered a man named Addis coming from
London to work for Ward and Payne. They did
not want to stop him working, but they objected
to his working along with their men. He got his
head broken at a public-house, and his tools were rat-
tened. Mr. Ward came to him, and he told him he
miist sond the man away. lle made Mr. Ward pay
£3O for the expense the Union had been put to.
Addis offered to become a member of the Union,
and he (witness) said he would not have him at any
price. There were 370 men in union, and about 30
out. The contributions were ls. a man, and 6d. a
boy. A man and his striker would earn about £2
15s. to £3 a week.

Robt. Winter, a scissors forger, said he was not a
member of the Union, and spoke to having his tools
rattened because he declined to join the Union. He
worked for his father, who had two pairs of bellows
cut about the same time. Two of the men who
worked in the shop were members of the Union,
but were in arrear of their payments. He suspected
Wm. Fearnley of doing it.

Henry Presley and Jas. Halass, the two men in
arrears spoken of by the last witness, deposed to the
destruction of the bellows and the removal of the
tools. They had been threatened by the Union sec-
retary, who said if they did not pay they would be
made to do so.

Wm. Fearnley said he was working at Winter's
at the time Presley's and Halas.s's bellows were cut.
He was at the shop first the morning after the bel-
lows were cut. Ile knew they had been cut, because
he cut them himself. Smith was in the shop when
he did it, and might have seen him. lle cut them
because the master said he was to have some nail-
makers from the low country, and Presley was to
teach them to make scissors. The secretary of the
Trade Union told him to do this.

The Court then adjourned till Thursday morning.

The Sheffield Trade Outrages.

--,0---

MEETING- OF TRADES' DELEGATES.

Last evening a numerously attenied meeting of
delegates from the London trade 3 was held at the
" Sussex" Hotel, Bouvcrie-street, for the purpose of
considering the atrocities which had recently been
brought to light by the commissioners at present
sitting in Sheffield, and of adopting resolutions
t hereanent.

Mr. G. POTTER, chairman of the London Work-
ing Men's Association, having been voted to the
chair, stated that they had assembled under some-
what painful circumstances. They were aware that
at the trades conference which took place at St.
Martin's hall last March, a committee was ap-
pointed to watch over the proceedings of the special
commission which was, then about to be issued.
They were also no doubt aware of the terrible re-
velations which had during the past few days been
brought out by that commission. These revelations
were of the most di.igracetul character. They had
caused trades unions to be looked down upon, and
in fact they had been the means of causing a trades
unionist to be looked upon as worse than a Fenian.
They had therefore met that night to denounce
these proceedings and the men who had been guilty
of such atrocities. He could say for himself
that in the hottest periods of trades disputes he had
always condemned having recourse to anything
like intimidation ; and if there was any consola-
tion to be derived out of the present circumstances,
it was that these outrages were confined to Sheffield,
and that the trades unions throughout the country
denounced and condemned them.

Mr, CONOLLY (mason) then moved the first reso-
lution, which was in effect that while it had long
been notorious that the management of, and con-
duct pursued by, certain of the Sheffield trade 3
unions in the grinding trades were such as could
neither be approved nor sanctioned by trades
unionists generally, more especially the system called
" rattening," the delegates of the London trades
deeply regretted that the commissioners felt it neces-
sary in the discharge of their duty to examine
Broadhead as a witness, thus enabling so great a
criminal to escape the punishment he merited.
Mr. SELF (the Secretary of the Compositors' So -
ciety) seconded the resolution, which was supported
by Mr. DREW (dyer) and Mr. LANG (baker), and
unanimously adopted.
Mr. LEICESTER (glassmaker) next moved the
second resolution, to the effect that they entered
their solemn protest against the attempts now being
industriously made by the opponents of trades
unions generally to connect them with these out-
rages.

Mr. DUNNING (secretary of the Bookbinders' SJ-
ciety) seconded the resolution, which was supported
by Mr. BENGIES (brushmaker) and others, and
adopted unanimously.
Mr. &UPTON (painter) moved the third resolu-
tion,which was that the meeting was of opinion that
all trade societies in Sheffield whose secretaries or
office-bearers have been concerned in any of these
outrages, or who were suspected or tainted with
participation in any even of the minor crimes dis-
closed before the commissioners in that town, should
be immediately reconstructed ; and that until that
was done no trades union or individual trades
unionist should transact any business or hold any
communication with the societies in question.
The resolution was seconded by Mr. 131,mm:woo;
of Glasgow, was supported by Mr. LEE, compositor,
and adopted.
The last resolution was proposed by Mr. FAIRBAN,
and was in effect that under the trying circumstance
in which trades societies arc now placed, the meet-
ing was of opinion that it was the duty of everyreal
trades unionist to rally round and render every
moral support to the executives of the various
unions, and to show to the Government, the Press,
and the public their determination not to allow
these useful and necessary combinations to be made
a scapegoat to suffer for the exceptional crimes per-
petrated by a few evil men in a provincial town.

Mr. WILSON (shipwright) seconded the resolu-
tion. Ile could not help thinking that if the mem-
bers of the Saw-grinders' Society had looked after
Broadhead as they ought to have done, he would
not have been in a position to accomplish the crimes
he did.

The resolution was adopted, and the proceedings,
which were most unanitnotri tbrouJlouf-, terminated
with a vote of thanks to the chairman.