The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-09 00:00:00

Sheffield Trades' Union Commiss►on.

MONDAY.
Mr. William Bragge, managing director of the
ironworks of John Brown and Co. (Atlas Works),
gave evidence of a strike of the puddlers in their
employ, against a reduction, in February and March
last. Other puddlers from a distance were brought
to take the place of the men on strike, and the
puddlers' union picketed the works, and the men on
strike assaulted a number of the new (uon-union)
men. In consequence of this witness had to employ
policemen to guard the place, and to establish a
commissariat and provide bedd for the new men.
Witness had since abstained from employing union
men, and had been able to obtain a sufficient num-
ber of non-unionists. There were from 800 to
1,000 men employed in this branch, and more than
3,000 at the works altogether. Neither witness nor
any of the principals had been assaulted or threatened
in any way.

James Dunhill, a puddler, said that in February
last he was working for Messrs. John Brown and
Co. lie was not then a union man. When the
puddlers had struck, witness continued to work,
and he was molested " with a good hiding." About
three weeks after the men went out .he was at
Tryer's, and a man named James Harris, who was
one of seven or eight, struck him. The others then
fell on him, calling him a " blackleg," and saying
that he was taking the bread out of their mouths.
Ile and a companion were shortly afterwards
assaulted again by the same men. He proceeded
against them before the magistrates, and they were
bound over to keep the peace.
Edmund Higgott, another non-unionist, gave
evidence of the same occurrences. He also was as-
saulted, and was unable to work for nine days, and
John Skidmore having given evidence of ordinary
intimidation,

Thomas Rock, a puddler, said he came from
Derby a little before Easter to work at Mr. Brown's,
and was met at the station by some men, whdP told
him he was doing wrong to go there, took him to a
public-house, paid for his bed and breakfast, and
then booked him back to Derby.
Mr. Overend then stated that he would answer
applications for certificates.
Mr. Sugg applied for a certificate on behalf of Mr.
Broadhead.

Mr. Overend said the Court considered that Mr. 1
Broadhead was entitled to a certificate, but not to
his costs. Where a witness had come forward in the
first instance, and had told the whole truth, he
would receive a certificate and his costs ; but where
be had committed deliberate perjury, and had then
made a full confession in order to save himself from
the consequences of that perjury, he would not re-
ceive his costs. Mr. Overend further stated that each
certificate would contain a list of the offences on
which the holder bad been examined.
Mr. Sugg then applied for a certificate for Mr.
Thomas Smith, secretary to the Sawmakcrs' Society,
and an accessory after the fact to tbe Hereford-street
outrage. The certificate was granted.
Mr. Sugg applied for a certificate for Mr. George
Peace, late a farmer at Dore, who had confessed to
employing a man to shoot Elisha Parker.
Mr.o verend said the certificate would be granted.
Mr. Sugg applied for certificates for the secretaries
of the file trade, on the ground of the papers having
raised a question whether picketing was not an of-
fence within the act.—• Certificates were granted.
Mr. Sugg asked for a certificate for Eenshawe,the
man who blew up Wastnidge's house.—Granted.
In the matter of certain secretaries who had do-

stroyed books the Court held that a certificate was
not required.
The certificate of Joseph Thompson, secretary to
the Scissor Forgers' Union, was withheld, ou the
ground that he had not made a full disclosure,.
Skidmore and Barker, the former president of the
Saw Makers' Union, and the latter secretary to the
Saw Handle Makers' Union, received err, iiieates.
Certificates were promised for Hallam and Crookes.
George, alias " Putty" Shaw applied for a certi-
ficate for raaening, which was granted.
Joseph Copley, William Fearnley, and Tucker
Clarke received certificates for the various offences
to which the; had confessed.
The decision in the case of Samuel Cutler, concerned
in the Acorn-street affair, was deferred till Tuesday.
There being no more applications for certificates,
Mr. Overend said— We have now discharged the
duties imposed upon us by the Commissioners when
they appointed us to make the investigation into the
outrages in Sheffield, and we cannot conclude our
labours without offering our thanks to the mayor
and town council of the borough for the kind manner
in which they have granted us this room, and rendered
us assistance in every way. We are also exceedingly
obliged to the watch committee for granting us the
services of the various policemen and others whom
we have required. All of them—the mayor, the
corporation, and the watch committee—have been of
great service to us in the work which we have had to
carry on. We think it also right to make an obser-
vation as to Mr. Barker, our secretary. We feel
under considerable obligation to him, for he has dis-
charged his duties with the greatest possible ability,
and has assisted us in every possible way. Without
him Ido not know how we could have carried on
the inquiry—at all events with the same expedition
as we have done. We think that we, and not only
we, but the town and country also, are greatly in-
debted to him for the manner in which he has dis-
charged his duties. There is another gentleman,
the Chief Constable of this town, to whom also we
are under very great obligations. Ile has shown
great zeal, he has shown great discretion, he has
shown great intelligence, and throughout the whole
of this inquiry he has afforded us the greatest pos-
sible assistance. We think he is an officer of the.
utmost value, and that not only has Sheffield cause
to be proud of such an officer, but without such an
officer a town subject to such lawless conduct as this
would be in considerable jeopardy. Mr. Shrubsule
has also been very useful to us ; he has saved us a
good deal of trouble, and facilitated the progress of
the inquiry. It is not our intention to make any ob-
servations as to what conclusion we have arrived
at from the evidence that has been laid before
us. Our duties are first to the Commissioners,
to whom our report, which is now in pre-
paration, will be handed. No doubt it will be put
into print and then circulated, and the town will
have ample opportunity of considering our conclu-
sions. We do not, therefore, think it proper on our
part to make any observations on those conclusions,
but we purposely abstain from stating what the
effect on our minds has been. We are not only
obliged to the various gentlemen whose names I have
mentioned, but we are also very much obliged to the
press for the manner in which it has reported our
proceedings. We have found great advantage from
having, from day to day, short-hand writer's notes
in the press, and from having the opportunity of
seeing at once everything done. We have received
great support from both the leading papers of this
town by the way in which they have sustained us
in this inquiry. No doubt there have been very
serious revelations made of terrible crimes, things
the country never in any degree anticipated, and
although it has been a great disgrace to the town, I
trust the fact of there having been these revelations
will be the means of improving the position of the
Unions, and will enable the Commissioners to pre-
sent such a report to the Legislature as will enable
it to provide laws and regulations to put the Unions
in a better position. At all events, not only the
crimes of murder of the character we have heal d,
but also the other various crimes it has been our
duty to investigate, have now come to light, and I
believe, and my colleagues believe, great good will
come of this (lio sever painful the inquiry has been)
to the town and the country generally. These are
the only observations we think it right we should
'bake. As to the result of the evidence, as I said
before, we abstain from saying anything, because in
the first instance it is our duty to communicate with
the Commissioners.
At the conclusion of the learned Chief Commis-
sioner's observationithere was considerable applause
from
the spectators, which was not checked.
Mr. Chambers—These proceedings having now
been concluded,
if you will allow me, sir, I wish
to offer my thanks for the
courtesy
re-
ceived at the hands of ' I have
yourself and of your
I
learned colleagues.may express my sorrow

that the gentleman for whom I appear (Mr.
Fretson) was prevented by a serious affliction of
Providence from conducting the labours I have en-
deavoured to fulfil. I am also requested on the
part of those gentlemen for whom I appear to tender
their thanks for the very successful and impartial
manner in which you and your colleagues have con-
ducted this inquiry. Ido not intend to make any
observations except to express a hope that your re-
port will be followed by a useful act of legislation
that will confer great benefits on this town and on
the country. I may venture to express the opinion
that upon no body of men will greater benefits be
conferred than on the working classes themselves.
Mr. Sugg.—On behalf of the Defence Committee,
I can only cordially endorse all that has been said
by Mr. Chambers. I quite believe with him that
this will be the means of purging the town of Shef-
field and the neighbourhood from a great many hor-
rible crimes. I also hope it will reform in a great
degree the Trades' Unions, that they will be put
from the date of this inquiry upon a sounder basis
than ever, and that it will make them what they
ought to be—unions for their benefit, and that alone.
There are other matters connected with the trades
which we shall be glad to have the opportunity of
speaking upon, and I hope you will mention in your
report that some of the Trades' Unionists of Sheffield
wish to have the opportunity of explaining their ob-
jects more than they have been able to do here.
Mr. Overend—Our duties were to inquire into
the outrages connected with the Trades' Unions.
We have gone also into certain facts we could hardly
avoid, but the condition of Trades' Unions generally
is for the Commission in London. We have con-
fined ourselves to the to the part allotted to us.

Mr. Sugg—l will only add in conclusion that my
clients, the Trades' Unions, have not the least re-
gret that they assisted in applying for the granting
of this Commission.
Mr. Overend—l now hereby close the inquiry.
The proceedings terminated at half-past 3 o'clock.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

The large amount of unemployed capital depo-
sited in all the banks in Europe prevents any down-
ward movement in Stock Exchange securities ; the
bullion in the Bank of France has reached:the
large sum of £34,800,000, and the Porte-feuille
has fallen from £19,280,000 to £19,040,000. This
decrease has taken place principally in the country
branches of the establishment. Business has been
rather flat of late, but a return of greater acti-
vity is expected, as there exists no apparent reason
for a fall in prices. Money is cheap and abun-
dant, and political questions are less threatening.
The speech of Lord Stanley is still looked upon as
a guarantee of peace, and the publication of the
papers referring to the London Conferences, which
were only laid on the table, in France, last week,
are now looked upon more as events of the past
than presenting any new feature. Thom docu-
ments have no kind of influence on men of busi-
ness, as it is expected that the discussion that will
take place in the chambers on that subject will not
cause any awkward incident.
The news from Italy is still full of uncertainty.
The Budget is discussed in a spirit which shows
that there remains no kind of Conservative prin-
ciple in that country. The committee is still of
opinion that there is no other mode of raising the
£94,000,000 but by the spoliation of the Church,
and that the best plan is to leave the Government
free to carry out in the best way they are able that
measure. So it remains to be seen if Parliament
will allow their privilege to be broken without any
opposition. In Rome all is quiet. About 400
bishops are now surrounding the successor of St.
Peter, to celebrate the eighteen hundredth anni-
versary. It is from that quarter alone that the
moral power of the world can hope to receive
any help. Other negotiations have taken place
betweeu the Courts of Rome and of Florence to
try to come to some better understanding; but
nothing has taken place beyond a few visits be-
tween Cardinal Antonelli and General I)urando.
In Spain the principal preoccupation is the ro-
posed law for the settlement and conversion of
outstanding debts. Several modifications have been
proposed by the committee; and it is said that they
intend to increase the pecuniary aid to railway
companies. Although the discussion of the budget
is over, M. Bazzanallana has not as yet ma le
known the measures by which he intends to carry
out his financial plans. In Prussia the return of
the King to Berlin has been followed by another
political success. After a protracted discussion,
Bavaria has given in and agreed to the new cus-
tom laws. The Emperor of Austria has returned
to Vienna after receiving every mark of sincere
friendship and devotedness from his subjects in
Hungary, and he has given orders to suspend the
works of fortification at Vienna. The Sultan is
now in Paris. Before leaving Constantinople he
promulgated the law to enable foreigners to pur-
chase freehold property in Turkey. It is said that
his visit to Paris will cost half a million sterling.
There is a report that the Viceroy of Egypt has
been unsuccessful in obtaining a loan in Paris.
In France Parliament has sanctioned the proposed
arrangement between the Victor-Emmanuel Rail-
way Company and the Italian Government to Le
carried out, so as to place that line, which unites
the French lines with the tunnel under Mont
Cenis, in the hands of the Paris and Lyons Railway
Company. However, the measure is only to be
carried out provided the shareholders give their
consent, and a general meeting will be called for
the purpose. Although the report of the com-
mittee on the budget does not speak of any loan,
it is possible that a loan will become necessary,
as the floating debt is now 887 millions of francs,
or £35,480,000, against £35,680,000 on the Ist of
June, 1866. Government cannot safely increase
this debt, and they will be compelled to bring
out a loan if more money is required. Already
the committee, in their report to the Chambers
speak of extraordinary and supplementary credits
amounting to 158,592,719 fr., or £6,353,708, for the
Ministers of War and Marine. Of this sum,
£3,520,000 are for the pay and maintenance of the
army, and £1,280,000 for the Artillery and Engi-
neers. The Marine takes £1,291,474, and nothing
is said about the conversion of arms into needle-
guns, which, no doubt, will require a further cre-
dit. it is expected that a loan will be brought
out in France in November next ; but the com-
mittee, in their report, give no explanation as to
the ways and means, so there is no clue to show
what will be the probable amount of the loan.
The Anglo-Egyptian Banking Company held
their half-yearly meeting on Friday, the 28fh of
June. The chairman explained that in November
last year the losses were £205,000 ; that on the
11th of March, which is the date of the recon-
struction of the company, the profits were £llO,OOO,
and the net profits ascertained since that time up
to this date have been £45,000 more, so that in
less than ten months £155,000 have been recovered,
with every prospect that the entire loss will be
made up by the 31st of December next. The
bank has adopted the prudent measure of restoring
thealtheonutgi
hr e
theprofits capital
year
wani
lyl
not, it t
dividend,
is aenxd-
pected, be so Inge as this,there
that the bank will be able t is
a everyffair
ir dividend, prospect
o
Npvahr. enrit,llcerepraircee
4150 f tallilearesillloaitrels will
ers, up
and
o go
o tagainwet yt°-
four have not paid up theit calls. The gross
amount unpaid is £15,475, which is charged 10
per cent.
A Chilian Loan has been issued for £1,109,700,
of which £483,000 have been subscribed in Chili,
7 per cent. at 92, in nine instalments, extending to
the Ist of April, 1868, to be redeemed by half-
yearly drawings, at par, in about twenty-one years,
to commence in October next. Allotees will have
the option of paying up in full, on allotment, at
89.5. There is nothing in the prospectus to show
upon what guarantee this loan is raised, nor what
may be the resources of the country ; and no kind
of compensation is offered to the holders of the
per cent. which was subscribed at 92, with a sink-
ing fund of only 1 per cent. to be employed by
purchases in the open market ; also, the stock is
unsaleable.
There are rumours of a new railway loan for the
Russian Government. The object is to purchase