The Sun.
London, England, 1832-06-30 00:00:00

COAL TRADE.

Lord WHARNCLIFFE presented the petition of cer-
tain Peers, Commoners, and others, proprietors and
lessees of coalmines on the rivers Tyne and
,Wear, in re•
ference to the present state of the coal trade in that part
of the country, where the greatest excitement prevailed,
and where the preservation of the public peace was en-
dang,red. He wished the country to understand the
exact grounds upon which this excitement had been
raised, and to be aware of the insecure situation in which
the property of coalowners was now placed, in order that
the country might be awakened to a proper sense of the
threatened danger. It would be necessary that he should
explain to their Lordship the manner in which the trade
was conducted between the pitmen and the proprietors of
the coalmines. It was the custom of the trade, in April
in each year, to bind (as it was called) the workmen wish-
ing to be employed for a certain term. In April, 1831,
at the time of the binding, a considerable increase of
wages was demanded by the colliers, which in the first
instance was refused, because the proprietors or masters
thought it greater than the ti ade would bear; but after
the lapse of some time the masters gave way, and the de-
mand of the colliers were complied with. Matters went on
in that state till November, 1831, and in the meantime
there occurred a greater demand for coals, and the workmen
were called upon to work a greater quantity of coals. Under
the direction of what was called the Union the colliers re-
fused to work beyond a certain number of hours a day, and
the result was that the owners, not choosing to yield to
the dictation of their workmen, discharged their colliers,
with, he might say, their own consent, and they (the
toasters) obtained as•istance from workmen who had been
engaged in leadinines (hut who, from the bad state of
tr ale, were out of employment) in Wales and elsewhere.
This circumstance led to outrage, and the first committed
was at a place called (we believe) Moor-ridge, when the
pitmen endeavoured, by throwing down the machine used
to bring up the coals, to prevent the engine from being
worked, and they further endeavoured to clog the pumps.
At this time the workmen employed in the pits or collieries
were those employed from other places ; and had it not
been for the timely arrival of the military, all the pet sons
employal in the mines would have been drowned. This
calamity, however, was prevented, and so matters went
on until the " binding-time" came round again. The
masters then offered the Same terms which they had pro-
posed before ; and he would explain what those terms were
to their Lordships, and he thought they would see they
were not very hard. The pitmen were offered 15s.a, week,
play or work, besides a house being provided for them,
medical assistance, and coals. Independent of this 15a. a
week, if they chose to work a day's work of eight hours,
they might be supplied with work sufficient to enable them
to earn 6s or Bs.a day. Looking to the condition of the poor
and working classes in the south of England, he must say
for his own part that he did not think the case of the pit
men was one calculated to raise compassion. The coal-
owners, being determined to emancipate themselves from
this Union to which he had averted, made it a condition
that the overlookers, men whose business it was to look to
the working of the mines geuerally, should not be en-
gaged in the same Uniun with the pitmen, because they
saw c:early that if they did not adopt this condition, they
left their collieries entirely in the hinds and under the
command of those persons. The result of all this, how-
ever, was, that both upon the rivers Tyne and Wear, the
workmen refused (upon the instigation of the Union) to
take work. The maters then, whose capital and pro-
perty were at stake, were still determined to obtain assis-
tance from other places from persons thrown out of em-
ploy in 1 admines in Wales, and from Derby. The result
of this had been the loss already of three lives. The first
case was at a place upon the Wear, where a man who had
refused to conform to the dictation of the Union bad been
shot. Upon the body of this individual a Coroner's In-
quest bad been held, and a verdict of wilful murder re-
turnedagainst certain parties. This occurred in April
lase. At the close of the last month, or at the beginning
presentof the
fro mtvinatrhio,
oasgenpts,talerman, a magistrate of Sunder-
land, who had been active in defending the men em-
ployed received dreadful
wounds, of which be had since died. His Lordship added,
; he believed that some of the parties concerned in this out.
rage were in custody, and that a proclamation was now
out offering a reward for the discovery of the offender.
He (Lord Wharncliffe) had only yesterday received an ac-
, count of a similar outrage which had been committed, and
he found that at first it had been stated that the individual
had also fallen a sacrifice to the fury of the pitmen ; but he
understood that the person still survived, though he was