The Sun.
London, England, 1826-07-31 00:00:00

MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS.

. _
MA NCHESTiIt, SATURDAY, JULY 29.---(From
our own Correspondent.)—A decidedly' better feeling
has been manifested in our market of to-day. In
heavy goods and printing cloths more has been doing.
Twist has been in better demand, but at no improve-
ment in prices. We have had no failures of import-
ance through the week, and, upon, the whole, we have
reason to hope that the violence of the storm, in our
trade, is nearly spent, and that a sober sunshine is now
beginning to break in upon us.

MANCllitntit, SATURDAY, JULY 29.

The circulation of local intelligence is extremely vague and
perplexing. One hears of meetings and preparations which do
not exist, while, on the other hand, one gets no clue to what is at
the instant going on. You will perceive, by the Stockport Adver-
tiser of yesterday, that Whitelegg, an inhabitant of Stockport, and
the incendiary orator of the meeting which took place here last
week, has been examined, and committed to Chester Castle to take
his trial. This is the person for whom Dr. Healey was mistaken.
The arrest of Whitelegg will do great good. Blackshear, who
had lent him the abominable pamphlet which he quoted, has had
his premises searched, and 2f3 copies of the first number of the
Rights of Man were taken from them. The Stockport operatives
are now generally convinced that no secrecy can veil their proceed-
ings for any length of time from the knowledge of the magistracy
of the neighbourhood.
There has been a little more stir of business this week, which is
laid hold of by the quiescent politicians, both here and in Lon-
don, as discovering a tendency to a beneficial change. Any an-
ticipation of such a nature must be set down as delusion. The
[increased demand of this week is very limited. We attended the
distribution of food yesterday, by the agents of the subscription.
No one receives relief where the earnings of the whole family
rise above 2s. per head weekly. Thpusands, it is well known,
who are utterly destitute, never applied at all.- Yet were there
9,000 persons who delivered tickets, for which they received
either eight pounds of oatmeal, or a pound of good bacon with
four pounds of meal, or a pound of bacon with three quarts of
peas. One incident in their behaviour will delight you. The
tickets were issued some time ago. The managers of the funds put
it upon the honour of the parties not to use them when they got
into work. More than a thousand surrendered them on these con-
ditions subsequently. In the course of the same forenoon I con-
versed with an old proprietor of houses, who has known this
neighbourhood for more than 40 years. He complains that the
country, and Manchester especially, has been wholly led astray!
for many years past by a doctrine broached by Mr. Ricardo, that
" what is taken from wages is added to capital." Just the re-
verse of this he contends to be the truth. The grinding system,—
as he terms it, meaning the constant reduction of wages, either
to prevent loss, or to create a new profit, or to force a sale,—has
been actively at work ever since 1812 ; and the interests of this
county have been declining with them ever since. He is full of
instances of this practice, some of which, if true, were very scan-
dalous. As profits declined, the first attempts at reduction were
made upon the prices of wages only. A shilling or sixpence
per cut was taken off. When this mode of encroaching be-
came too flagrant for vulgar patience, the length of the cut
was imperceptibly extended. Machines were rapidly mul-
tiplied ; the demand did not increase in the same propor-
tion. The weavers fell into more and more danger of want-
ing work, and further impositions were made upon them
continually, by lengthening the cut. At last one cunning fellow
took out a piece which was said to be 60 yards. He required a
ticket from the foreman, certifying the length. He finished the
60 yards, which he cut off, and retained IS which remained. Ile
was taken before the magistrates, who of course acquitted him,
the fraud being clearly on the side of Ids . accusers. Another
quaint subject took in his work, and told the employer that he
could not venture on a second piece, bawler: he could not hope to,
live to-get to the end of it. By these stratagems, working toge-'
they, wages have in some instances been pushed so low, that a,'
weaver has not been able to pay for the assistance which he requires
and the candles which he has to burn in long winter evenings.
The Manchester Guardian of to-day notices, is the way of
admiration, the union of masters at Ilyde, and another place, to
prevent the further fall of wages, and their resolution, iu the pro-
priety of as4iich the labourers are said to concur, rather to -curtail
the days of labour than reduce the wages.

SOHO FOUNDRY.—On Tuesday evening week, a meeting was
culled of all' the workmen (upwards of two' hundred) at ptesent
employed in the Soho Foundry, and when they were assembled,
Mr. George Peel pointed out to them what their late shop-mates,
whom the state of the times had obliged his partners and himself
to discharge, and their families Were suffering, and exhorted them'
to take their distressing case into consideration. He concluded
by proposing that every workman employed at Soho, should sub.
scribe weekly the sum of sixpence, to raise a fund for the above
charitable purposes. Much to the credit of the men present,
every one of them gave his hearty assent, and they desired that
Mr. Peel would take the trouble of examining all applicants for
the charity, and give to each what he thought necessary. Mr,
Peel kindly undertook the office; and the hour appointed for
the applicants to attend, was eleven o'clock in the forenoon
of Monday last. Mr. Peel called the men one by one into his
office, and enquired particularly into the state of their fa..
milks, and their weekly incomes. The men were ordered to at-
tend again at five o'clock in the evening, when every man was paid
in proportion, according to his family, &c. This examination and
distribution of money, is to be repeated every Monday, till trade
so far revives, that each man can support himself and family. We
must not omit to state, that Messrs. Peel? Williams, and Peel have,
unsolicited, agreed to subscribe weekly a very handsome sum in aid
of the above charity. The case of one poor man on Monday, was
truly affecting ; he had been out of employ four 'months, and has
a wife and three children. When he came to receive his propor-
tion of the subscription (which was ten shillings), his feelings so
completely overpowered him, that it was with difficulty that he
could support hiroself.—Manchester Guardian.

(From the Bolton Express,. July 29.)
No improvement is perceptible in the cotton trade since our last
publication. Although it is fl doleful task to record the continued
and increasing distresses of the working classes, we differ from
some of our cotemporaries, who conclude that, as the subject has
been so much agitated by the Press, it has become uninteresting
to the public. IVe cannot think that the sufferings of a large
portion of the inhabitants of Lancashire can le a matter Of indif-
ference to the rest of the subjects of these realms. The extent of
the present distress is yet very inaccurately known, for the
pictures which have been drawn of the hardships of people,
are tinged by the prejudices of the writers. The current of
charity has done much towards mitigating the evils under which
the manufacturing population is labouring, and it is with grief
that we observe the Buccaneer attempts of some of the Whig-radical
Journals, to stop the refreshiog flood, by giving countenance to
an unfounded report, that a Parliamentary grant will be made
for our relief. Such a report is caleulated at once to put an end
to private donations, and that too at a time• when they are more
required than ever.
We hive heard with pain various reflections which have
.been
made on the conduct of some of the Committee, appointed in this
town, to distribute the subscription for the poor, We take upon
ourselves to say, that the Pours' Committee has, since he election,
undergone the most arduous exertions to forward the welfare of
the labouring classes, without any prospect of reward, except in
the reflection of having fulfilled a duty. The complaints which hare
been made by some persons, who were employed on the Chorley
road, may be regarded as emanating from envy and malice.
It was not expected—indeed it would have been unreasonable
to expect—that a weaver, who had never been accustomed to
severe bodily labour, would be qualified to keep pace with a man
inured to outwork all his life. In all cues where a complaint has
been made, respecting the work being fatiguing, the answer has
been: "We do not with you to overwork yourselk do whit you
can, and we will make out the rest." This we know to he a fact,
notwithstanding the calumnies which are circulated to the cop-
' trary. Convinced of the importance of keeping looms idle until
the great stocks in the market are reduced, we should be glad to
hear of the Committee undertaking some new work which might
furnish employment to the weavers.

DISTRESS AT PAISLEY-APPLICATION TO GO.

VERP3TENT.

A meeting was held in Paisley on Thursday—Mr. Campbell, of
Blythswood, M.P. in the chair. Mr. Campbell stated, that the
funds in the hands of the treasurer amounted to less than 17001. ;
that the weekly expenditure was nearly 5001. ; tbat within the
last two weeks the number of applicants had increased by ISO ;
that the wages allowed were seven shillings per week, on an ave-
rage. Ile had weekly communication by letter with his Ma-
jesty's Ministers, who were averse to give a Government grant.
At-r. Maxwell, M. P. believed that Mr. Canning when properly
informed about the condition of the working classes, would com-
ply with the wishes of the meeting. tie then read resolutions,
setting forth the sufferings of the workmen, and the propriety of
the immediate interposition of GovernMent, to svcrt the come-
gnaws of want.— Glasgow Journal.