The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-11 00:00:00

i HE ANTI-CORN-LAW
CONFERENCE.
(Tills DAY.)

The Delegates met again this morning at Herbert's
(tate Brown's) Hotel, at Eleven o'Clock, Mr. P. A. Taylor
in the Chair.

The CHAIRMAN commenced the proceedings by, read-
in
ihe following extract from a letter from a gentleman
living in the neighbourhood of Todmorden, in Lamm-
;,hire, where Mr. Fieldun, M.l'., is carrying on very large
works :

" Gcrpley Mill, July 8, 1842.
" The shopkeepers of Todmorden are getting up a meeting,
and it is likely they will send a Delegate to London.
" It is the opinion of all parties here that the Conference
thould'not break up fa- some time, unless the Government
brine forward sonic measure likely to relieve the distress of the
country, and prevent those unpleasant consequences whiyh are
likely to arise on all sides.
" In Manchester business is getting worse every day, and
the report is again revived here of Messrs. Fielden either going
to short time again, or wholly suspending their works." •
Mr. JOHNSON, of Derby, was then called upon by the
Chairman, and proceeded to address the meeting. In
the observations he made to them on Saturday he had
proceeded so far as the article of ribbons, which was a
considerable manufacture in Derby. He had stated
that one house had turned away a great number of their
best hands, in conseque ce of their being unable to dis-
pose of their goods at any price. In the article of lace '
they had one mill manufacturing the largest quantity el '
that article of any in the empire, but the proprietors had '
found it necessary to reduce their prices from 15 to 20
per cent. within the last few months, and they were sell-
int, very little ever since that reduction. In Nottingham, '
where the manufacture of lace was carried on to a touch
greater extent than in Derby, a gentleman had stated .•
to him that he was buying a description of lace at is.
a yard for which he had paid 21s. when he had opened
businees in the year 1824. With regard to the article
of silk, for which there were three or fi,ur large menu-.
factories in Derby, he had been informed by some of the
proprietors that they were in a much worse condition
now than they were in even in December last. The
wages in that branch had not given way, but the business
was now carried on at a loss to the employers, and fewer
hands were engaged. There were now from thirty to
forty per cent. less paid in wages in that department
than in the years 1836-7. He believed that a similar
observation would apply to the article of velvet. With •
regard to the article of porcelain, of which they
possessed one of the largest manufactures in the
kingdom, he believed he might say there was a diminn-
don of one-third in the number of persons who were
employed in that manufacture, and the amount of wages
had of course decreased in proportion. Under the head
of j wellery, he found that one house which in the year
1836 was doing a very large business in the American
market, and which was paying from 2501. to SOO/ per
week in wages, employing eighty or ninety hands, did
not now employ a third of the number, and the wages
were limited to about 15s. for each hand. The wages
paid in the jewellery trade did not amount to one-third
of the sum paid in 1836 or 1837. They had two or three
watch manufactories, one of which employed about thirty
hands in the year 1836, but the number was now reduced
by one-third. They had.in Derby some mills engaged
in the doubling of cotton for lace, in one of
which, although belonging to a gentleman of
great capital, the Member for North Derhyshire,
the men had been put for the last three or four weeks
upon short time, and were now working but four days
per week. That was the first time such a circumstance
had occurred in the establishment in question since its
erection. The proprietor of another mill had told him
that, although they had me reduction in time, or in the
number of hands employed, he fouad they would be
obliged to make such reductions in a very short time as.
a • matter o: prudence. When he stated that his in-
forwent was Mr. .Stutts, the meeting would be aware
that if he were compelled to reduce his hands, that
would arise from a declining Irade, and not front
a want of capital. Under the head of silk
hosiery and gloves, lie found, from. the infor-
mation of the parties themselves engaged in those
manufactures, that they had declined to tin almost in-
credible extent. There was one house engaged in the
silk hosiery manufacture. whiCh paid 300/. a week in
wages, and which had since become insolvent. He had
been informed on Saturday last by a partner in a house
which paid 3001. a week in wages in 1836, that their
weekly payments now averaged about 50/. There was
another house in which 2301. a week was paid in wages
in 1836, and which now paid but 501., and the proprietor
of which informed him that his business was daily declining.
Another gentleman, who carried on business there, and
also resided in London, paid in 1836-7, 240/ a week.
He gave up business two years ago to his manager, a
person who had something like 7001. Or 800/. This person
lost all his money, together with several thousands be-
sides. and was then holding a situation in Nottingham,
and the machinery employed in that manufactory was
lying rusting and useless. Another house, the largest in,
the trade, Messrs. Brettle and Co., had an establishment
in Belper, and they used to attend every week in Derby
to take in work in a peculiar branch of the trade. They
had now discontinued that branch altogether.—(Hear.)
Another gentleman who used to pay 2001. a week now
paid only 25/. Taking all these together, the sum paid
weekly for wages in 1835 was 850/. which now only
amounted to 125/. There were two other houses,
which, at the lowest estimate, paid in 1836-7,
3511. a-week, and now paid about 7a. TI us making
in the better class of manufacture of hosiery
1.200/. paid in 1836 and 1837, now diminished to 200/.
This was a diminution of 50,000/. nicer in that branch
of manufacture alone.-4llear, In This was
a trade too which had not been injured by a change of
fashion. There had been no change in the machinery
for a hundred years, and he believed that very little
alteration lead taken place for 240 years, the time when
the present machinery was invented. Ile would tell then-,
before he sat down. what was the cause -of the great
depreciation in the foreign trade, because he would make
a tew ob:ervations in answer to a very important ques-
tion put last week by the Chairman, namely, if there
were any authentic facts relative to die fulling off of
any branch of the foreign trade ? They were told by one
Cabinet Minister that our trade had been injured by a
change of fashion, and they were told by the Pretuier
that our trade was bad because of imprivement in machi-
nery. The facts he had stated were a Complete answer to
both these fallacies, for in this trade there had been no
change in fashion, and no improvement in machinery.—
(Cheers.) The question might be aidttd, what had be-
come. of the workpeople ? 1 his he could not tell ; but
three days before he arrived in London a persisn came-to
hitn who differedin politics with the working classes—
for although himself agreeing in the principle of the
Charter, still he was one of the greatest opponents to the
'node—the madness—with which it wasproposed to carry
those principles into execution. ThiS MUD came to hitt'
(Mr. Johnsee) and said, " Mr. Johnson, I am come to
bid you good bye. I am now going to the relieving
officer for a sentence of transportation. I have ne work.
I have had no food for two days ;, I have, starved till

can starve no longer. I ha7ve ;been in the town of
Derby nearly thirty years. I belong
.to that miser-
able place 'Hinckley. I have ' a family grown up
and married ; they maintained me us long as they
could. They- also are short ..of . employment, and I
am now going for a sentence of transportation, or
to be sent to a dungeon or a bastile.'"rhis man was a
man of good sense, and almost unequalled in his werk.
He had heard him speak with great good sense, end here
he said, that he was going for sentence of transporta-
tion, as in applying fur relief, he supposed he would be
removed from the town. Whether he was removed, he
(Mr. Johnson) could not say. This was a picture of the
situation of the working-classes. Ills next inquiry was
how far the distress was operating on the retail trade.
In doing so, he would refernot only to large establishments,
but al-.o to several of t:iose which almost entirely depended
upon the casual custom of the poor. He had spoken to
one gentleman, who said his business had fallen off one-
third, and that bUsiness had been .worse the last five or
six weeks than'any previous time. Another gentleman
in a country district, entirely. egticultural, had said his
town business had fallen oft very considerably,
his country business was about the same as
usual, but his receipts were sits hundred pounds
a a eek less than the same time last year. These were
two of the highest class of tradesmen ; when they came
to the lower class they found the falling off still greater.
Another class of tradesmen was the: butchers. He had
inquired of several of that body. He had consulted
three of the most influential, one of whom was a Con-
servative. This latter gentleman gave him the number
of cattle he had slaughtered in June, 1824, at a time
when -meat was cheap. In 1824 he slaughtered 136 ;
in 1825, 125. Coming to 1841, he slaughtered 96, and
in 1842, only 78. He (Mr. Johnson) asked him if he
thought the number of his customera had fallen off, and
he said he did not think it had. .11e said the consump-
tion had fallen off one-third altogether., He said he
used to take more money on a Saturday than he
was now taking during the whole week. 'raking the
parts that are purchased by the poorer classes, the best
parts being selected for family customers, he should say
that the business had fallen off two-thirds. .Now, this
was the first butcher in the town of Derby, a gentleman
of very high Conservative politics, and knowing for what
purpose the information was obtained. He hoped these
facts would go through the Press to the country.—
(Cheers.) He then came to the drapers , and. one gen-
tle man told him that, although he had been in business
a great number of years, ever. since .December,
1825. he was now scarcely taking sufficient ready money
to support his family. His was prinCipally a connection
business. Another gentleman, who belonged to a reli-
gious sect—and it was well known that in 'all religious
sects where- religion was rigidly acted up to, that they
supported each other in business—in this case he ex-
pected that there would be but a small diminution, but
he there found a total stagnation. He said that if there
was not a change -they would be obliged to shuteip
their shops. He said he found that business had
diminished the greatest since Whitsuntide. Now
this e:entleman had hitherto kept aloof from their agita-
tion, but lie now was coming forward in it. One gentle.•
man told him that he, used .to tal;e 251. on a Saturday
after they had lit the gas, and now they did not
take as many shillings. The trade seemed to b 6 sud-
denly gone altogether, and he thought at last nothing
but a repeal of the Corn-laws would benefit them.--
(Loud cheers.) The next was the clothier business.
tie met a g Damian, a member of the Town Council,
and 'he asked him how he found business ? aed he said
that it never was so bad, but .since Whitsuntide it had
fall, n off altogether, and where he used to employ 28
men, he now only employed seven or eight ; and those
he employed because they, were tenants, and merely to
keep them from starving.' In the shoemakers'
trade he toned •iitat it was equally bad. He
called on one gentleman, who said that where he
used to take 251. he' now only took a lie
complained bitterly cf the new tariff, as though he
knew no more about supply and demand than a-goose.—..
(Laughter.) lie (Mr. Johoeen) told him that the ex.