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

Vbirtir Xlittion

SUN-OFFICE, Seven o' Cluck.

THE ANTI-CORN-LAW
CONFERENCE.
(THIS DAY.)

Mr: JOHNSON, of Derby, (in continuation from our
Afternoon Edition,) said—Wherever the best improve-
ments in machinery had been adopted, there had been an
increase in prosperity. Let the same system, therefore,
be carried•into agriculture, and their own prosper ty, as
well as that of the country, would be improved. He
should not go into the 'general policy of the, question,
nor state what should be the course to be taken by the
League. put if the
.changes they expected were not
obtained from the aristocracy, it would be the duty of
sll to join in a movement to put down that power, and
that interest.

4onnsoN, of Leeds, regretted that when Sir
Robert Peel referred to the increase in the Excise
duties on tea and coffee as an indication of the pros-
perity of the people, so far from being an indication of
'prosperity it was just the reverse. From the increasing
inability of the labouring classes to obtain butchers'
meat and provisions, the poor in the town of Leeds
generally adopted tea as a substitute, even for dinner,
and that by the men as well as the women.
A DEPUTY—That was stated to Sir R. Peel.
Mr. JOHNSON—Not so directly as it ought to have
been answered, and his friend, Mr. Whitehead, very
much regretted that such should have been the case.
What he stated was from his own knowledge and ex-
amination in the town of Leeds.
Mr. GRUNDY made a statement of the superiority-6f
payment afforded by the corn and flour of America to
their bonds.
Mr. SIDNEY SMITH said it might be as well to state,
if there was a decrease in the consumption of butcher's
meat and an increase in exciseable articles, how it hap-
pened that bread and such articles were rising in price.
`This must be met by facts as a matter of course, and he
believed the solution would be this—that the produce of
food for cattle had been just as defective as the produc-
tion of food for man, and of course this forced up the
price of cattle. It was also an important consideration
that the productiveness of sheep and cattle had been
Akecked by the last cold seasons, and a larger qUantity
had died than in ordinary years. This was best proved
by the fact, that lean ' stock was almost as
dear as fattened stock ; the real defect was
in the quantity of sheep and cattle produced.
The CHAIRMAN here announced to the meeting that
Lord Brongham would this evening address the House
of-Lords on the distressed state of the country. it
would, he thought, not only be gratifying, but useful that
a number of Delegates should attend on the occasion be-
low the bar. He understood that his Lordship had
made arrangements for the admission of the Delegates,
and he (the Chairman) suggested the necessity of their
assembling at four o'cicck, for the purpose of proceeding
to the House of Lords at that time.
Mr. T. CULLEN, Mayor of Bolton, next addressed
the meeting. lie observed that nothing could be werse
than the present situation of Bolton. The principal
trade of the place consisted of cotton-spinning, iron-
foundries, machine-making, and hand-loom weaving ;
all of which branches were as depressed as they
could possibly be. There was one extensive iron-
foundry in the town, at which wages at the
amount of TOOL per week were paid last year, and at
present the same establishment only paid 1001. a week
in wages. The establishment of another extensive iron
founder and machine maker, Mr. Abanson, was closed.
A number of the mills in the borough were working
only short time—only three days a week. Some of
the most respectable of the employers of the
hand-loom weavers were obliged, as each warp
was finished by their men, to discontinue fur-
finusishing employment on account of the depression of
trade consequent on the want of demand. The result
was that several weavers were thrown out of employ-
ment, He (Mr. Cullen) was himself a manufacturer
and cotton spinner for upwards of twenty-six years, and
at present the bad state of times compelled him to close
hi, mill, He was at the present time Mayor of Bolton,
and he could assure the meeting that if Ministers pro-
rogued Parliament without doing something to relieve
the people, he could not vouch for the peace of the bo-
rough. Ile would wit lake up the time of the meeting
by speaking at any greater length, as they fully under-
stood the distressed condition of the country.

In reoly to a question from Mr. SIDNEY SMITH,
Mr, CULLEN stated that the immediate effect of the
al of the Corn-laws would be to cause him to open
his mill instanter. The same effect would be produced,
beiiew d, on other employers whose establishments
t: era ow closed—upon iron founders and machine-
ratticeo.

Mr. SIDNLV SZBITH then observed, that the reply just
given to his question show( d the fallacy of the doctrine
that the increase of machinery caused a falling off in
the employment of the population; fer here wa,s the very
btriiness- of machine-making in a depressed state, while
Ow manufacturing population were still badly employed.
Mr. CULLEN observed that some time ago a reduction
410 per cent. took place in the wages of the cotton-
3pinners of 13olton, and since then the demand was con-
siderably less than before.
air. 11. li. 3loottE rose to call the attention of the
bi,:,,Aing to the following document :
Derbyshire, twelve miles from Manchester.
GLOSSOP DALE.—Population 14,000.
UNOCCUPIED PREMISES.

•
There are at present 12 mills unoccripied in the Glossop
Union, and 189 houses. A few years ago every mill was occu-
pied, and every house. Several on short time.