Star.
London, England, 1819-08-03 00:00:00

(v/hich would be injurious to the manufacturing
intetest) and, if an increasing- quantity of sood!.:41
paciortion to the increase of spinning were produce',
*Ad the weavers torowegittliten for noelsisg, the mann,
'faettsrerr would be no better off than they are it pre
sent : inasmuch as we have full proof that the fo- '
reign OtarliStOinnot take beyond a certain quantity,
let the price be what it may. .
" It may be fairly presumed, that not more than
nine-tenths of the goods exported in the last ten years
have been, or ever will be, paid for ! indeed some
men of extensive information have supposed that
more than one-fifth or one-sixth remains unpaid at
the present moment!!!
" That these evils are attributable to the British
Qovernment, I cannot admit. It is the spirit of over-
trading which has grown upon us, and which calls
'loudly for reformation. But as long as the supine
indiffetence of the middle orders of society exist, and
the easy overlooking capitalists turn a deaf ear to
their. Ikea interests, and the good of a well-disposed
~
..: . • , no better state of things can be hoped for
the - anufacturing, Districts.
41 , •
elAthidle orders of society ought, in all cases
• local &stress, to search the causes, circumstances,
• ~ nc, and influence of such distress, to the very
. , aml to bee well to it, that every thing that
Can be done ta.give relief in such cases is promptly
and . judiciously attended to and .if legislative
enactment be necessary for the accomplishment of
such desirable objects, should solicit such assht-
ance without delay ; and if such modes of procedure
Stine acted upon, the best possible security of this
realm would be fully insured.
', I am confident that 20 hand•loom manufacturers
formed into a Committee, with their heads and hearts
intent en doing good, would be of more real benefit
to these districts than all the ilftelel tribe of itinerant
Reformers in the Kingdom. Such arrangements I
presume might be entered into, and sush measures
adopted, as would show to the world that £60,000
per week might as well be added to the income of
those employed, and supported by cotton weaving, as'
60 pence I !
~ What a relief to ley-payers! What a relief to
shopkeepers of various descriptions ! What a relief
to thousands of various artisans.—But more pleasing
than all, what a relief to suffering humanity !!
" A MANUFACTURER."

We shall return to this subject. In the mean time
we entreat eur fellow-labourers at the Periodical
Press to give us their hearty co-operation in endea-
vouring to disseminate right views on these most
important topics.

THE DISTURBED. DISTRICTS.

WEAVRRS UNION.

Saturday last, a Meeting, consisting of about SOO
persons, principally,of the labouring classes, was held
at Dewsbury, for the purpose of strengthening and
explaining the nature of the Weavers' Union.
JAMES HINESON explained, that the object of this
Society was to better the condition of the workmen,
by enabling them to acquire a higher remuneration

for their labour, to prevent undue advantage from
being taken of them, by fixing a regular rate of
wages, and to diminish the quantity of labour, and
thereby to give to all a fair and equitable share, with-
out overstocking the market. These benefits, he said,
were not to be secured without a struggle ; but with
firmness and moderation they would succeed, in spite
of all the opposition of their overgrown tyrants.
GEORGE HonosoN enlarged upon several of the
topics insisted upon by the
,preceding speaker. He
conceived that the interests of the employer and the
employed were the same. He contended that no ad-
vantage had arisen from reducing wages, either to
the master or to the men. The oppressor indeed
might be benefited, while the man of feeling was in-
jured by such a measure. This was strongly exem.
plified in the fact, that some men, owing to their want
of bowels of compassion, had so screwed down their
workmen, that they were making goods at half the
.price of their. neighbours. Owing to this cause, the
working classes were unable to live by the sweat of
their brow. The price of labour was at present no-
toriously unequal, and a standard, which might serve
as a criterion, was indispensable. Low wages, he said,

injured the trade, by glutting the markets, and
caused the labourer and the produce of his labour to
be equally despised. One of the causes of the present
complaints was the intrusion of upstart masters—men'
who had no legal right to the trade, who were un-
acquainted with its operations, and were the first to
diminish the value of that labour which they did not
know how to estimate. In conclusion, he recapitu-
lated the objections made against the Weavers!
Union, and urged the answers contained in the Dews-
bury Address.
Mr. WILLA/4 wished the Meeting not to be alarm-
ed if he said a few words upon politics, which they
so much deprecated. Their present distress might be
justly attributed to the political state of the country.
Cheap goods could not be manufactured with dear
provisions and high taxes, and the Wool Bill would

not lessen the evil. Our Merchants and Manufac-
tureri could not, from the pressure uncler which their
[ trade labours, cenvete with Foreigners, *without re-
ducing wages : this was the true cause of the evil,
and not any oppressive disposition of the employers.
The increasing burdens of taxation compelled them

to look about for relief ; and that relief they o,4;red
at the workman's expense. If they obtained their
birth-right, the eiils of which they comp', naed
would cease.

These observations agitated the Meeting "i: er.
pressions of disapprobation and applause; a:ILi
Hi:mow having observed, that neither that Meetirs
nor the Weavers' Union had any thing to do
ui
politics, the assembly dispersed.

A little while after the Meeting hid proceedti to
business, a violent thunder-storm came on, whidi
forced the persons present to seek for shelter inert?,
direction. After an interval of about an hoar, the),
re-assembled and proceeded with the bushiessgithe
meeting. About seven o'clock the whale broke,
with perfect tranquillity and good ordLr.

T,ci.yhthtthaecloiantn:eldpitt.ihr:iteireed2tir fee
,k
. yes
d,.
!eting %so, er.
ause; arai :,;r. .
,r
e;
ng to do ,i 1
c
r
i proteedei to
6 c
me on, which
At(
shelter in ereq, 1
an hoar, rl,
-
busiliew of the
no
whale broke,
..l
IX.
I V,
ce
owners) ~r ti.e
It
chiefly ).,lound,
tttended by the II
31asgow, as tt.
m
rho are proprie. es
to the promise ii
;, at the Croval
•ei
as resoived that
ta
attire sl:-.'id be Ael
ited for tlie per, o
tomediate effect, to
of affording in. 0
! Weavers them. tie
exist, to another
"os
give such reef
td that a vols.
1 1
mmediately. A al
•esent undertook J
.1,.:
eputat:on free w
Loan Psovosv
an
commtuficattl
the DepuLuitio
mmense body of
e
he result. The
e
he most enthu• i
e Meeting being s ::
its humane co:.
01.1
the most rapt:.
e
spersed. y
eavers and some i„t
k, soup-kitcheas lv(
to relief of such Th
This will be the ',... i
ome meal once a l'.
s who may sta:l 41::
.•e
all
Sheriff of ce
..)
Card, have is,lea
Teem it 7',,..;!..t ;,, i
" that sincet! i
m of many eil:t
-, they are use!,
e
eviate these
of
)se inhabitantsis
ski
co are actually'[
ile they are thz as
111
are of the um
s, hereby declare t
ntain the public
Ofi
iot, and attempts
ce
es to employ A
, I
laced by the hi
.l
-
'hereas numrocs
led in the Greet
ugh the stress of a
the public peace; J
i farther intimate, in
.mblages and pro. au
necessary for de ger
eel situation of ire or
,dipstresATE:::l;*
contrary to lair ar,
at
lic
Veavers of ILin4 c-y
r the Church, it id
t mode of alien :- i
in. A Commies ies
ndividuals of esi kp
111
Tuesday, to ea'
• 'nu
After taking* ',ii
was recommesioi
x
rs should be rael q„,
,Ii
ng that they sys:;--
es for their ;:to
.xr
fined, that cl::1 ae
I, 1
4,99 are r.ow•o''
`:s,
:RS. ' e
av,
. o
that we ha" °6., h
oTth'Eeß ha,
isong the no, , t(
the weaving to° e
Kilwinning, i';:" H
is
reat many l'-
. I believe, ho' ny
o
unavoidably -. • fi
era'
0 than in T'li ris
ch the natio xel
Us
' I
HI
w
ast shift for 4 ' " I 1 1
rDr CSI 1
week.
iskialsfl'oriloo.go:faltiO,