The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-05-26 00:00:00

LABOUR

The Guardian says that the manufacturing body
" have long been aware that foreign manufacturers
are rapidly acquiring the same advantages of capital
and machinery which they themselves possess ; and
with the further advantage of food at half price, the
foreigners must eventually beat them out of every
market." Well, we do not make cotton goods, or
hardware, of bread, hut from raw material and labour.
How will it benefit the manufacturer, therefore, to
have food at the same price as the foreigner? Why,
only inasmuch as it enables him to get his labour at
the same price ! " The conclusion," as the Guardian
remarks, " possesses all the certainty of a mathematical
demonstration" !

But this " conclusion," the Guardian says, " and
the arguments upon which it is founded, have been
again and again thrust in the faces of the advocates of
the Corn-laws ;" and, we may add, as repeatedly with-
drawn from the contemplation of the working classes.
Our contemporary says that we will " shrink from
discussing it"—or them. We have no need so to
shrink. We find our contemporary admitting quite
as much as we require to have proved : viz. that
CHEAP BREAD means CHEAP LABOUR.
We might indeed enter into an examination of the
special pleading by which the Guardian seeks to mys-
tify the meaning of his admission. We might enter,
at his suggestion, into a discussion as to the term
" price of labour," which " is not to he estimated by
the number of pence or shillings that a man receives
in the shape of wages, but by the amount of the neces-
saries of life that those pence or shillings will purchase"
—(what amateur Leaguer has the Guardian permitted
to pen this inelegant and ungrammatical piece of
jesuitry 2) We shall not, however, allow the Guardian
to drag us from the common sense interpretation of
language, into politico-economical subtleties. Our
contemporary's own explanation of the term " price of
labour" is sufficient for us to argue from. The benefit
to the working man from cheap bread is to be nothing
If his money wages now will buy him a certain num-
ber of quartern loaves, he is to have no more bread for
his labour when the commodity is cheapened by a re-
peal of the corn-law, for " the price of labour is to he
estimated by the amount of the necessaries of life
which a certain amount of pence or shillings will pur-
chase," or, in other words, the money rate is to be re-
duced in proportion to the price of bread!
It is not unusual for the Guardian to be found, at
the conclusion of an article, cutting from under his
feet the arguments, or repudiating the philosophy, with
which he set out. Thus we find him, at the com-
mencement of the present, arguing that because the
foreign manufacturer had his food at half the price of
the English manufacturer, he could drive us out of
every neutral market. At the conclusion of the same
article we find him enlarging triumphantly upon the
fact that with cheap bread the price of labour was in-
creasing. It will not do here to put us off with any
special pleading about the meaning of the price of
labour. The working classes are getting now increased
wages and an increased quantity of food both ! Hence,
the mere fact of having cheap bread will not enable
the British manufacturer to compete the better with
the foreigner, unless, with that cheap bread, can be
produced, as well, a pressure upon the labour market.
We thank our contemporary for his admissions ; and
love him most when, an in this instance, he speaks out,
however unintentionally.

We have read, with infinite satisfaction, an article
which appears in the Jamaica Standard of April 15th,
in which the policy to be pursued by the planting body
is thus laid down :
" We have only," observes our contemporary, " to impress
upon our planting friends the necessity of carrying out those
measures of strict economy and improvement in their agri-
cultural and mechanical operations which we have from time
to time brought before their attention, for however strong
may be the inclination of the British government to uphold
the free labour interests of these colonies, still it is not im-
possible that some modification of the foreign duty may be
admitted in the next Brazilian treaty, contingent upon the
pledge of that state to ameliorate the condition of slavery.
Under which circumstances, or rather any other which may
transpire, it is perfectly evident that our planters should lose
no opportunity of economising and otherwise protecting
their establishments in every possible manner."

This is the language of manly foresight, worthy of
an honourable man to give, and of sensible men to
listen to. We have always maintained that it was the
duty of our colonial brethren to prepare for such a
crisis as that contemplated by our contemporary ; and
maintained at the same time that, by the aid of that
supply of free labourers so flagutiously withheld: from
them by the canting enemies of British West Indies,
they would triumphantly overcome the emergency in
which they would for a time be placed. If this boon
had been conceded to long ago, the British colonies
would, ere this, have been enabled to supply us abun-
dantly with their products, at remunerating prices, and
yet at a great reduction upon those which we have
hitherto been paying. And if a temporary discou-
ragement is given to their prosperity by the admission,
into British ports, of Brazilian, or other sugar and
coffee, the emancipated negro population, who, in
the present state of society in those colonies, must suf-
fer along with their white population, may lay their
sufferings to the door of those professed friends of the
African race, whose peculiar notions of philanthropy
are just now exhibited in their clamour for the admis-
sion, into the British market, of the slave produce of
other nations !

LOCAL. NEWS.

A new Orange lodge was opened in this town last night,
at which there was a very numerous attendance.

RUNCORN.—The leading gentlemen of this populous town
are about establishing a Mechanic's Institution.
ST. DAVID'iI CHURCH.—We understand that the Rev. B
Morgan, the new incumbent of St. David's Church in this
town, will " read himself in" on Sunday next, at eleven
o'clock in the morning; and at half-past six o'clock in the
evening he will perform the full service in the Velsh
language.

Among the presentations at the Levee held on Wednesday
by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, as locum tenet* of her
Majesty, we observe the name of William Garnett, Esq.,
high sheriff of this county, who was introduced by Lord
Granville Somerset.

THE LATE ArTRAT MANCHESTER.—Fourteen persona
who had been engaged in the late alarming outrage on the
brick-fields near Manchester, last week, and who hare been
committed to Kirkdale for trial at the next assizes, arrived
here from Manchester by the railway on Wednesday morning.
-

The DOCKS.—Owing to the long continuance of winds
from the eastward, having varied from S.E. to N.E. for the
last three weeks, our docks are now getting thin of ships;
but should the wind change to the westward, from the great
number of vessels due from the Southern States of America
as well as other ports, we may expect them speedily crowded.
Loss OF THE " VIRGINIA PACKET."—The Virginia
Packet, which sailed from this port for Boston on the 9th
instant, was abandoned on the 16th, near Kinsale, in a leaky
state. She was afterwards driven into Clonakilty Bay, and
went to pieces. The crew were taken on board a schooner
called the Jane. The Cork Constitution publishes many
particulars as to the loss of this vessel, but they are incorrect
in many respects.

THE CORN LAWS.—We understand that upwards of 4,000
quarters of foreign corn have paid duty at our Custom-house
during the last fortnight, at the rate of 20s. per quarter.
This is the highest duty payable under the pew act, and only
comes into force when the price of British grain is down to
51s. per quarter. if foreigners can afford to pay 20s. per
quarter duty, and still bring their produce into competition
with British corn at 515., it is, we think, a convincing proof
that the reduction ha the scale of protection has gone quite
far enough.

IMPROVEMENTS II LIVERPOOL—The following public
buildings are now either in progress or will be proceeded
with immediately in this town. Some of them are on a very
extensive and magnificent scale. The Assize Courts—the
new Gaol—the Market in Gill-street--the new Workhouse
Schools at Kirkdale—the new Church in Catherine-street—
a new Baptist Chapel in Hope-street, (this is in our opinion
the neatet place of worship of which the dissenters can boast
in this town) and the new dock works with the extensive
pile of warehouses to surround them. Several erections of
great magnitude have just been completed.
. . . .

ST. PETER'S SCOTCH CHURCH.—We have already given
our opinion of the architecture of this building, which is situ-
ate in Scotland-road. The church was opened on Sunday
last, when three eloquent sermons suitable to the occasion
were preached. In the morning the church was crowded to
excess. The arrangements for ventilating and heating the
school-rooms under the church are admirably contrived, and
the provision for the intellectual work is the school is, we
undtratand, first-rate. The instructors are to be trainers
as well as teachers. The former term, though not much
flown in England, impli•ol an important and essentinl die;
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