The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-09-12 00:00:00

THE LIVET-000i, STANDARD.

TUESDAY

MORNING, SEPT. 12, 1843

We deplored, at the time, the weakness of the
government displayed in the abandonment of the
Factory and Education Bill ; and we have now be-
fore us documents—(Reports of the Inspectors of
Factories to the Home Secretary for the half year
ending June, 1843)—which are far from being cal-
culated to dissipate that regret. 'We propose here
giving a few extracts from these reports, which are
not only corroboratory of our views, and the origi-
nally expressed views of government, but present to
us a picture of the inefficacy of the present system,
to ensure, for the children of our factory popula-
tion, either education or protection from inordinate
toil, which, intimately acquainted as we are with the
factory districts, we could scarcely have believed to
have had existence. And first, with respect to the
inefficiency of the protection against inordinate toil
at present afforded by Sir John Hohhouse's act.

In a report by Mr. Horner, dated the 6th of

April, 1843, we find it stated that although he had
found, in a certain cotton manufacturing district,
"a fair observance of the chief enactments of the
law," yet " too many inst ,nces have occurred of the

violation or neglect of other important provisions,"
which the hill of Sir James Graham, withdrawn at
the dictation of dissenting agitation, would, in the
opinion of the inspector, have prevented. Amongst
these were the practice of working children for more
than twelve hours a day ; employing children with-
out certificates of age ; making false entries in the

registries; employing children without requiring
them to attend school; granting false certificates of
attendance, and other similar breaches of the letter
or the spirit of the act, for the detection of which

•sxistin a po

ers of the inspectors are not suffi-

Another destructive practice noticed was the

employment of children in cleaning self-acting mules
)ermitted or not repressed by the
•he discontinuance of which was

whilst in motion, 1

existing law, bu
provided

by the bill of Sir James Graham. A
case is mentioned in which a child so employed was
killed on the 4th January last; and, in explanation
of the danger of the practice, the Inspector remarks
that the self-actor ' puts up' with great force and
rapidity, and there is no check to it as in the case
of the hand mule ; so that without the greatest ac-
tivity and watchfulness of the children they are every
minute liable to be crushed" (1) And this dreadful
perillir.7, of human life is tolerated, because the
avarice of liberalism preaches the doctrine that a
government must not interfere with "the freedom
of the labour market" —the immunity of the manu-

as little or

chinery

to treat his living automata with

ss consideration than he treats his ma-

But the most striking facts are those furnished by
Mr. Horner, with respect to the deficiency of the
educational regulations provided for by the existing
act. WI iting upon this subject, Mr. Horner gives
us the educational statistics of the children employed
by 591 firms in the manufacturing districts of the
North of England, which we shall briefly state for
the consideration of our readers.

The number of children employed by these 591
3,155 attended schools
established in the factories themselves (of the cha-
- shall speak by and bye); 2,689
lots, which are described to be
small assemblages of children in cottages, brought

Of these

racter of which we shall

ttended private schools

together by indigent old men or old women, who
nominally keep a school, they being incapable of
earning a livelihood in any other way, but without
any qualification for teaching." 596 attended na-
tional schools in connexion with the Established

Church, but not schools of the national society

attended public Wesleyan schools, and 39 (!) at-
tended pul

But with res

Roman Catholic schools

'ct to the character of these schools

we must be more definite in our description, and,
therefore, turn to the report itself. Speaking on this
subject Mr. Horner remarks—

" Of the 117 factory schools, 16 are good, attended by
about 860 children, or about 27 per cent. of those edu-
cated in such schools. These are other factory schools,
and some of the private schools, in which some little in-
struction is i

arted ; but in the majority of both there
is a mere nominal compliance with the law, and it is an
entire misapplication of the term to call such places

SCHOOL

put a stop to this

believe I am unders

Mrs have no power to interfere to

reditable mockery of education. I
tiny the case to a considerable ex-

tent when I say that of these 6,872 children, for whom
certificates of school attendance are obtained, 4,500 are

getting NO EDUC

TION WHATEVER AT THESE SCHOOLS

Nor is the privation of instruction the only evil; these
children pay a school fee, for which they get no value in
return. If we reckon the fee to be, on an average, 2d. a
week for 48 weeks in the year, we have Bs. a year for each
child, so that £lBOO a year is paid by the parents without
: whereas this sum might in well conducted
4500 children a very good edu-

value reeelveu

.hools procure for these

Such is that system of education in behalf of
which dissent and liberalism have struggled so
fiercely. It is in truth a "mockery of education ;"
and it is also an infamous robbery of our working
poor, carried on with the connivance of some of
tiros very patriotic people who have protested so
oudly against a change. The manufacturing body

/Just be aware of the incapacity of nine out of ten of
the masters themselves, who pretend to teach these
children ; and they must be and are aware that'
however competent the masters, so long as the chil-
dren to be taught are compelled to work for eight
hours a day, and to snatch the two hours devoted
to instruction at any chance opportunity which
offers, such education must be, what it is now, per-
fectly useless, if it is not even worse than useless !
Asa proof of the incompetency of the teachers, and
a curiosity as well, we give from the reports before
us a few of the certificates which are weekly given
to entitle children to be employed. The first is
from a factory school, and is as follows :

" I do hereby cerfy that my scholors have attend
2 hours eery day during the last week.

Bray 2 1943"

The next specimens are from private or dame

schools—

"He do her testify that tese children Have tended
this school too Hours during Last Whek.

May 2 1243"
In all these cases the names of the children for
whom the certificates are granted are ludicrously ill
spelt.

Another runs—
" These cheldren have atended My school 2 howers
every day Last week.
May th 1843"
And another—
" This is to certify that these children attends re-
gular the School six days a week two hours aday.
May the 2 1843."

The competency of such instructors need not be
dilated upon.

Our attention has been called to a placard which
has just been issued by the body calling itself the
" Anti-Monopoly Association" of this town, of
which the following is a copy :

" A LAW WHICH CAUSES THE DESTRUCTION OF
HUMAN FOOD CAN NIEET WITH DEFENDERS
AMONG NO CLASS OF MEN IF THEY WILL GIVE

THE SUBJECT ONE MOMENT'S CANDID CONS'.

DERATION

A Sample of GOOD BUTTER, 396 CASKS, Imported
last Month by the AMERICAN SHIP " EUROPE," from
NEW YORK, has been brought to the office of the ANTI-
MONOPOLY ASSOCIATION, 7, Water-St.

The Duty on Foreign Buller is so exorbitant,
21d. per lb.
that these
396 CASKS OF BUTTER
WILL RE MIXED WITH TAR!

AS MAY BE OFTEN SEEN ON THE DOCK QUAYS
for the purpose of
MAKING IT UNFIT FOR FOOD.

When thus spoiled it will be allowed for use as GREASE
for CART WHEELS, &C. at the LOW DUTY Of ONE
FARTHING per lb."

We need not, of course, say one word with
respect to the object of this disgraceful publication—
for disgraceful it is in every sense of the word. Its
object is to inflame the popular mind ; and in the
pursuit of this object, its authors have not scrupled
to pervert facts, and to mingle absolute mendacity
with their ignorance, to an extent which one would
imagine that men of honourable character and re-
spectable station would be ashamed to contemplate.
For what, let us ask, would be the first impression
which a perusal of the document is calculated to
create ?

Manifestly this, that the importation in
question was made with a view to its entry for con-
sumption in the British market ; and that nothing
interfered with the profitable result of the transac-
tion except the "exorbitant high duty" of 21d. per
lb. But was such the case ? We venture greatly
to doubt whether this " good butter" was anything,
after all, but the "grease butter" which is a regular
article of exportation to this and other countries
from the United States. It was not imported here
for consumption as an article of food, for the very
simple reason that no man of common sense, and

with his eyes open, could possibly dream of enter-
ing into a speculation at present so hopeless.

An appeal to facts and figures will sufficiently
prove this position. The price of American "grease
butter" in bond is at present 355. per-cwt. The price
of " Old" Irish—a better article than the American
—is only 40s. Without a duty at all, therefore,
and allowing the American to be (what it is not) fit
for human consumption, there could be very little
profitable importation. The price of " new Irish"
butter, in firkins, is at present 565. to 68s. per cwt.
The corresponding quality, viz. in tubs and pails, in
New York market, by the last advices, is 121 to 15
cents per lb., or 58s. 4d. to 70s. per cwt ! The
price of good butter in New York is therefore just
2s. per cwt. greater than in Liverpool; and yet these
anti-monopoly people can deliberately tell us that it

is only our " exorbitantly high duty" which prevents

the working classes of this country enjoying the
cheap () butter of the United States I

The fact is, that at the present rates it is only the
high duty of 5 cents, or nearly 3d. per lb., levied
under the tariff of the United States, which
prevents our becoming exporters of butter to Ame-
rica ! The " prime dairies" of the United States
would, in case of an open trade on the part of that
country, be superseded in part by the best qualities
of our Irish. It does not, however, suit the object
of the anti-morropoly gentlemen to allow this fact to
be known, lest agitation should become an un-
profitable game.

But we are told that the 396 kegs in question are
to be spoiled, and afterwards used " as grease for
cart-wheels." Now with respect to this " spoiling,"
we must confess that we do not contemplate the
process with any great favour. It has been found
necessary, however, we imagine, to keep importers
honest, by rendering it impossible for them to pass
as grease what in reality is butter. It is quite pos-
sible that some less objectionable plan might be hit

upon. In the meantime, however, we console our-
selves with the reflection that it is not " human
food" which is thus " tarred" and " spoilt," hut
rubbish, which some very "liberal" and enlightened
gentlemen, who are fond of reducing the people to
" a coarser kind of food," might otherwise be
tempted to dispose of as such ! We may remark,
by the way, that neither such butter nor " grease"
can be used for cart-wheels, as indeed any one less
wooden than a cart-wheel might easily discover.
We may add a word to our contemporary, the
Mercury, who has perpetrated a paragraph upon the
alleged enormity of this transaction. Our contem-
porary says that he has tasted the butter, and that,
although a little salted, it is "in other respects equal
to our own butter at is. a lb." Now this is surely
going too far; for if the article is worth Is. a lb.,
the importer could make the very handsome profit of
nearly sixpence per lb. by paying the duty upon it,
instead of having it spoiled as grease. But your
thick-and-thin advocate, who is not overburthened
with information upon the subjects which occupy
his pen, is apt thus to blunder.

The Council proceedings of Wednesday last
afford us little material for comment. To one or
two points, however, which they suggest, we may be
permitted to direct a few passing observations. And
first, with respect to the proceedings of the Finance
Committee.

It does really strike us—and the conviction is
forcing itself elsewhere—that this Committee takes
upon itself a little too much. An observer of its
doings would imagine that the Council itself was a
merely subsidiary body, called together once a
month for the sole purpose of recording their ap-
proval of the acts of the Finance Committee, and
enabling a few talkative members to let off spirts of
oratory addressed to the reporters. The committee
is every thing—head, hands, spirit, and body of the
municipal machine—whilst the Council itself is a
mere shadow, inoperative alike to do and to design
for the common weal. The committee can decree
an expenditure of thousands, or determine upon the
sale of one-half of the Corporation property, and a
simple "Sic rolo, sic juheo, slat pro ratione volun-
tas," conveyed in a bland speech, is all the expla-
nation which it deems necessary to make, and all
the deference which it chooses to pay to the body,
of which it is, or ought to be, only an important
member.

The proceedings before us afford ample proof that
this kind of assumption may he carried so far as, at
length, to excite alarm and opposition. The Finance
Committee report, first, that the tobacco warehouse
be converted, at an expense of some two to three
thousand pounds, into a depot for saltpetre and
nitrate of soda, and propose that their report be at
once received and confirmed. But the Council
thinks it might have been consulted upon the mat-
ter; that the Cnairman of the Finance Committee,
however estimable and clever, may not be infallible ;
and that the plans of the committee may not be the
best which are attainable. With all due deference
to the wisdom of the Finance Committee the Coun-
cil is right ; and if Mr. Lawrence had reflected for
a moment he need not have had to confess that "he
must how to Mr. Evans, as he generally had to do in
all things." Men who feel themselves right, and
have well considered their position and projects,
ought not to be under the necessity of bowing to
any body.

The same observations may apply to the projected
disposal of a portion of the Wallasey property, with
respect to which the Chairman of the Finance Com-
mittee had to " bow" again. A measure, involving
questions of such magnitude as those involved in
the sale of the Cheshi e estate, ought to be well
considered and publicly discussed, not only that the
entire body of the Council may have an opportunity
of expressing a matured opinion respecting it, but
that the community should be enabled to learn, before
it is too late, the projects and doings of their repre-
sentatives.

We make these remarks with no ill-feeling to-
wards the members of the committee themselves, or
any of them, and with no reference to the good or
evil policy of the plans recommended. Our object
is only to protest against a habit, which appears to
us to be growing, of transacting all the most im-
portant business of the public in committee, and,
of course, with closed doors, leaving to the Council
only the opportunity, which is seldom embraced, of
reviewing such committee's decision.

MUNICIPAL ELECTION.—In our remarks last
week, upon the coming Municipal Election, we
were in error in stating that eleven Conservatives
and five Radicals retired in November. The num-
bers should have been twelve and four ; and this
even strengthens our opinion then expressed, with
respect to the necessity of prompt and vigorous ex-
ertion amongst the Conservative party. The follow-
ing are the names of the retiring members
Everton
Scotland W. Whig.
Vauxhall H. Copeland .... Conservative.
St. Paul's . . . . Blundell . .... Conservative.
Exchange....... 5and5........ Conservative.
Castle-street James Aiken ... . Whig-.
St. Peter's . . . J. Priestley Whig.
Pitt-street . .T. Toulmin .. . Conserrative.
Great George's . J. Cooper
Rodney-street.. W. Birkett .. .
Abercrornby . . J. Procter
Lime-street . . . J. Kilshaw Conservative.
St. Ann-street .T. Brassey .
West Derby . .G. H. Lawrence
South Toxteth . J. Platt .
North Toxteth It. Harbord .

WILLIAM BROWN, ESQ., AND THE ANTI-
MONOPOLY PEOPLE.-After a considerable quan-
tity of coaxing and wheedling on the part of this
association, we find that the late member for Ever-
ton Ward, William Brown, Esq., has accepted the
office of its vice-president, and, better still, contri-
buted the sum of f5O " to aid and assist" in the
spread of free-trade opinions. Whilst doing this,
however, Mr. Brown has taken the opportunity of
giving the gentlemen and others composing the as-
sociation a fillip or two which ought to be useful
to them. They are not, he says, "to upbraid the
present or any other administration with the injus-
tice of these anti-monopoly laws." They are not to
" impugn the motives" of those who differ from
them. They are to discuss the question or ques-
tions at issue " without saying a harsh word of any
one," and to beware of " over zeal," and " warmth
of expression,"—and he might have added false-
hoods,—which " injure their cause." We rather
fear the association has scarcely intellect enough
and modesty enough to receive, as it ought to be
received, their new vice-president's rebuke. Empty
vessels make the greatest noise ; and men who have
the smallest quantity of argument to urge, are ever
the most ready to resort to the course which Mr.
Brown deprecates so forcibly.

AMERICAN FREIGHTS.—We recently mentioned the
improvement which had begun to be visible in the freights
by the American ships ; and we are glad to say, that this
token of increasing commerce with the United States has
not diminished. In proof of this it may be stated, that
the New York packet-ship Montezuma sailed on Wed-
nesday, taking freight amounting to upwards of £737. She
has also 15 cabin passengers, and 139 in the steerage.
THE-MURDER OF MR. 8188 Y.—A rumour was very
generally circulated on Saturday that John Anderson, who
was convicted at the assizes for having knowingly become
possessed of the notes stolen at the Preston Guild, had
declared since his conviction that if any hope of a commu-
tation of his punishment of transportation for the term of
14 years were held out to him, he would give a clue to the
murderer of the late Mr. Bibby. The report, however,
wants confirmation.

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS.—As everything re-
lating to the harvest is at the present time peculiarly in-
teresting, we have obtained, from a gentleman prac-
tically versed in agricultural matters, some informa-
tion which we lay before our readers. Our inform-
ant has just returned from a rural ride through Stafford-
shire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, and other midland coun-
ties, and also this county and Cheshire. The weather in
these districts, as well as, it may be said, throughout the
kingdom, has, for the last fortnight, been most propitious
for the maturing and gathering of the corn crops. In
Shropshire nearly all is already got in ; and in the midland
counties generally above three-fourths. In Lancashire
above one-half, and in Cheshire rather more was secured
by Saturday last. The crops are considered everywhere
above an average, particularly the wheat. The quality,
too is good ; for though this result was for some time
doubtful, the whole improved rapidly during the last three
weeks. We congratulate our readers on this prospect,
or rather assurance of abundance. In the southern
corn counties, as might be expected from the favour-
able state of the northern, the grain has all been got
in in good order; and, notwithstanding the present low
prices, some of the farmers, apprehensive of a further
fall, have had their wheat thrashed in the field, and hurried
it to market to secure the present currency, perhaps
wisely considering that " a bird in the hand is worth two
in the bush." Even in the more sheltered and produc-
tive parts of Scotland and Wales the harvest is in rapid
progress. The other field crops are going on well, in_
eluding turnips and potatoes. At one time the turnips
were considered almost a failure from the badness of the
weather, and the ravages of the fly ; but the late sown
crops have turned out well. There is, in fine, a general
and great improvement in field products ; and as the
abundance of roots and other articles has an effect on the
value of wheat, it is not improbable that when that article
comes largely into the market a considerable further re-
duction in price will have to be submitted to.

THE HON. EAST INDIA COMPANY'S IRON STEAMER
" LOODIIIANA."—having, a few days ago, seen in our
river a most uncommon looking steam vessel, with two
chimneys, and very much resembling a huge Indian canoe,
we have made some inquiries about her, and have ascer-
tained the following particulars :—She was built by Mr.
Laird, of North Birkenhead, for the Hon. East India
Company, and is intended for the navigation of the Indian
rivers. Her length is 160 feet, and her beam 21 feet.
She has a pair of 45-horse engines, by George Forrester
and Co. ; and such is her length, width, and flatness,
that her draft of water—with her engines, coal, and
all stores on board will be only 1 foot 101 inches !
Her speed by log has been found to be 111- knots
an hour, beating every ferry boat on the river Hollow.
With two loaded flats at her tail, she went through it at
from 9to 91 knots. The Chairman, Deputy Chairman,
and several of the Directors of the East India Company
camc from London, especially to try her powers of speed,
steaming, and steering, on Thursday last ; and after a
trip to Rnacorn and back and a run to the Rock Light-
house, they went ashore, it is reported, expressing them-
selves highly satisfied with her performances in all points.
Her steering and turningare most remarkable. Whengoing
straight, she scarcely requires the helm to be moved ; and
she will turn in her own length. She is entirely on a new
construction, unlike anything that has yet been built;
and, from her success, will probably give rise to a new era
in the shape of river craft, and lead to important improve-
ments and practical discoveries in what may be termed
surface-sailing. She has a rudder at her bow as well as
aft. The engines will be taken out, and the hull separated
in pieces, so that she may be sent to India by ship. Her
extraordinary appearance has excited much curiosity here ;
and amongst some of our old seamen not a little good hu-
moured remark ; but when they have seen her running at
full speed, they have confessed that though " a rum one
to look at, she is a good one to go." Should she be again
tried before being taken to pieces, we will give a more
minute account of her.

NON-ARRIVAL OF THE INDIAN MAIL,

Considerable anxiety begins to be felt amongst the
mercantile community, and others interested, in conse-
quence of the non-arrival of what is called the `• over-
land" mail from India, via Egypt, which has been due for
about a week ; and as great regularity has hitherto cha-
racterised the conveyances employed, the long delay on
this occasion, which is ascertained to have arisen on the
voyage between Bomboy and Suez, has given rise to some
apprehensions for the safety of the vessel then on the sta-
tion. We are glad, therefore, to have it in our power to
allay, to a considerable extent at least, those apprehen-
sions, from some information relative to the nature of the
navigation of the Arabian Sea, which we gathered on Fri-
day last at this port, from the conversation of some gen-
tlemen conversant wifh the subject, and among whom
were several of the Directors of the Hon. East India
Company, including their respected and talented chair-
man.

It appears that the monsoons, or periodical south-west
winds, blow with great violence over the Indian Ocean
during six successive months of the year, (beginning in
April,) frequently causing a sea as heavy as that in the
Atlantic during a " north-wester." During their con-
tinuance it has been customary for steamers coming
from Bombay to Suez, in order to make easier held
against these winds to make a long tack to the south-
ward where the monsoons are light, (in the place of
stretching right across the Arabian Sea) ; then to cross
westwardly, towards the African coast ; and, finally, to
proceed northward to Eden. at the bottom of the Red
Sea. This course, though circuitous, was considered the
surest for steamers that were until recently on the station,
and which were not of very large burthen or power. Two
or three attempts were made some time ago by steamers
to cross direct to Eden in the face of the monsoon ; but
they failed—one of them (the Simwamis, if we mistake
not) from her fuel becoming exhausted, and another from
some casualty to her machinery,—in either of which cases
there was no alternative but to up helm and run back
before the wind. Now, it is known that a new and more
powerful steam-ship than those hitherto employed lately
arrived at Bombay—the steam-frigate Memnon, of the
same s7ze and power as our Halifax and Boston mail
ships—namely, 1,200 tons burthen, with 400 horse-power
engines. Accounts have been received that this was the
vessel appointed to bring the mails, now due, from Bom-
bay; and that the commander had expressed his confi-
dence in her capability to make the passage to Eden
by a direct course against the head winds, and his
determination to attempt it. That he did so appears,
therefore, to be highly probable ; and that he failed
f.om one or other of the causes that balked his prede-
cessors in the same adventure, is erually so. But a
breakage in the engine-room, or a want of fuel would by
no means involve the safety of those on hoard ; and we
strongly conjecture, that after getting well over to the
Affrican shore, he found from one or other of the causes
named, or a combination of both, that he had no resourse
but to return. Even if he had reached within 20 miles of
Aden, or anv other point in Affrica, that necessity would
have been the same, as he could find no steam-tug to assist
him to port in the lonely expense of the Indian Ocean.
There would be nothing for it but to set sail and return to
the Hindostan side. And, as the distance is great, and
he would himself carry the news of his misfortune, the
probability is that we shall have no mail until the next he
due. We find the view we have taken of the matter is
adopted to a considerable extent by a Manchester con-
temporary, who states that he also derived his informa-
tion from individuals connected with India.

In consequence of the non .arrival of the Memnon at
Suez, or even at Aden, the Lady Mary Wood left Alex-
andria on the 29th ult. for England, with no letter and
only one passenger.