The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-08-23 00:00:00

THOUGHTS ON THE CAUSES or THE ALARMING
CRISIS IN THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Fasque-by-Fittercairn, Kincardineshire,
August 15.
Stu,—The session of Parliament is now closed ; among
the many important measures and general proceedings that
have distinguished its course, none appear to me to call more
for notice or remark than the conduct of those members of
the House of Commons who are either concerned in, or other-
wise connected with, the cotton manufactures of the country,
which alone form at least a moiety of the whole ; my atten-
tion has been more particularly called to what is stated to
have fallen from Mr. M. Philips and Mr. Cobden on the last
day of the session ; these gentlemen complain bitterly that
nothing to satisfy them has been done by Parliament to dimi-
nish or relieve the distress now prevailing among the working
classes in those districts, and impute great blame to the
Government for their presumed neglect.
I venture to think that it must be evident to every reflect-
ing person at all acquainted with the subject, and aware of
the causes that have produced the present distress, that, com-
paratively speaking, little could be done by the Government
for its immediate prevention or relief, that all within their
power has beon effected, which, although, from its nature, no
direct material or immediate relief could be expected to fol-
low, yet the liberal and judicious measures they have adopted
afford a reasonable prospect of gradual and permanent im-
provement in the state and comforts of those, and of all other
classes. In my humble opinion more is not at present in
their power, whilst I feel convinced that the reckless measures
pressed upon them by their Radical opponents, whose objects
and motives I do not mean to discuss, and particularly the
total repeal of the corn laws, would only tend to hazard con-
summating the rain of the country, by discouraging and seri-
only diminishing home production, by depressing and inflict-
ing further injury on the great agricultural body, after all,
the most important customers of the cotton manufacturers,
by placing the community in a state of dependence for food
on foreign supply, and that from countries whose Govern-
ments, it is well known, are actively employed in creating
means of employment for their greatly increased and increas-
ing population, by the establishment and protection given to
local manufactures. Bread at moderate prices is necessarily
required to enable them to do so, which increased demand
from this country would so unfortunately interfere with, and
it therefore may be expected in such cases their Govern-
ments, to preserve moderate prices, might resort to prohibi-
tion of exports, cutting off our supply, whilst we, engaged in
discouraging and neglecting our home resources, would find
ourselves, whilst placed at the mercy of foreigners both as to
price and supply, exposed to be in a state of dependence and
uncertainty that it is most alarming even to contemplate. It
is also evident that those Governments, in thus protecting
their own manufactures for the employment of their people.
must be expected to discourage the importation of ours, as
is actually the case, and require ns, as we have hitherto ex-
perienced to pay for such supplies of corn as they might find
it expedient to spare us with the precious metals alone, of
which our stock would soon be exhausted, and our case ren-
dered hopeless! I ask where could we expect to find means
to provide and pay for a foreign supply, such as would
essentially contribute to that of our population of 26,000,000
of souls, accustomed as they are to abundant supply, very
different from the manner in which our continental neigh-
bours are fed, and who, on a very moderate computation,
annually consume 22,000,000 quarters of wheat, 10,000,000
quarters of barley, and above 20,000,000 quarters of oats,
London alone also requiring fully 20,000 head of black cattle,
with 1,500,000 sheep, to meet her annual consumption? Let
us also take into our consideration the uncertainty of seasons,
the failure of crops here, and on the continent, or both, which
in such cases usually happens, with the extent of our home
growth greatly cut down, and those of the continent then
required for their own supply,—would not bitter distress and
regret then assail us, with the painful conviction of our most
improvident and mistaken folly? Ido not hesitate to say,
that to risk placing this country in such a situation, by the
repeal of our corn laws, thus withdrawing protection, ren-
dered necessary by the habits of the people and the great
weight of our public burdens, from which continental growers
are exempt, would be inflicting an alarming, if not fatal dis-
couragement to our present existing, and next to certain
sources of supply from home production, would border on
insanity, and appears to me like an act of national suicide.
But I must now return from this unavoidable digression to
the more immediate inquiry as to the causes which have led
to the prevailing distress in the manufacturing districts, in
which the reductions made in the rates of wages is that most
loudly complained of. •
I do not hesitate to charge the master manufacturers with
being the cause of this state of things; for many years they
have carried on a highly profitable and regularly increasing
business, annually producing large additional capital, for
which they had to find employment,—that employment they
sought for in the extension of their manufactures, which had
been the source of their wealth ; and although they some-
times felt an occasional pinch or warning from temporary
interruptions in demand, they went on building and rapidly
increasing their number of mills, improving the nature of
their machinery, so as to reduce the quantum of human
labour required in working it, and thus materially reducing
the relative number of people it was necessary for them to
employ in their work, whilst the population collected around
them went on rapidly increasing. The fruits of these mea-
sures was a great increase in the production of goods, una-
voidably followed by reductions in price, and also in-
creased export, with, for a time, increased home consump-
tion ; but all things have their limits ; notwithstanding the
reduced prices, the supply was also so increased that every
foreign market was overstocked, and the confidence of the
home buyers shaken, who, not being able to discover where
and when such reduction was to stop, though repeatedly ex-
pected to do so, no longer kept up their stocks by regular
purchases.
In this state of things, to support or extend the scale of
operations, still lower prices appear to have been considered
necessary; but these could only be adopted without injury
to the masters by a still further reduction in the low scale of
wages previously paid to their workmen ; this was, therefore,
resorted to by several establishments, and would, no doubt,
have become general, but for the alarm it produced among
those people who felt that, after every exertion they could
make, their remuneration was already reduced to rates barely
sufficient to sustain life with strength sufficient for bodily
labour ; they, in consequence, have resisted, from which has
followed the present distress, discontent, and insubordina-
tion, which all must unite in deprecating, as well as in cen-
suring the causes which have led to such unfortunate conse-
quences.
Let not those gentlemen who have pursued this course im•
pate to others the evils of which they are themselves the
authors, but let them return to more moderate measures,
and by restricting their scale of reduction to that of regular
demand, in place of forcing an extent of trade injurious to
themselves and others, be enabled to obtain such prices for
their goods as will admit of their paying wages to their
people at rate% to satisfy their reasonable demands. We are
now, thanks to God, engaged, by the blessing of His provi-
dence, in reaping an abundant harvest, and we are also, un-
der the operation of the new corn-law, receiving, and are
libly to continue to receive, large supplies of foreign corn,
from all which material reduction in the price of bread must
follow as the inevitable fruits of abundance ; moderate wages
will then be sufficient to meet the wants and comforts of the
working classes ; let their masters then look forward to such
changes to enable them, with more prosperous times, to ex-
tend production in proportion to increasing consumption,
without attempting a further reduction, but rather looking
forward to the means being in their power to increase and
restore the former rates of wages paid to their people, and
no longer attempt to place the great interests of the country
in a state of jeopardy by vainly urging the adoption of de-
lusive measures, which, were it possible they could succeed
in carrying them into effect, would, in all human probability,
involve themselves, as well as the community at large, in
great national distress and general disorganization.
These gentlemen have reaped the profits of their systems,
and it is to be hoped they will for a time submit patiently to
the disappointment or loss caused by the reverses which have
followed them as the fruits of their success. I contend they
have no right to call on the country to make further sacri-
fices for their separate advantage or protection. It is the
principle of our poor laws, that the property of each district
of the country shall provide for the wants of those among
them requiring assistance. This principle may press heavily
in the present instance, yet, notwithstanding, it must be
applied and acted upon, as being just and reasonable in itself.
I thus, from a sense of duty, avail myself of the right pos-
sessed by every individual, however humble in station, to
state the sentiments I entertain at the present crisis on a
subject that is most interesting to every one, and in the hope
that better times are approaching, I am, Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
JOHN GLADSTONE,
Of Carlton-gardens, London.

LORD FRANCIS EGERTON AND THE WORSLEY
COLLIERS.

To the EDITOR of the MANCHESTER COURIER.

lyorsley, August 18,..1842.

Sir,—Your readers and yourself will; I hope, acquit me of
unnecessary ostentation if, at this juncture, I request your
insertion of the copy of an address which I have just received
from a large body of colliers in my employ, with some explana
tion of the circumstances which have produced it :
(COPY.)

" August 17th, 1842.
" To our great and worthy master, the right honourable
Lord Francis Egerton, his virtuous and most gracious lady,
Mr. Fereday Smith, and all in legal authority over us.
" From a conciousness of the good feeling which prevailed
amongst us when your lordship addressed us in such an affec.
tionate and kindly. manner, we feel, as your lorship stated,
that we are utterly incapable of expressing our gratitude and
love towards you; therefore, as "with the voice of one man,
we declare our design that we are willing, as far as life and
safety seems probable to enable us, to defend your honour
and all in connexion. _

"Your loyal and obedient Colliers."
the
publication
utterly misunderstood if I am supposed to desire
,:d of this document with the object of bringing
Whicef
,P
with
notice any deserts of mine. The practical good
net, Zltll the best intentions, can be effected by one con-
moral infieoutt large mining population, must be small. Any
sical aradie ce he can exert must be gradual, and any phy
combinatiooatio on Of their condition which the most felicitous
duce, must be, wisdom and liberality in his dealings can pro-
myself ;I de claim, gradual and partial. I claim nothing for
district that theiirm, however, for the colliers of the Worsley
ings appreciated. "Induct should be known, and their feel-
berally the working t cannot be too widely known how
assesli-
reward, with their good of this country are disposed to
right or wrong, they attrrn and affection, those to whom,
selves. te similar feelings towards them-
The men from whom this address has proceeded were those
whom the deluded instruments
hone cowardly instigators had
driven by violence from their
nist occupation. Of tbeir
services, for the protection of
premises, I had no
immediate protection ; their own scenes ntts of occupation being
which scattered, I was not able to collect
enbe pbloadce
beenwith
a view to the resumption of their labour, eta in
absence; and I had beena_ otherwise em-
interrupted in my
some hundreds of
ployed in organising
armed men for their own protection
and ole-bodied and
itself. Some instances, however, having mine, at Worsley
occurred in w
hick
individual colliers bad been forced to accompany the
par-
ties of misguided men who have been perambulating this
district, the body of that population in my employ didas
ble on Tuesday to protect themselves against this d
essoerin ..
tion of outrage in the first instance, and to be ready for any
other service they could render to the cause of law and or-
der: It was under these circumstances that I came among
them. They formed a ring round my family and myself;
and what would then have been my position, if those feelings
.had existed against me in this neighbourhood, which it is
the object of combined incendiaries to excite in the em-
ployed against their employers? It was in this position I
.addressed them ; what I said is of no consequence. The
above is their answer ; its purport had been sufficiently com-
anuaicated to myself by their reception at the moment. I
naish your readers to know it. All I can say is, I might live
and vegetate elsewhere, in some locality less liable to dis-
turbance. and possessing other advantages over Lancashire;
but while ray neighbours stand by I will
me as they have,
stand by them.
I can only ,
popu-
lation • add that 'the spirit of this portion of the popu-
n" to say belief, •I
those who work
elsewhere, as I he ground in my employ at Worsley and
for it. Meanwhilei believe this will be proved if occasion calls
aid of soldiers tothey are not yet reduced to call in the
interrupted for a enable them to pursue their honest indus-
try,has been resumed by one
by mob tyranny ; but which
and a union whir id all with an alacrity, a determi-
nation,l.o many others.—l remain, !rust may serve as an example
sir, your very obedient servant,

,F. ZGERTON.