Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-04-13

ne. and Todmorden, are BY far the mosf wretch,
ed and miserable body Of people III 'nis Pa''
the country, as well as the most nu"'e' AZ.
before stated, there was an advance
weayer's wages, which took place PaI.'a'I
bout the months Of September ana oe'co..
Iast when most Of the hands were taken ''.1
full employment, and earlyin January .n' a
van.e became general, During that time, anu
.,a'n he middle of January hopes were enter
,a;ned Of still greater improvement, but 'he
trade ha, again become very fiat, and the wea',
ere are threatened with less employment ana
reduced wages.
.rbe number Of cotton weavers in the places
mentioned above, must exceed 10000, and pro-
bablv is near 100 900: and the utmost sum they
can earn per week, on fair average, WORKING
diligently from SIX till eight, allowing out OF
that time an hour and half for meals, Is on'y
As. even if the loom be their own; but II the?
have to hire the loom, they pay lod. per week
for Il, Which reduces their wages 10 IS. "a per
week, and out Of this money they must ouy
shus,les, Sc and keep the loom in repair
Great numbers cannot earn more thah IS. ou' :,
SIS. or IS cd. per week, bu, lew very go"u
hands, working at the best kind OF WORK al
Blackburn, have earned SIS per week.
heard Of Il very active young man, ana a
good workman, who by beginning at O'Clock
in the morning, and working until 10 and e'e-
ven o'clock at night, earned last week the large
sum of 8s cd. Joseph Greenwood, worthy
man of independent spirit, who has never 'rou.
bled his parish, 80 years Of age, with a wife and
six children, lives at Bridge Inn, two miles and
half from 1'odmorden, on the Burnley road.
He has FIVE looms, and has wound and wove In
his family, on an average, every week ior the
last four weeks, l6 pieces, each so yards, OIL
super calico, % welt, al cd. which gets us. per
week. This sum is to support eight persons,
pay rent, fire, clothes, candles 10 work ey, shut
ties, repair looms, sc. yet he will not run into
debt-This family's mode Of living is as follow:
| they purchase quantity Of oatmeal, make CRU
ell of oatmeal, salt, and water only, which serves
for breakfast and supper; for dinner they bake
small quantity Of the heal into cake, and buy a
little blue milk, as they callit, at I'D per quart,
| and sup the milk along with the cake, but this
| is luxury they cannot have every day. By
way Of change, they sometimes buy wheaton
| -four to make the porridge, but with that they
| cannot afford TO have the milk. Butter, cheese
and flesh meat, weavers never think OF, unless
| now and then they purchase two ounces or a
| quarter Of pound Of butter, or one or two pen.
nyworth Of suet, or odd bits of inferior meat, TO
pie is as follows: the potatoes are washed and
cut into slices, placed in dish and sprinkled
with salt, then filled up with water, the bits oil
suet are mixed with the potatoes, and the whole
is covered with thin crust, and if they cannot
raise the suet or butter, the pie is made with
out them.
This one instance is fair example Of the
condition, and the best condition TOO Of Lam
cashire cotton weaver with family: what then
nor nfoit e sru e'
YEP YEP years. af-sn-a'atre'nungrr.
l went into weayer's house at Blackburn,
who has wife and FIVE children; he has been
sick and unable to work for six months, and his
wife lay in only month ago; his family now
earn by weaving, As. per week, and the parish
allows As more. He lay upon the saoking of
the Dedsteads, for there was no bed, was wrap
ped in dirty ragged blue rug, and apparently
in the last stage OF consumption. went out
OF this house into another in the same street,
where there was man and wife and six chill
dren, and only l3s. per week earned among
them. But these miserably low wages are by
no means all the weavers have TO suffer from;
many of them live in the country, two to six, or
even eight miles from the warehouse they work
for, and they must carry the materials home
and take the work back every week, and they
penny worth of Goals at the pit. Such numbers
also bring their work TO the warehouses on Sa-
turday, that some of them frequently wait, from
an early hour in the morning till late in the eve
ming before It is their turn tobe paid.
Greenwood's case shows what the Lancashire
cotton weaver is now, IN his best estate; what
must he be when he is suffering under this COM
plioation ofmiseries. am credbly informed,
that il frequently happens that the weeks pro-
visions are consumed by Friday morning, and
that they are often obliged to go without food
from that time until their pieces are taken in
on Saturday; and tina, i, is by no means u,tcom-
mon for them to mix grains with the little re-
naming oatmeal, to make it last out the week
for their children.
With respect TO what kind Of temporary re-.
lIei should be afforded, think some necessary
articles oi wearing apparel for men, women or
children, or for covering at night, will render
them the greatest service: cast off clothes wash
ed and mended, if possible, Gas i, will save their
lime) clogs, stockings, flannel waistcoa,s aud
drawers, and coarse thick blankets; even old
shoes, and particularly if mended, will be very
useful. Fn