Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1883-09-22 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

THE LABOUR MARKET.—The labour marlot Is still in an unsettled state, for no sooner is one strike arranged than another crops up in some quarter or other. The North Staffordshire colliers' strike is practically en led, and now the miners in Yorkshire are agitating with a view to demand immersed wages, and have decided to hold a conference next month at Manchester in order to secure the oooperation of Derbyshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, and other counties in the same way as last year. The Lancashire weavers' strike shows no sign of termination, but it is to be much desired that the judicious plan, suggested at the Trades Oongress last week, of arbitration, may be adopted. All operations in building, railway, and tramway construction, continue very active. In most colliery districts they are busy preparing for the supply for the coming winter, and prima are mooordingly going up. Shipbuilding continues active, although at Sunderland it Is parallsed by the engineers' strike, and to meet this difficulty it Is rumoured that the masters are arranging for a full supply of foreign engineers. The textile trades show some improvement, for instance at Leeds, Huddersfield, and Halifax, the operatives are busy producing winter goods. At Leioester, hosiers continue active, while at Nottingham, slackness of work prevails. Hoppicking is about finished, and the pickers are npidily returning to add to the large unemployed in the Metropolis. Emigration to the Colonies is brisk, and the project for State-aided emigration appears likely to oollapae, as the class most interested at the Stepney meeting are voted against forced emigration, The boot and shoe industries are getting very brisk.—Labour News.  A LLEGED MANSLAUGHTER AT lIALIFAx.—A man named Joseph Fletoher, mason, of Hobble Bridge, Wheatley Bottom, is in custody at the Borough Polioe Court, on a charge of having caused the death of Grace Horsfall, widow, 55 years of age, of Lee Bridge. It appears from the evidence given at the Court on Wedneeday, that the prisoner went to the Bay Horse Inn between six and seven o'clock on Saturday night, and in a short time after deceased entered the house and called for a glass of beer. A few minutes afterwards the prisoner got hold of her and began to pall her about the room, and she struck him in the face, and made an attempt ta release herself from his grasp. After she had struck him it is stated that he gave her a violent blow on the temple. She screamed out " murder " and "landlord," and on hearing her, the landlady, Mrs. Hirst, wife of Jonas Hirst, went into the room, and enabled the deceased to get away from the prisoner. A few minutes after this, the deceased left the house, and returned a little after nine o'clock.—Sarah Jane McGuinesa, one of the witnesses, states that she saw the deceased as she was entering the house the second time, and she saw a man meet her in the passage, and try to prevent her from going any further. Deceased said she woul.l go in, and the man pushed her backwards. Deceased fell with her head on the causeway. Jonas Hirst came up at the time, and be saw the prisoner standing at the top of the passage, and he asked him who had broken the window in the passage. Fletcher admitted be had broken it. The deceased died on Tuesday.—An inquest was held on Thursday afternoon, at Halifax, on the body of Grace Horsfall. The jury returned a veriot of manslaughter against Joseph Fletcher, mason.