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THE TET 7 CK SYSTEM AND THE " DFVIL'S DUST . " MB . FERRAXD'S SPEECH IX THE HOUSE OF COMMONS , ON WEDNESDAY IN LAST WEEK , Mr . FERRAND rose , pursuant to notice , to move for a Efclect committee , to inquire into the existence of frauds in the various manufactures of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ; also to inquire into the existence of frauds and oppressions , eiihe * directly or irdirtctlv . committed by certain manufacturers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , upon the persons , employed by them ; and also by the workers of mines , colleries , and railways , upon the labourers in their eniplojmtnt-Tbe Hon . Member also moved tbe following resolutions : — •• That thi 3 House considers as highly criminal the conduct of sny person or persons "who may attempt to induce others to give false evidence before a committee of this House , and will inflict condign punishment on all such persons , and will also direct them to be
prose" Teat this House "will protect and bear harmless ' eTery working man -who gives irne evidence before any i committee which may be appointed to inquire into the j frsn s committed by manufacturers and others , to the injury of the trade cf this country , and of the labouring ¦ classes . " I He said that in rising to perform tbe duty ¦ which be I bad undertaken , he felt he had placed himself under a j heaTj "weight of responsibility . JEvtry class of m&mi- } facmrers in Grtat Britain and Ireland had their eyes ; on him . It "was felt by the "whole community that we were not in that position to which onr skill capital , ; and industry entitled us ; and it could not but at the same time be ftlt that the motions which he had sab- ' mitied to tbs House ought to have proceeded from I
certain Bon . Members at the other side . But tbongh , j perhaps , it miibt be thought that the motion ought ; to have proceeded from others rather than from him , ' he ytt trust-td to tht kind attention of the House to j grant him a f 3 Tuurable hearing . When he first j brought forward the charges which were involved in his motion , ha was incuced to do bo in self-defence—he j was driven into it by Ibe accusations brongbt against j the landeu inttTest ; throughout the whole country ruen J were hired for the purpose ef using the mw > t violent ] laigU 3 gt—placards if the most inflammatory nature ' Were posted in every town -and village . The working classes were told that the evils which they had to endnre j were not imputaMe to any accidental occurrences—wtre \ not in any respect imrutable to their employers , but
were solely owing to the conduct of the landed interest ; it was the landed interest , they were told , which deprived tfcem of food—it was tbe landed interest , they were told , which dried the mother ' s breast , and excited the out-crifcs of the famisued infant , and no one was i found to urge the truth upon the attention of the wort-, ing classes . He and those -who generally coincidt-d in , opinion with him did not subscribe to those assertions . , They ti pndiated the assertk-n that the landed interest ; Were the parties to blame , and on the contrary affirmed that the manufacturers themselves were the causes of . that distress under which the working people suffered . -i The motion of which he had given notice comprehended two resolutions , one of which undertook to deal with a ; matter which had already been made the subject of a j
standing oTder of that House . It was important , he conceived , to let the people tnow that they would be protected £ r » m the effects of any false evidence ¦ which the manufacturers might get up against them . It was also important to let the people know that the House of Commons would protect them from the consequences ef freely and faithfully giving evidence before a committee cf that House . They should be assured of eijoying absolute and perfect security for such o * the ¦ working classes as might be examined before a select committee . The fact was , that the working classes would not venture to come before a committee of that Ht-useif they did not receive auch an assurance , fur otherwise tie prevailing epinion amongst them was that their utter ruin must ensue . It was \ re . l known
that flie lale ilr . Sadler had done much with a view to : improve the condition of the working classes , and they , had his testimony to show that those who were called i np < m to eive evidence bad been severe sufferers from j tbe consequenccB of their temerity in so offending those from whom they derived their means of employment ' . They obeyed the summons of the Speaker , and for doing so they lost the means of subsistence ; and if they refused to obey the Speaker ' s summons , they were con- ; aemned to prison and to misery , and their famflies to ' distress . Two petitions bad been presented to the ; House by Mr . Sadler , stating ail the facts which he i had now stated . And what noar was the language of ; the working classes ? Why . finding that £ 20 . , 000 " ef money f ""* been voted by that House to put down
slavery and oppression among the blacks , and £ 17 000 had been granted for the purpose of tsnnabling the Hon . and Learned Member for Bolton to go to the continent f > r the purpose of extending trade , commerce , and manufactures , they could not for one ; moment brlieve that ths House would refuse ; them proteetien whenever they were summoned to i appear and give evidence before any of its committees . Be thought the House wonld agree with him in thinking that sothing was more requisite for the extension of trade asd commerce than that the merchants and manu- i factarers should be of unsullied character and upright honour , and that in all their trading transactions , in different quarters of the globe , they should act justiy with those who traded with them , whether at home or
abroad . He found that their ancestors were this opinien . Tbe Legislature of former times were jealous of the konour and character of the nation , and stringent laws were put in fierce to prevent fraua being practised either at home or abroad . The Act 13 th Kichard II .. c . 2 . was intended to apply to this , and the 5 th and 6 th Eaward Tl . was passed for the purpose ot enforcing the true making ; of woollen cloth . The 43 rd EiiZibeth was also passed to prevent frauds in the making of cloths by starching them with fLur ; and the 10 th Anne , c . 16 , was passed for the better payment of the poor employed in the mating of cloth . All those were Acts passed by their ancestors for the protection of the people ; tut it happened that about fifty years ago a new and enlightened principle burst
forth , and tbe hiws which protected the working classes were put down . What had been the consequences ? Pran&s of the most gross description had been practised by some manufacturers in difierent trades in this ceuntry , to the great injury of the merchant both at home and abroad , and to the utter ruin of those manufacturers in this country , many of whom he believed Were anxious to be honest , upright , asd honourable men—tb « ar , fceaii—and who wished to carry to the market an article the sale of which would give them a just reward for their capital , and liberal wages to the workmen . But an enlightened , principle had since then burst forth , and whieh , making rapid strides , had opened up a new arena iji the manufacturer to walk in—( a laugh . )
It ws 3 the new principle of many of those men to try who could undersell his neighbour , who could compete with his brother-manufacturer at home and abroad , and who could produce the greatest quantity of goods at the lowest cost , both in 3 > rice and labour . He bad been told by hon . members of that house , that the c m laws were tse drag-chain of the commercial and manufacturing interests of this country ; and he had been informed both in the bouse and out of it , that the agricultural and landed interests "were the causes of tfee distress which prevailed in the country , and that if free trade in corn were permitted , the commerce and manufactures of Eagland wuuld spread into every clime ; tbat , in fact , there would be n © measurement—if he might use that expression—to the extent of British commerce and manufactures . Why , he found that the merchants and manufacturers of this country weie id possession of the Sonth American market from the year 1809 to 1822 ot
1 S 23 . At that time Mr . Canning came down to tbe hocse and declared that we bM called & new world into existence ; and many of the manufacturers and merchants thsught it would be a boundless sphere for the tr&ae and commerce of this country . But what was the consequ-nee of the frauds which had been committed by the manufacturers cf this country ? They themselves were the first cause to a great extent of our loss of the South American market . ( Hear . ) He had heard it stated by some Hon . Members on the opposite side f the House that the use of flour was indispensably necessary in making calico ; but he believed that the use of it was formerly unknown , and that it was Bever made use of until introduced by the manufac turers for the purpose of cheating and defrauding their easterners— ( . hear , hear ) . He would no longer make us * of those expressions upon his own authority -, but he would tell Hon . Members who denied his statements
a ^ d said they we . e not true that they ought call a comnmtet-, acd prove them untrue if they could before fciat committee—ihear , hear ) . He w » b asking for a committee for the very purpose of proving tbat his sta ementi were true . He would produce the evidence of persons of great experience and influence even among Hon . Gentlemen opposite , and other evidence of manufacturers of the lushest respectability , men of fifty years standing in business , and also of working people , who would come before the committee , if prop-r protection were afforded them , and prove the truth of every word he had uttered . He felt so strongly in his csrn mind convicEioa of toe rectitude of the position he now held , that he fearlessly asserted , if any rule bf the House would prevent his second resolution being I' -iMed , he would &&k for a committee without it , and lie would prove big case by the evidence of merchants , m . Uifacturers , clergymen , tradesmen , artisans ,
labourers , and others . A son of the late Member for Leeds . Mr . Baiocs , had published a work , A History of the Coiion Manufacture , which was reviewed in Tail s Magazine for April , 1835 . It was considered a work of great merit , and had been consulted by all persons connected with the cotton trade . He { Ml . Ferrand ) tuiu never ht&rd cf any one attempting to depreciate t' . t- work . The reviewer in Tatts Magazint aid : — " We shall extract but one sentence upon a practice w ach , we have heard , is banishing foreigners from our a feet , and leading tiem to countries where this disgr- fnl practice is unknown : —• To improve the ap-Pa&rsneeof the cloth , it is usually passed through starch ttn c of wbealen flour , often , mixed with porcelain clay tea calcined sulphate of lime , by which the cloth is && e » uffer , and appears to have greater substance and ftfeugth than it proves to have after being washed , — * cmtrfracee oiiBnally derised fox tke purpose of
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fraud , and which , though now too generally understood , to be regarded as fraudulent , it would be creditable to the trade to lay aside . " How a fraudulent practice ceases to . be fraudulent -when it becomes general , we do ret pretend to understand . In another instance Mr . Balnea places , to the advantage of the English manufacturer oTer the manufacturer of America , that the latter does not , or cannot , use any but good eotton in his yarn , " while the former , owing to the climate , ' can use . some of the waste . This is not sufficiently clear . Is the yam Dot worsened by using a proportion of what in the United States is accounted waste ? " That proved that paste was first adopted for the purpose of fraud . He would now submit other evidence to the House , for he "was no * going to make assertions on his own
authority merely , but upon such authority aa he trusted wi-uldinduee Her Majesty ' s Government and the House to cocclude that itwas high time for them to interfere . He would now rea < l to the House the letter of a gentleman who had paid great attention to this process . [ The Hon . Gentleman here read a letter which be tiad received descriptive of the frauds practised in regard to gooda intended for the South American market ] In support of this , he referred to a woik entitled - ' The History of Paraguay under Dr . Francia , " by Mr . Robinson , a merchant settled there , from which it appeared that his Excellency had always looked with great distrust upon the quality of Irish linens and cotton goods imported into that country ; and tout w-herr he found the interstices filled up -with starch , he
ordered one end of the piece to be washed , in order to demonstrate the fraud , and then would only allow the merchant half price for his article . Why , Baid he , the Jews are cheats , but Englishmen are downright swindlers—( a laugh . ) When he ( Mr . Ferrand ) read the description given by Mr . Robinson his blood boiled to think that Englishmen had so far debased the character of tha merchant of this country —( hear , hear . } " Bring me , " said Dr . Prancia , " goods from honest Germany—the English care for nothing but lucre and fiaia . " CuuJd they doubt , then , the way in which they had lost their trade ? "Why had they lost it ? Becauss the manufacturers had . ceased to be honest , and had become ravenous after fiithy lucre , saying to each other that the system suited their Durpose—( hear .
Would tte Honse know the manner in which these tricks and frauds had been cairied on in SwUz .-rland ? He wonld refer them to No . 4 , of Chambers Edinburgh Jouiiicd , of the 19 th of February last , where , in an article entitled A few w eeks on the Continent , ' he found the following passage : — "The bulk of the Swiss , it . "would appear , clothe themselves in materials made by the hand in their own humble dwellings ; and what they buy must be substantial and worth the money . . English printed calicoes a ; e rarely seen , although they are much lower priced than those of SwiiZrrland , because the people have no conBdence in the durability of the coleurs . The Swiss goods of this class are not only beautiful , but strong and durable in cuIout—qualities now rarely found in the produce of
Euglish factories There are articles called Swiss prints sold in England , but we were informed by a manufacturer ai Zurich that be did not believe a single piece £ Vtr was sent to this country , the whole that were passed -t ff as Swiss being mere counterfeits . I am unable to say with what degree of truth this allegation was made ; but it is very certain that the growing traahineBs of qnality of most English tissues is excluding them from the only open market in Europe . " He would now read to the House a letter from a highly Tespettable shopkeeper in Liverpool , who forwarded him a piece of wb ' - t was called the lower sort of white sbirtiDij . When he received tbe sample and the letter , he could scarcely believe that the poorer classes were so cheated and plundered b > the manufacturers : and he
wrote down to Liverpool to ascertain the character of this shopkeeper , and was informed tbat he was a person of the highest respectability- He says ;— " 1 have this day had the pleasure of reading the speech delivered by yon in the House of Commons on the evening of the 2-Jib . instant . In proof of your assertion that a large q-aantity ot fl ^ ur is used in the manufacturing of calicoes , &c , I beg to hand you a fair sample of the lower sorts-vf white shirtings , manufactured in this county , and of which you will perceive the poor man ' s food forms tbe greatest proportion . " One portion of that piece if cioth he ( Mr . Ferrand ) sent to the Right H « n . BarpHet iSirR Peel ) , and another to tbe Noble Lord opposite iLord J . Russell ) . Although an attempt had been made to fasten upon bim the accusation that he
had charged the manufacturers generally—Day , universally , with being dishonest , be had only declared that there were fraudulent manufacturers , and he was sorry to eay that their number was increasing , and that they were driving the honest manufacturer out of the markets . He would trouble the House with an extract from a woik by Mr . Babbage . The Economy of Manufactures respecting the frauds in the lace manufacture , as brought under tbe notice ef that House by a Committee appointed' to . investigate the subject : — ' -The lace trade affjxds other examples ; and in inquiring into the compJainta made to tbe Honse of Commons bj the fnuuework-knittew . the Committee observe , that , ' It is singular that the grievance most complained of 150 years ago should , in the present improved state of the tr ^ de ,
be the same grievance which is now most complained of ; for it appears , by tbe evidence given before your Committee , that all the witnesses attribute the decay tf the trade more to the making of fraudulent and bad articles than to the war , or to any other cause . ' And it is shewn by the evidence , that a kind of lace called ' single-press , ' was manufactured , which was only looped once , and which , although good to the eye , became nearly spoiled in washing by the slipping of the threads ; that not one person in a thousand could distinguish the difference between ' single-prtB * ' - doubls-press lace ; ' and that , in another similar article , called ' warp iace , ' such aid was essential . It was also stated by one witness , that ' tbe trade had not yet ceased , excepting in those places where the fraud had
been discovered ; and from those places no orders are now sent for any sort of Nottingham lace , th « credit being totally ruined . '" What said the book « n the stocking trade ! "In the stocking trade simiiar frauds have been practised . It appeared in tvidence that stockings were made of uniform width from the knee down to the ankle , and being wetted and stretched on frames at the calf , they retained their shape when dry ; bat that tbe purchaser eculd not discover the fraud until , after the first washing , the stockings hung like bags about his anklw . " He begged pardon of the House for detaining them by quoting so much , but as there was no important public tihsivess before them that night , and as the question he w . a 3 urging was so very important , an « i as bt was
most anxious to discharge his duty , he trusted they would pi-rout him to occupy their time for a few moments longer . He was anxious to substantiate every word he -had nttered in t&ac House . They had often heard it asserted that there was much distress in the country , and they had as often heard it imputed to the Com Laws . He emphatically denied that statement , and ' would read a paragraph from the Nottingham Journal of April 15 , to show how trade was mi ed by the frauds of the manufacturers : —" The cotton cut-up hose trade , which has now become an extensive manufacture in this vicinity , has somewhat improved , whilst the system of drop-offs is fast extending zn some of the villages south of Nottingham . These drop-ofEs are stockings made without narrowings at the
heels and toes ; instead of which , the heels are made full width of the usual length , the we . b tnat should have been narrowed two stitches at a time gradually , is then pressed off wholly , a Black course is made in one of the heels in the usual way , and the heels are joined and turned off . by looping tbe slack course in the usual manner . The fraud now ccnimeiicea ; the two flaps of the heels are turned inwards , and are somewhat neatly basted down by the seamer , the heels are then seamed , or rather sewn , in tbe usual method , and to a casual , inexperienced , or inattentive observer , have all the appearance of being full-wrought host . Nothing can be more unpleasant to ths wearer -, the joining of tbe toes being effected in the same manner , by drop ping off , instead of narrowing—the deception being ,
that the toes and heels are turned off in the usual way , to deceive . the purchaser . By these practices , one stockinger is made to produce three or four times as many hose as when they are made m a proper manner . This has a greater tendency to curtail employment in the hosieryj than steam or any other invention bas in other manufactures , with this marked difference , tbat the superseding of human labour in most other branches of industry is tbe reEnli of ingenuity and an extension of the arts ; in hosiery it is quite the reverse , as these frauds are a retrogradation in ingenuity and skill , tending to produce inferior workpeople as well as inferior manufactures . The hosiery
viiHges in the vicinity are fast getting isolated , or rather selected , in their employment . Thus , the hands h BuJwell are principally employed in making cotton gloves ; Ruddington , in making drop-offa and fancycaps ; Carlton , in making Bocks , principally worn is ttte United States ; Hucfccall , upon cotton fancy hosiery ; Arnold , CalTerton , and the villages to " the east , are most employed in making full-fashioned hose ; whilst Stapleford and Sandiacre are engaged principally in making warp lace ,- but in most of these villages the Btodangers are in a most destitute situation , arising from scanty employment and low waees . "' It was en behalf of these men that hn
asked for the Committee—on behalf of tbosB men who could not protect themselves ; ana he trusted that no man who had heard the statement but -woula cheerfully assist him-in his object . The Hod . Gentlemen opposite , who were engaged hi manufactures , bad promised that no impediment would be tnrown in his way ; he hoped they would now perform their promise , grant him the Committee , and he would prove eyery allegation he had made- Then , as to watches , the deception was just as bad ; he had a letter from a manufacturer , which , with permission of the House , he would read : — 8 ir , —I speak of the disclosures you have lately been making in Parliament as to frauds in manufactures
It is now a long time since I broached that subject , and suggested that the old plan of Btamping onr cloths and linens , ' , should be resumed ; using in aid the argument that nnless this were Gone , the character of the country would be lost , as each successive- swindler would say to himself , ' It will serve my turn . I believe the cloths sent out are often only fit for wadding . Taat the prints become blanks at first washing , I know ; , but I had no Buspiciou that even the di fcb itself was equally infamous . I have heard that millions of needles have been sent out without «> es ; scissors ruane of-virgin steel , that remained Tirgins in all points , refusing to be of the slightest use ; that watches from this country go only tall &n boor , and are losing all
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chaiacter ; that clocks only go once round ; that our muskets were only dangerous to the owners till the Tower proof was restored , and that the American woodsman has found our axes such , that he has found it indispensable to decline to use them . These things are so serious , that I think they should at once be taken up ; it is thus we are losing business , and deserve to lose it . for we are risking the ruin of millions of the honestly industrious , rather than epress the villanies of a parcel of Bcamps "—( laughter . ) They might laugh , but it was those frauds that had ruined the trade of the country , and it was high time for them to show that the Legislature of the present day were as jealous of the character of the country as it was 500 years ago . He had also a letter from a most respectable
manufacturer of Yorkshire , of fifty years' standing , and he said— " You have not overstated anything as respects this neighbourhood , for I do not think there is a manufacturer of flushings , druggets , paddinya , or pilefc cloths , but who uses less or more of the ground-up rags called generally Bhoddy , or resurrection wool—indeed , bo much is it in use , that even the carpet manufacturers are now consuming considerable quantities , and the rugs making for Government are not free from it " Some few years ago these rags were imported from Hamburgh and other parta of the Continent ; then , of course , this country derived some advantage in pulling them up ; latterly they have come pulled up ready for use , they on the Continent having obtained from this neighbourhood the machines fer pulling up tht ) rags .
You will excuse me , but in my opinion , unless Government imposes some restriction upon the use of such materials , we may cry out for want of trade or business for ever ; it is not the Corn Laws which are the « iuse of our want of business , but it is our manufacturers and merchants who are tbe cause , for who will cornea second time to our markets to purchase goods which when they gel home are not worth the carriaga I have seen pieces of druggets stiffened with flour and other things , that ' : were you to set a sixth-fourth piece to stand on the list , it would do so of itaelf ; besides , this is not the worst evil—for when these goods come to lay some time , they generate a worm or moth , which will very soon consume a vrholo piece ,- in fact , such goods get worn out in
passing from one to mother without any making up , and probably get returned again to this country in the shape of rags , to undergo a second resurrection , : or perhaps a third . " And another frem an old manufacturer in Leeds , who said— "I have a face connected with the woollen s 3 anufatture which you are at liberty to make any use of you think proper . There is a manufacturer in this town ( who is at present a member of the Whig-Radical town council ) who has made it a regular practice to buy old stockings , and grind them up , and mix them along with his wool in manufacturing blue cloths . He was thus enabled to undersell his honett neighbours , who used nothing tat wool . Well may our manufacturers lose their character in foreign markets . " But he had still higher authority ,
for the manufacturers of the north had . buen committing such disgraceful frauds , that the Government had been obliged to take the matter up ; they found it necessary , in order to protect themselves , to take measures for preventing the frauds ; they had another duty to perform—they ougbt to take measures to protect tbe public . They had found it necessary to issue a circular to protect themselves : he called upon them to extend tbat protection to the country at large . The circular he alluded to was as follows . — " The whole of tha cloth of which the supply is to be made is to be manufactured from new sound wool ; if it is discovered to contain any portion of wool made from woollen rags , known by the terms of ' woollen waste , ' or ' shoddy , ' or other than new wool , it shall subject
the whole of the supply to be rejected , and the honourable board will not have any further dealings wjtii the parties so offending . " These were the practices of these rogues—the scoundrels—( loud laugntt-r ) —the infamous rogues , for he could call them nothing else ; and instead of laughing , Hon . Members ought to blush for shame that their countrymen were capable of committing such infamous frauds . Having laid such shameful cases before the House , they would agree with him tbat be had proved ail the charges he had brought against the manufacturers . But if the House had still any doubt upon the matter—if they thought the evidence was still deficient—then let them grant the committee . Was it not high time that the Govsrnment should interfere in order to put a stop to
those practices which were ruining the trade of the country , and punish the guilty ? A poor man committing a trifling fraud was punished heavily , while tnose who were fraudulent by wholesale escaped . There was . indeed , one law for the rich , and another for tbe poor , so long as such a system was allowed to go on . He would now say a few words on the infamous truck system . It was now even of more importance that the frauds , because in consequence of that infernal system thousands of the labouring population were dying ; the misery caused by the cruelty of tbe masters—by ' their heavy oppression—was incalculable . He had stated before that a large portion of the manufacturers were in the habit of paying in goods , in place of money , and many firms settled with their "workmen only once in
three , six , or eight months . On tbat subject he hail a letter from a highly respectable gentleman , who said" Sir , —In consequence of the spirited part you hive taken on a recent occasion , and fer which , with every friend of humanity , I feel indebted to you , I beg leave to lay before you the following statement : —On Monday last , March 21 st , application was made by a poor weaver , named Irwin , to the Board of Guardians at Cockerniouth for relief He is in the employ of the firm of -, Carlisle , gingham manufacturers . It was stated as a reason why relief should be afforded him , that the material recently given out by tbat firm to their operatives was so wretchedly bad , that it touk six weeks to weave what , if the mate ial was good , they could readily do in three . Two of the Guardians
conversant in > ueh maiters were depnted to examine into this statement , and report to the Board . Tiieir report fully confirmed the poor man ' s statement , and they produced a specimen of the warp fully corroborating this . Yet such is the thraldom In which these unfortunate creatures are held , that the wife most earnestly entreated that no steps might be taken under tbe act of Parliament , lest htr husband and a crippled son should be thrown in consequence out of bread , a * they coula ao nothing but weave . I have since visited the weaving place , aud have obtained from this man ' s loom a specimen of the material , taken at random , which I . enclose . Siuch of it appearedgreatlywor . se than what I sen-. i , but it was dyed , and the effects of the colour might ( as 1 supposed ) have further injured
tne texture . " He had told the House that these poor men were paid in goods in place of money . He had a , blank form which was used in many factories , in which there were charges for rent , fuel , cash stopped , and cash overpaid—that would happen very seldom , he thought ; but then followed fines , the most iniquitous of all thiogs ; for the masters hung up a set of rules , which the poor labourinc man could not understand , if he did nothing else from Monday to Siturday , nor could he by any possibility help infringing some of them , by which money was stopped from him Oa tbe truck in cottages he had a letter from a workingman , but he must ; not disclose his name , or he would become a marked man , and would not get work at an > fjctory , unless he changed his name . He said , **
Masters of one of the largest mills have houses , and compel their work-people to live in them , or whether they do or not , they must pay for them ; and those who do not live in them , let them to other people . Thu masters stop tbeir rents out of their wages , for these tyrants have power to do so—some about 3 s ., others 3 :- . 6 d , 4 s . per week , and so on . The oppressed get them let , some for about 2 s ., some fer about Is . Gd ., others Is . per week , and in two instances they have let them for 4 d . a-week . Until lately they kept cows , and forced ail that lived under them to have one quart of milk a-day , and in some instances three quarts a-day , because they have three woikpeeple of a family . When they kill their cows they compel their workpeople to have shares of it ; they sell it at the very top price , whether it be good or bad . and tney force them to these things , or
they must turn face about If they happen to speak a word , they will give them a character with which they cannot get any more work in the town or the country either . These are some of the glaring tricks of the » e corn law repealers , these hypocrites who tell the working slaves that they wish them to have their rights , that tiioy wish tuemt'j have their liberty ; but it is all fudge , they are the same as their leaders , the antt-corn law league , they are downright impostors . One of them is now raising his rent ^ f > t voters , while his hard-working slaves had hard work to'keep budy and soul -together before . " Was that a system that the Government ought to tolerate for any longer period , now that it had come to their knowledge . ' Thu hon . member proceeded to read the following letters from a clergyman of the church of England : —
" Wolverhampton , April 2 , 1842 . " Sir , —I am sure I need not apologise for the intrusion of a perfect stranger upon your valuable time , if my statement will tend , even in the slightest degree , to further the praiseworthy object y U have In View of exposing the iniquities ei the truck system . " I regret to say that I have too many opportunities of witnessing the working of this tyrannical syBtem in my own parish , and Mr Villiers need go no further than the borough which he represents for proof tbat a great portion cf the distress now existing amongst the poo is caused by the payment of wages in provisions instead of money . "I will mention one instance with which I think you should be made acquainted ; others can be brought forward if required ; but this is a case Which 1 have taken particular pains to investigate : —
" One of the most active partisans of Air . Villlers , and a principal member ef his committee at the election , who was by the late Administration made a magistrate for tbe county of Stafford , is a chief partner iu the colliery , where tbe truck arscem ia carried on more infamously than in any other works in the neighbourhood . The men are paid once in four and sometimes five weeks , when they may reoeive their wages in money if they uemaud it , t > ut the man who made such oeaand would in all probability be dismissed : but as it ia nut possible for their families to wait till the expiration of tne month for the means of subsistence , th&y are compelled to go to the ' Tommy shop , ' as it is called here , a ticket to whieh is given for any goods they may require . The price of some few of the articles it this shop , compared wittr tbat asked by the shopkeepers in tha town , I have ascertained , and it will
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show you at once the dishonest advantage taken by the oppressors of these poor men— .. ; At Tommy shop . In the town . perlb . per lb . Sugar . * ....... ........ 9 d . ... 7 ^ 1 . Salt butter ...... 15 d . and ICd . ... 10 d . and lid . Bacon ............... 9 d . ... 7 id ' Tea ........... 89 . ... 5 a " . there being a difference of more than 50 per cent , on the article ef tea . "I shall not object to your using my name as the author of this information should its truth be disputed , but at the aame time I may add , that 1 would not willingly have my name made public .
. " My attention has long been directed to this horrid system , and in July last , a letter of Tfline , under the signature of The Miner ' s Friend , ' appeared in the Wolverhampton Chronicle , but ho good resulted from it "I shall have great pluasure in giving you any further information on the subject " During the severe weather in 1841 , "when soup was distributed to ou ,- poor at a penny a quart , it is a fact , whioh came to the knowledge of my curate , that some of the families , in the receipt of nominally : good wages , actually declined a ticket for the soup , on the plea that they bad not the penny to pay for it , aa they received their wages in goods " WeZverhampton ; April 13 , 1842 .
" Sir , —In reply to your inquiry respecting the quality of the -goods" sold at the truck shops , I have frequently seen bad salt butter from these shops at 15 d . and 16 d ., while at the retail shops good was sold at lOd . and lid . a-pound ; the sugar at 9 d ., and in one instance' at lOd , per pound , not so good aa at 1 } , d . ; flour of a very inferior quality at lls . a bushel , while I find that at the very time the best was . 'lOs . at the mill . " Since my la * t letter , I have ascertained from a huckster upon , -whom I can depend , that she is in the constant habit of receiving goods bought at the truck-shop in exchange for milk , potatoes , &c ., as the men in some inst&uces . iieyer receive inoney ; of course Bueh barter is not made without a loss to the labouring man . "
He begged to call the attention of the House to the following communication he bad received as to the city of Carlisle ; ^— " Hundreds of the working classes are grateful for the fearless exposute of the deceptions and villanies practised by the master manufacturers and cotton-spinners of this country . The truck system has been carried on for eighteen yeara by oneef the largest firms in this district ; they have somehundreds of cottages , which they force their workpeople to occupy , for which they have to pay thirty or forty per cent , more than others . The master manufacturers , who employ weavers here to the number of 3 , ooo , supply them with shuttles , hlddles , aud brushes ( alt of which the weaver has to find ) , and for which they charge enormously high . You might bo furnished with a full
and accurate exposure of the truck system , and other matters of deception as practised here , provided the parties furnishing it were secured against future persecution . Protection is absolutely necessary / ' Then as to Scotland , he would lay before the House the following statements : — - ' Coatbridge , near Glasgow , nine extensive iron works , at which aiV immense quantity of people are employed . ! Each iron work has its store , and a considerable portion of the wages are paid in goods , at a profit to the masters of fif seen to twenty per cent above the common retailer . Some of these masters have acted as conspicuous members of the anti-Corn Law League . " "Paisley . —Working tnun . Specimen of th « nefarious system pursued by our Corn Law repealing masters . Most of them have stores , or
cottages , for their workers , particularly those who are the greatest Repealers , and their workers are obliged to purchase from such store , and take their cottages , or if not , no onger work for them . They are charged about twenty to twenty-five per cent above the market price for their goods , with an inferiority of article . The master printers in this country not content with the above system of robbery , adopt another system of robbery more grievous than the above . They make them woik from one to four hours extra per day , which is called overtime , and give them nothing for it-Be bo good as not to give up my name , as the master printers would puniah nie by nut-employing me . " He had also received thiB letter fronva poor miner : " Sir , —It is with inexpre » 8 ible pleasure I write to you ,
having carefully read all the speeches and remarks you have made in Parliament , and find that you are one who wishes the welfare of the toil-worn and cruelly-used British artizan . I stee you mean to bring on a motion before the house on the 18 fc ! i inst-inr ., which , if carried , will be the cause of bringing to the world an exposure of the robberies and cruelties played off by our employers upon us miners Ev 6 ry coal and iron master in and ronnd this extensive mining district are law maker *; and believe me , the la-ws they make and put upon their office doors are of the most hideous caste . We are obliged to bend under them , for should any of us resist them , as Borne actually does , we are pouueed upon by them , carried before the sheriff , or magistrate of the district , who never fails to decide against the miner , on
tbe ground that ' these are the rules if the work , and you must abide by them . ' In consequence the victim has either to go to Bridewell , or pay £ 2 or £ 3 of expenses : the latter be is not able to do , so he ia imprisoned and his family starved . " There is a general Jaw practised at all these works which I will take the liberty of exposing . If any miner allow his father , his brother , or bis son , to sleep one night under the roof of his bouse , and they are employed at any other work but the work he is employed at , the unfortunate miner Is charged double rent for each fault , and compelled to pay , ib being : a rule at the work i Our employers have almost all victualling stores at their works ; the miners are compelled to tike all the provisiods they need from these stores , at a rate price far
above the market or any grocer ' s shop , They wiBU tue miner to have nothing left at pay-day , yet they strive to have him out if debt with them also , by keeping hia belly to match his earnings . ' I know many industrious miners who bave not handled a shilling of their own earnings these four years ; and it is a . general feature in the trade , when they wish to reduce wages , orintroduco any new rule , that they shut their store , and never fail to gain their point , by starving poor men into their meafcure 8 . At works where there is not a store , the miner has to pay one shilling for every pound he lifts ' , at any other time than pay-day , which is bad enough , but nothing to a store , " Tne pernicious system he was exposing extended also to Ireland : — " In Portland , county of Waturford . a wealthy firm , who lately offered
£ 80 000 for a property , carry oh the infamous ; truck system in fall operation . The operatives are compelled to live in houses built by their employers , exorbitant renta are demanded which are stopped dub . of ' -their weekly wages , and a shop , with numerous articles for sale , is attached to the premise : ? . The poor people are not paid their miserable earnings in money , but in bits of printed ' tokens , which will only pass as an equivalent for card paper ( marked withtleminie of the firm ) called goods ac this truck shop belonging to the-mill . I need not tell you ) exorbitant profits are made . " But what would the House say when he told them , that under this system , which extended through Enicliind , Wales , Scotland , and Ireland , the workpeople wera compelled to pay fur anti-C > rn Law pamphlets , fined sixpence for
speaking , and one shilling for singing ; called upon to obey rules which they could not help breaking , and fined enormously for doing so r of money lent , usurious interest exacted— ( hear , hear ) He wished p . ^ nicuUrly to draw attention to tbe following r—On the 14 th of December a manufacturer was convicted before the Sheffield magistrates for paying wages in cloth ; hr asked £ 2 a yard ; the workman gave £ 1 15 s ., aua sold it for lls .. proved before the mugintrates t <* - »> v its full value , knd a quarter of a yard not fit , for use ; fined £ 10 and costs . Two more £ o Hnd cosu Now he wished to observe that when tti Hon . Member for Wolverbatnpton had . on a former occasion , rend a statement from a peison residing in his ( Mr . FMTnnd's ) part of the country , that statement asserted what was
utterly untrue , namely , —that he had aoplied the charge * he made to all .. ' the manufacturers ot Vorkshire , whereas he had only applied them to some ,, aid those belonging to the League . This statement , moreover , had been supported by fraud and forgery—( hear , heai ) —for many of the signatures were positive forgeries ; and some of those who signed were aiabinij seventy percent , on the poor- ( hear , hear . ; The Hon .-. Member then read the following : —•• The following passage , extracted from the report ( p . 552 ) of H . S . Chapman , Esq ., of the Middle Temple , an assistant Commissioner for inquiring Into the condition ot -. the b&adloom weavers in the United Kingdom , in 1838 , will show that not only does the truck system prevail In the West Riding of Yorkshire , bufe that any complaint on
the part of the weavers i 3 generally followed * by loss of employment , as was stated in the House of Commons by Mr . Busfield Ferrand :- — 'At Wle , where I " held a public inquiry for the townships of I'Ue , Shipley , Eccleshill , and Bolton , a written atit « ment waa banded In , complaining of the existence of thy truck system at a small hamlet called WindliiU . in the firstnamed township . It is a fact worthy of notice , that-1 was begged not to ask questions on the point , as any testimony on the part of a weaver who had suffered from the custom would have been followed by Io 3 s of employment . I was , however , assured by niany persons , both employers and -weavers , that tbe allegation was correct This shows how completely impotent i »
the law , howsoever stringent , it may bf , where both employer and employed will consent to violate it . The employed is compelled to submit ; the constantly overstocked state of the labeur-marfcet placws him at the mercy of the matter , and ; tbe same condition prevents him taking a single step to expose the fraud to which be is subjected : At Churwell , south of Leeds , another form of truck was exhibited to me , as existing at Beeston , where is a factory employinB batween twenty and thirty handloom . weavers . It is the practice of the owners of this factory to obli&a their weavers to take part of their bard earnings in cletb , in some cases less than half being paid in money . '" Anu now as to Birmingham he would read the following : — .
"TO THE EPITOn OF AB 1 SS GAZETTE . " Small Anns Department , Btrmi gham , March 10 , 1842 . / 'Sir , —Great complaints have been made to me lately by the labouring men in the gnnlock ttaiie , and I yesterday visited the neighbourhood of Wednesbnry and DurlastoD , where that branch of manufacture is principally carried on , and I find that the practice of paying the workmen by jtruck , or ' tommy , ' as it is
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called amongst the men , has been , and is at the present moment carried On to a ruinous extent . - ~ "To all those persons who are employed as contractors for the supply of musket locks for her Majesty ' s service ( many of Whom , however , I must say * have not lent themselves to the practice ) , I have given notice that I am determined to put down ; such a nefarious and illegal system in every way in i » y power ; and that so far as those supplies are concerned , I shall insist that the lock-filers do receive the wages agreed upon in money , without subteifuge , trick , or evasion , either by tickets upon other parties , by discount , by pretence of loan , or by any other dishonest contrivance . The labourer is worthy of his hire . A fair allowance iB made for it in the contract price , and he has a right to spend his money as he will in the best and cheapest market . : ¦ ' ¦ ¦¦ " ' - "¦ - '¦ ¦'•' . ' - . ¦ ¦ •¦¦ " - - ' - - ¦ ¦' :-: ¦ ' - . " .
' , «• If you will have the goodness to make this , my resolution , more extensively known , through ' - "the . medium of your widely-spread publication , it may be the means of benefitting a very deserving class of workmen by drawing attention to the destructive practice ; and you will at the same tirna confer an obligation on 11 Your very obedient , humble servant , " QEORGE LOVEhh , Her Mojeaty ' s Inspector of Small Arms . " If be wanted any confirmation of the justice of his claim he need not go far for it . He would remind the House that this was not the first time the working classes had , by their advocates , appealed to the House for protection , and thai their claim had , ere this , been
recognised . Oa ttie 17 th of February , 1795 , a motion was made by Mr . Whitbread for a protection of labour , stconded by Sir K . Peel ( the present Bight Honourable Baronet ' s father ) , supported by Fox and Sheridan , and admitted to be ju * t by Pitt , who sanctioned the pay * merit . of- wages out of the pocrira . tea . Thenin July 5 , 1830 , Mr . Littleton moved to bring in the Labourers ' Wages Bill , on which Mr . Hu 9 kisson said— " If any Hon . Gentleman would take the troubla to inform himself as to what was passing in Staffordshire , and in part of the cotton and clothing districts , he would fiud that a very great portion of tbe distress now prevailing there was not so much owing to want of employment as to the undue and unfair competition to which the truck system gave rise , by making the whole
trade a struggle between tb-9 avarice of the uva&ter and the necessities and coniforts of the workmen . Why should we not extend the same protection to those who had no frieud to guidethem , and who looked up to the Legislature aa their shield against the extortion of those who regarded only their own advantage , and never thought of the sufferings and afflictions . ' of those whom they employed ? It was upon these grounds he was ready to acknowledge that on the score of . humanity and feeling he gave his support to the bill , add should do so even if it were opposed to the doctrines of political economy , with -which , however , life contended , it was perfectly ^ consistent . " On the 3 rd Of May , 1830 , Lord Stanley presented a petition from the manufacturers , tradesmen , and ethers
of Heaton Nortis , against the truck system , and stated "' that this syfctsiu gave great advantage to a few rich men , who acquired immense profits at the expence of the labourers—a system that was aa injurious to the manufacturerB who did not adopt it as to the workmen who were its immediate victims . " On the 5 th of July , 1830 , Sir Bobett Peel said—v The great evil of the pre-Bfei \ t Cay was a tendency to diminish the enjoyments of the poorer . classes-, and he could conceive nothing more likely to reduce them to a Btate of servitude than that their master , who might be getting £ 8 , 000 or £ 10 , 000 a-year by hia manufactory , should take from them £ 2 . 000 or £ 3 , 000 more by dealing in bacon and cheese . He hoped that if this bill Were lost-by the means which the Hon . Member ( Mr Hume ) possessed ,
and might use to defend it , the working classes would understand that it was he who was responsible for the consequences . " The Hon . Member concluded as follows : — ' Sir , —I have done my duty in bringing this question forward—( hear , hear ) . The responsibility rebts on the House and on the Government of dealing with the claims for justice and redress of honest manufacturers and distressed workmen —( hear , hear ) . If the Government resist the motion , the responsibility of injecting it will be theirs ^ -lcries ofhear , hear ) . There is , let me assure them , an intense feeling abroad upon the subject . There are , not far distant , honest manufacturers , who have come from the north at their own expence to give evidence upon this committee , and to declare that they must either be honest themselves and retire from trade , or be as dishonest as those who have till now oppressed the poor and disgraced the country —( hear , hear ; . There
are those , not far distant , who are ready before a committee of this house to substantiate those claims for justice which there , and there only , they can assort ^—( hear , hear ) . In their name I appeal to your justice for that protection which here alone they can seek , and which here they have an inalienable right to clfiim—( hear ) . This motion may be lost ; but if it be , it will be lost to the serious injury of trade and commerce ; it will cause heart rending afrlictiou to thousands of the working classes who are anxiously awaiting your decision— ( hear ) . And ardently I do hope that the Govern : ment will discharge the duty they owe to the public as tho guardians tif the Country's honour , and of the sovereign ' s dignity ( feeling that dishonour at home or abroad must sully the lustre of that sovereign ' s diadem )—that they will discharge that duty by agreeing to the motion , which I urge on the unassailable principle that the " labourer is worthy of his hire . " ( Loud cheere . )
The hon . member afterwards acceded to an amendment proposed by Sir James Grahah , that a select committee should be apppointed " to inquire into the operation of the law which prohibits the payment of wages in goods , or otherwise than in the current coin of the realm , and into the alleged violation and defects of existing existing enactments , " but intimated that the question would not rest where it was , as the frauds Were of such a nature as must speedily bring them to an issue with the public .
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HOUSE OF LORDS . —Friday , April 22 . A conversation arose on / the motion for the third reading of the Irish Spirit Duties' Bill . Lord aiONTEAGLE pointed out an Inequality in the imposition of tiae duties on spirits distilled in Scotland and Ireland , the Scotch distiller being allowed a drawback not enjoyed by the Irish distiller . The Earl of WlCKtOW expressed his fears that the increased duty would lead to illicit ( iistillatlou in Ireland , arid counteract the progress © f temperance . After a conversation , the Duke of ; Wellington postponed the third reading of the Bill till Monday , in order to inquire into the facts pointed out by Lord Monteacle .
The Curn Importation Bill was read a third time and passed ; and atter some other business , the House adjourned . Monday , April 25-The Irish Spirit Duties' BUI was , on the motion of the Duke of Wel . iugton , read a third time aud passed .
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HOUSE OF COMMONS , Fridat , April 22 . On the motion of the second reading of the Income Tax .-IJtII . Mr . Charles Buller rose to move that it be deferred for six months . Wlutever might have been his f « ars on the first proposition of the income tax , they tiad beun greatly enhanced by the perusal ef the bill . I ; created a boat of commissioners , armed- with , very xwuordinary powers , a * ien to the habits and disposl-: ons of EnKlisbmen . The tariff , which was the consiiieration for the income tax . had been supported by the
most contradictory ami inconsistent arguments , for sometimes it was contended that it would lower the cost of living , and at other times this Waa denied . On hia pwn side of the Hoiho dir < ct taxation had been praised , as being a be ter and more holiest mode of raising a revenue than by indirect taxation . But direct taxation was at once unequal , and unjust in ite application--literally a resource of barbarous timed . As to the argument tbat tbe income tax would only fall on tbe w . ultfuer classes , it wad understood even , by the Chartists theinst-lTes , who saw that any diminution of the labour-fund would t > e felt by ttie labouiers .
Mr Ew AliT , while deprecating the income tax , was yet an adv . cats of tbe fair application of the principles <> f direct taxation . While approving of the tariff , bo far as it went in the direction of free trade * he objected to the proposed tax on exported coals , as being detrimental uot only to the foreign coal trade , but to our steam 'commercial navy . Sir John Walsue considered that the inequality charged <> n intnuctimr ; tix was inherent to all taxation . Oa tiiis ground lie vindicated the Income Tax Bill , as being , in its p ' ropimed operation , at once as cornprehen-Hive aud as equal as any such tax could be , framed
to meet a fjre . it emergency . The tariff was a boon to the trading and commercial classes ; and it was pertVctly reasonable ) that they should contribute their tihare to nuike up those deficienoes caused by wars underitk « n for the protection of their interests—such as that cf chinu . From his own personal knowledge , hecouid testify to the existence , in France ; of a national hostility , which could not be overlooked by any one jealous if the honour and security of this country ; and lor these renaons , in addition to the existence of an a < tuii nt-ctssity , he voted for the imposition of an income tax . :
Sir William Clay pointed out how the income tax would operate in its imposition on capital employed in farming , as compared With other sources of income ; and while giving rtui ! credit to the reductions of the tariff , did not think that there was either a compensating advantage or antcfsaity for tne income tajt . ' : Mr . WAKLEY would have supported a graduated income tax . u » throwing the chief ourden on the wealthier cla ^ s ^ H . But the present income tax would fall chiefly oa ihe industrious classes . He admitted that oat of doors thera was no feeli g against a property tax , and tniit tue puKlio believed that Sir Robert Peel had limdM a , gigantic effort to overcome pur national difficulties . But when the public had become acquainted with th ^ operation tf this Income tax , they would become alive to the nature and value of direct taxation , and they woul' < insist on a " sliding scale" In the imposition of that mtation .
Mr . D sraeli considered that the deficiency in oar Inrtian tinances vraa owing to the policy of the late Governmeat .
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ilr . Cheistie was decidedly of opinion that such an inquisitoriaJ impost as an income tax should be reserved for the l 3 &t eitreniity , and even then be resorted to under u serious responsibility . He argued against its injustice and inequality , and instanced various cases , illustrative of the hardship of its infliction on professions / and trades , as compared with the owners of land . ' ¦ : ' . "¦ ' ¦ - - ¦ - ¦ : '•¦ ' ¦ ' : >¦ ¦' ' . ¦' - .- ' .- ¦• ¦¦ ' Mr . Smythe did not wish to discuss the question of the justice or injustice of the income tax ; he would give his vote as one of confidence , and' while ke admitted the inquisitorial nature of the measure , hia would support it as required by a great enier ^ cricy . After some observations from Mr . W . O . Stanley and Mr . Scott , the latter of whom admitted thuS there was riot a strong feeling in the country against the income : tax ^ but safd he opposed it from a coayiCr tion that it was proposed as the price for maintaining monopoly .
A division w ;« called for ( the opposition beaches being but scantily occupied ) , when the second leading of the bill was carried by 155 to 76 . After " some other business , the Railways Bill was considered in committee . Some discussion took ; place on various clauses . A division occurred on a motion by Sir Williara JOLLIFFE for omitting the : 11 th clause , the debate turning on the question in : whose hands , should be vested tbe' care of gates ; leading across railways—the occupiers of the adjoining lands , or the railway companies . The' result of the division was—For tho utansu 103 ; for th « amendment 104 ; majority against the ' clause ; X . - \ The House then adjourned . Monday , April 25 . Mr . Hume took the oaths and his seat for the Montrose burehs .
Mr . Redington , the Chairman of the Southampton Election Committee , reported the committal of John Wren , for rt fusing to answer a question ; apd moved that he be called to the bar , and interrogated . After a conversation he was , brought to the bar and expressed a willingness to answer the question , if the House should decide that he ought to do so . Another discussion followed , in which .. most of the leading men and legal members of the House t'jok part , during which considerable difficulty appeared tobe feltas ^ to the proper mode of procedure .. - ' .. ' ¦ John . ' Wren was recaUed to the bar , and iaformed that he was bound to answer any question which the Committee ., after hearing his objections , should decide on pressing . ' - ' . // On the motion for going into committee on the Income Tax , ' ' ¦ ' . ¦ ¦ . ' . "¦ . ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ - ¦ ' .:. ; . '' ,. ' ¦ ' ' ¦ ' .. ¦ . ' . - , ' ¦ ' ¦ '
Mri WAtLACE rose , in pursuance of a notice , to move that it was more expedient to resort to an issue of Exchequer Bills than to an income tax , which , however , he said he would not press , if certain assurances weregiven . ¦ . ; . ' . ¦• ¦ . . - ¦• - ¦ ¦' . . ¦ ' :, - ¦ ' - . Sir R . PEEL , after deprecating state ' loans in time o £ peace , repeated bis former declarations , that , in the determination , of the Government , the income tax and the tariff were inseparably conneeted , Mr Hujie appealed to the House to permit him , on this his first opportunity , to state his views on Sit R . Peel's financial measures . After declaring that he had not expected that Sir R . Peel would have grappled with monopoly in the way he had done , ho afStraed that the corn nionopoly , under the new bill , was still amply sufficient to compensate the landed interest for their share of the income-tax . But while regrcttinjl that corn and sugar had not been dealt with in a way corresponding to the wants of the country , he gave
due credit to the reductions propos d on the next important article , that of timber .. He should have no objection to see the entire revenue ot the countiy . v . vistd by direct , taxiitian ; but before he would resort to aa . income tax in the present distressed ttata of the manufacturing community , he would reduce the public expenditure in salaries , pensions . &c . Only a small portion of the Queen ' s incame , ; GCt » 000 , was at her own disposal ; the rent was spent on lords and ladles , and in maintuning the frippery of a cuurt which ' . out * . ' - " nvalled that of Louts XIV . In addition to reducing the Civil List , he would also impose a tax en real property by descent , and he was glad to find that hia views on this subject were obtaining gTeatei currency . He was afraid that the income tax Would add t » the difficulties of the country , aud waa convinced that the reductions of the new tariff were only the beginning of greater changes . > The House then went into committee on the bill .
Some conversation arose on the proposition that the inc ' . 'ine' tix should commence from the 5 th of April , 1842 , and sprue qutations were putas toi thotiine when the tariff should come into operation . ¦ , '" .: The CHAKCELtoR of the Exchequer remiriiled the House that tbe tariff was to be permanent , and tue income tax temporary . Sir R . Peel said that as tbe tax was to last for threo years , it . was immaterial whether it commenced in April or Jufy , but that it would be convenient that it should have effect from tbe commencement of . the tinaa- . cial year , on the 5 h of April . This ; was accordingly carried . A debate arose on schedule A , involving the question Whether a person deriving Ja clear income fromlaiid , but incurring losses from some other trade or occupation , should be allowed to subtract the loss from the one from his gain in the other , and thus be taxed on bis net income from both . ¦
The question was raised by Mr . Benjamin Wood , and , after considerable discussion , Sir Kouert Peel promised to taSe the subject itto cdnsideratidti . Schedule B was voted ; and on schedule C , Mr . F . T . Baring asked if foreigners holding British stock were to be surijec ' tefj to the tax ? Sir , ROBERT Peel answered in the affirmative , and Mr . Husia complained tbat a breach of public faith was comniitted by Bubjectingtbefonds to taxation . Mr . RlCARDO proposed an amendment , the purport of which was to make a dJatinction , in levying the tax , in favour of terminable annuities : The CHANCE . tLOR of the Exchequer affirmed that the value of tbesb annuities bail r ^ ot been affacted by the knowledge of the fact that they wiare to bo subjected to the tax equally with other secureties . After a ; di .-cussion , a division took place , when Mr . Ricardo ' s amendment was rejected by 253 to 117 .
Qn arriving at Schedule V . it : w ; is aa reed , after abrief conversation , to postpone further consideration of the bill Wl to-morrow . Sir Robeiit Peel said that he would brine on the tariff beiore the tbirci reading of the Income Tax Bill . The House resumed , and , after soi / f e other business , adjourned .
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Recognition . —A curious iucldetit occurred duriv g the lecent march of the 78 tfi Highlandfrs throutd Birmingham . It appears that some of the nipn hud bron ^ tit over from Ireland a bottle of whisky < if whio . n a h rjeaut of police was endeavouri » s ; 'o deprive ' heui , when the aerjeaiit of t' e TeE » mei t , gazing iuc « n ly at him , owued him arf a deK > rr-r frptn the 78 th thirteen years before , and took him prisoner . \ ' . - - Supposed Murder . —Some excitement has heva caused in Wolstanton and the riei ^ hbotirhorx * by tla discovery of the' remaiiw of the two infanv-chifi | r > a in a pit of wator in a field at the Bradwell Farm , ia
th « parish of VVol 9 tantOD . It seems that on Tuesday mbrning several men went to the pit , a short distance from the turcpike-road , with a view ; of getting water-cresses , when their attention was directed to an unusual substance fluating on the top of the water uear the side of the pit , which , on be u % got out proved to bo the leg and thigh of a ^ child . Tha pit was afterwards emptied , an otherhuman renianig found , some of them imbedded iu the mad . The remains were subsequently examined by two medical g < ntlemen , and proved to bo those of two childrenone of them a child of from eighteen month- * or swo
years old ; the other is quite an infant . From tho very decomposed Btate of the bodies , it is not unlikely that they have boon immersed in » he water from twelve to eiphteeii months , ancl probably longorv There is little doubt but there has btoa some foul play in this transaction , but to whora gailt attaches , remains at present shrouded in tho greatest mystery . At the corouer ' B inquest , whioJi was hold on the day following , nothing wa « adduced tending to throw any light oo the occurrence . The ury returned a verdict— "That the bodies trero found submersed in the pit , but how w by » hafc means they came there no evidence appeared to tho jury . " ; -. ' ¦ ¦ ' ; I " . . ¦ , ¦" .. - ¦ ¦ .. : ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ; . -, ; - . . -
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Untitled Article
THE MBSTBERS OF THE NATfGNAI . CHARTER . ASSOCIATION QF SVLlSBUUr AND ITS VIClNiry , TO FEARGUS OCONNOK , ESQ . We , the undersigned , do most respectfully address you on account of your indfrfatagable z-al and unwearu d exertions in the cause of real reform , to irupress on the niind 3 of the multitude that it is the Charter which can alone secure tht ? ir rights , their -privileges , their freedom , and their independence ; and seeing that ia endeavouring to accomplish this praiseworthy object , y >> n have not Only fallen back from the ranks of the proud ariatoccray , but have made sacrifices ef wealth , of health , and of every comfort attainable by a person of
your rank in society ; and have also endursd as a martyr for our cause all the horrors of a prison . Under the : ' © circunut inccs therefore we hail you as our patriot , and do most sinceny trust and anticipate that you In jotdr travels will as' soon as it is possibly convenitint , f > a pleased to visit us , that the blind , dark , ' benighted , aid priest-riddeh classes of this strong hold of . ConseryatWv this carhndTal city , may once hear the y <» ice cf Fear . viia O Con liur ; ' that the cry for freedom , iihifperterice , aid justice to \ the poor may ring through' our streets , ai-d that the about for ' civil and religious liberty may sei . d back . its echo from" the walls of our cattuiiral ; » r ; d . that the people may . be convinced that they are op » pressed , and ' will still continue to be oppres&d so l > n g as they snccoRib to the [ . resent form of administration .
With sir cere wishes therefore for the accoiu piiab . i . e- » fe of your tlorious design , with sincere thanks for your valuable labours , and wicb , the strongest invitation v / e can give you to visit us , ¦ We subscribe ourselves , Yours , truly , ( Signed In behalf Of the : association , as per resolution ) John Wilkikson , Sub-Secrttary . Salisbury , April 19 , 1842 .
Untitled Article
THE NORTHERN STAR . ' . '¦ . . /¦^¦ . ¦ ¦ . y- ' ^/; ^' -
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 30, 1842, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct888/page/7/
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