THE DISTRESS IN LANCASHIRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 186, 20 June 1862, Page 6

THE DISTRESS IN LANCASHIRE.

: A deputation, consisting of the-members of some of the l.ir^est mercantile houses in the City of London, wa;t"d upon the Lord Mayor yesterday, April 25, to invite him to be tho'medium' 'through whom contributions mijth the made for the alleviation of the disr tiv^s unhnppily prevalent in Lnncishirc. The extent of that distress was forcibly pointed out by diiTcront members of the deiuitiition, and the Lord Mayor acceded to the request made of him, provided that s;ime central and recognise! body should he appointed in Lancashire to whom he might transmit th(j fund-, 'contributed.

The MtmchcMcr GicnrdVin says:—" Ypsterdny, at the weekly ineetiiijr of the hoard of gunrdi.ina, (lie following returns, rrla*ive to tin; pauperism and administration of relief in the Preston Union vrrve. stihiiiiit-jd :—Outdoor relief,1 last- week, £579 37.;. lOd.; cases,"oso. Corresponding wef-k last year:— Amount expended in relief. £'42 4i. Oil.; cases, llS'i; piTsoni roMcve'l, 5Cf)3. Worklionss inmates: —Last week, 070; rorrespondins period -last year, 507. Tiie lnbor reports presented showed flint la--t week 100 persons wei-p enansfl on tho Moor, undrr the Union, and that between 200 hut] KOO were woi-lc-iner for the overs-cr-s on Hip Ilibb'.c si'l." and in thp stoneyaid of the Union. The funi^ atthe scivicc of the gunrJians hyp very low (it present; but to-clny (Wednesday), a nail, amounting; to upwards of £0000, will b.'1 rec-'ived to menr tiie expenditure. The cotton trade in the town i-s still in a most prostrate condition, and the number of operatives out of work iiici-pnses rather tiuiu diminishes every week. Many of them, however, no not f-eein to particularly care about work—at any rate for the work offered to thf-m by the parish authorities. Lnst week between 200 and SOO men, who represented themselves to be in" destitute circumstances, refused to accept the employment offered them by the ovj'rscere. Breaking stones in a cold yard, and excavating; earth on an exposed moor, dora not 'go down ' with them; and yet, when the previous occupations and personal ca--piei(i;-s of many of them are taki'n into consideration, the blame which prdiuarily would attach to them is, if not removed, at any rate much miti(pted."

" Stookporf," says tin Manchester Examiner, "has not hitherto figured tin the returns of distressed localities. The following may be interesting and sitL'frestive to some other places*. The number of hands commonly employed in the milta of the town is" about 10,001). Of this number about 4000 are now altogether out of employment, and 10.000 are on short time, leaving about :;000 only in full occupation. The waves paid in the iniils of this borough in ordinary times are about £SOOO per week ; but now they amount to not more than one half that ram ; consequently the working classes have £1000 par week less now tlian they-had a >ear a?o. or at the rate of £200,000 per annum. The amount of distress may be estimated from these facts."

Yesterday morning a meeting, called by circular, w.ll held at the Town-hall, Manchester, to ndvioe i with the mayor "as to the expediency of taking any ! ond what steps for the purpose of. raising funds to relieve tho distress which at present exists (and which it is apprehended inuy yet increase) within the city." After some discussion, the following resolution wns carried:—" That In the opinion of this meeting, the machinery possessed by the Poor Law Board, and Mich societies—especially the District Provident Societyas have in -yicW'the-ameiioration of seems to ,-be sufficient to mpe^ such ,distress, but that ithis meeting strongly.'reeoimiiemls the continued exercise of'private benevolence, and the support by pecuniary contributions of-the' DiPtrict Provident Society and other kindred ins;itutions, with a view to their continued distribution of relief."