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Northern Star (1837-1852), 28th August 1847, Edition 2 of 3, Page 1, ' '' JJ' ' «V < JJ TO THE IMPJJKJAL CHAR...

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    • ¦ - t reply 10 wan}' appro* 110 - 08 * we caa ' itirclv ibat Mr O'Connor will be
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      ¦ - T Reply 10 Wan}' Appro* 110 - 08 * We Caa ' Itirclv Ibat Mr O'Connor Will Be

      ¦ - t reply 10 wan } ' appro * - * we caa ' itirclv ibat Mr O'Connor will be

      •^ » -It The Soiree At The T^Lobe Larern...

      •^ » -it the soiree at the t ^ lobe larern , , £ **"• i F Ajonda y evening , to commemorate the ^ f George Thompson , Esq ., M . P ., for f X o ^ cr Hanilcis .

      T0 The Members Of The Land Company. 3iv ...

      T 0 THE MEMBERS OF THE LAND COMPANY . 3 iv Dear Friends , ij | . Conference has now closed its sitting , 1 it becomes mv duty to review the pro S'iiiis ;—it is : i taA . " however , which 1 can t ciiinnience without a fe « ' prc-fatory ref j ] cs iroonSthe novelty . the importance , j « m 1 "Endear of the whole affair . Novel , from the C-. jr . rtauce of sixty intellectual , honest , able , % c ' r a : i > l discrett working men assembling L ' euiet rural district , from different parts iEnsIand , Ireland , Scotland , and Wales , to Lisact their own affairs ; to perform that Lrk for themselves which their government -fcoand to do , pledged to do , and paid to do , jsut has failed to do . ' ¦

      Jaiswtant , from the fact that it will COn-• jee the working classes of this country that , i fO their own body they may choose " repre ^ ^ t atives who , in their deliberations for the ^ ration of labour , are not likely to trench : ^ the rights , the just ri ghts , of other ( lasses ; -that is , that capital , honourable Ration , superior intellect , dignity , and jptegnty ^ stand , in no clanger of assault from a ^ requited , well governed pea s antry ; white jejlect of that peasantry threatens danger to -. ffv otherclass of , spcjet _ y . ; .-- ; -

      gnmd , because the body who met "i" their fi gj house , upon theirlbwn land , in a « j" 3 efc p ^ l district , was la part coasposeHicof---men yiio hadbeen ^ tim ^ o . theiprincinles which ^ BU < triumphant , '" ^^^^^^^^ ffiiH ^ jvgr oppressors arenow ^^ n ^^ imitate . fsese , my friends , are grave matters for (^ deration—matters of themselves sufncijj -j y important and extensive to change $ constitution ef the country if the Press J the countiy vas sufficiently honest to it as

      j ^ te progress the age . You gsst console yourselves , however , with the jK uliection and the assurance that no rey ; e > entative assembl y , of anv country in tie world , ever went farther in the roa ' d of pszress than it has been urged bv the popular ncce : and that there never \ vas , in any ( fli-ntry , such a popular pressure behind the rfrernnieat train as there is now . " To indulge in a railway figure;—formerly & government was the engine , and the tjuntn- was the train ; bat the public voice is r * the steam-power , the government is the ferase train ; and we have reversed the

      enjne , sad now propel the government . " Iasiure you , now that I have had time to xeSect upon the whole proceeding . - * , I find that jie-. r duty , an onerous uuty , ha « " ! teen"imposed ju-n me , ana my hope is that I shall he equal fothe emergency , which , if weare prepared for , («&• : } 'turn to national advantage ; hut if © prepared , we may lose the sinking , the hs ' tinf , the cheering benefits that I see iu the briz < jn .

      3 iy friends , . is it is my intention to write via a political letter this week , I shall reserve kcae topics for consideration winch will come ssre seasonably iu that document , and now to a consideration of your position , and the prottedmis of Conference . As it is my intention to devote the whole of the October number of t » e "Labourer " ' to the Laud Plan , showing the barinjs of the several departments , and their ielatu' 11 to ^ the one great whole—namely , the security of the system—I shall confine my observations now to a review of what has bten co :: e by your delegates .

      firstly , then , as I look to the economical esieauiture of your funds as of paramount importance , I beg to inform you , that while governed by a strong desire to act generously iud compassionately to all , your ' delegates bre seen the greater necessity of being just tsali , and , therefore , they have only voted an advance of £ 5 to a shareholder who brought lis goods to Lowbands from Hull , under the erroneous impression that he had been balloted for that location , whereas his . name is not in lb list at all ; hut the mistake havingoccurred , and he being ballotted for in another estate , the Conference voted him £ 5 , to be refunded out of his aid money when located .

      One circumstance , to which I must draw the ralivided attention of all , is this . —that if the lads of the unlocated were lavishly , improjaiv , and unjustly appropriated to insure the ksediate comfort of tho ^ e located , in order to secure the good opinion and praise of those « the land , as a means of tempting others to a & bark in the undertaking , the " Company ' s anairs would ha very spet-di'v brought to a ckre ; while , upon the oth-.-r hand , if injustice were done to those located , a justifiable charge ciulit be urged against the directors of the Ci-sspany . It is my pride and your protection , io * ever , tliat by your great confidence and national co-operation we have been enabled to relax every stringent rule at iirst adonttu for the

      core secure establishment of the plan ; and th : every member who has been located has Itea located for a less amount of rent , and a larger amount of advantages , than was prescribed by the rules , or entrusted to the ciscrefcon of the directors . These alterations we fc . ve been enabled to make , from the fact of & princi ple of co-operation having far , far exceeded the fondest anticipations of the most « r ., uiue . and which has enabled us to give tit allottees the advant .-i " y of that co-t . ;

      -erawn in the outset , in . stK . -d of reseiring the proceeds from large rents and fewer advances as a sinking fund to be divided amongst t . e members at the dosing of a section ; for stance , in the item of rent ' we have reduced our bcale of charge bv about one and a quarter per cent , on the first £ 100 ; and in the item of fipejniit !) re , consequent upon acts of husariidry we have placed a portion of the amount a- rent instead of deducting all from the * s ; iial .

      - > ow , here , I mean to mention a fact con-Kcted with this sin » la " advance ! of £ 5 . It is tiis , that the delegate who brought Sir Graj * 2 i * s case before us , represented to us that he i-d paid for I 2 cwt . of lii < rga ™ e being brought to Lowbands , and should pay for its being teken hack to his home . I am strongly impressed with belief in the eld adage , which 'a ys : 'Take care of the pence and the pounds * -il take aire of themselves : ' a :: d with that

      Vlew 1 made it my business to inquire of the station master of Tewkesbury for the invoice < 8 Graham ' s goods , and from that I learned fciat tiie weight was 7 and not 12 cwt . infliiigifi this fact way appear . I mention it *~ tI > U purpose , to show you that if an indi-¦ tt ' -ual was Jiaying the money on his own ac-^' ^ 'Jiit lie wouJd have required tlae invoice , and J fan see no probable reason under heaven , * ky 1 ; md every other person connected with ^ e Company should not , as individuals , ba as I' ^ ticalar about the Comj-any ' s money as ^ ut their own . I know I am ruv . th more so , hav

      ^ '" I e paid score of pounds , in small sums , ^ ' -ild' -h I have no receipts , and I have d'argtd for no item for which I have not a * capt . t ? A shall now draw your attention to a ^ jtEAT FACT ;—to a consideration of a part f ^ our principle , and no smtii part either—it Mmt part which refers to tlsinising the labour ^ k ct . Some jiersons may whimsically and a '« rov .-l y iuiH-riue that last " summer and this the

      ^ an : er I merel v reduced ove-r-stoefct-d ^ f <« by thirtv-five located on O'C ' -nnor-^• e ami forty-fiVe located here ; but it is not - % k " c ; iU £ e the act of locating th- * e secured « nployiaeat from the over stocked ; mar ! : et oi J * e than live hundred daily-kbourers of all ^ 'Wjttions , not depending Inion capricious ,, fP ' "t having six " davs work in the ^ atd a fu ] l week ' s wages on Saturday jg ? i > 3 f u wiy be under theV . ark if vou estiie t , Tdv'e persons fully cmplyved f « r every

      ' '' Jj' ' «V < Jj To The Impjjkjal Char...

      '<* - ^*& i'j ^ r ?' - : igsj 0 ' -- ,-, ¦ ** 7 y ..- ' ¦ ..- ¦¦ \^ 4 iuj * r ~~ * ^ ¦ . - 'X"y y \ ' /* ' ¦ % ' /^ ^ w ^ v ^/ : ^^!^/' ' . f . . " ' .. J jd „ J ' V ^ L ^ ~& Zr ^ - ^ - ^^ L ^ / -i s- ;¦ 1 B ... JJ 3 . ' ^ i ? ji «^ V 0 ty * i * *<*&& . a ^ J , J % " y ^ S ^/ j .-: / 1 ^ ' ^ ^^ K ; ' i ^ Sw *^ v s y & 3 5-~ . 3 . %£ j ™ . n & m ! £ ^ / .

      1...J3 .'^Ji«^ " Y^S^/J.-:/ ; : ' I^Sw*^...

      . . _ _ . , „ - . / SJ .. } z ,. ?^^ : Wt ™ MP NATIONAL TRADES' JOURNAL .

      Nxv, - - Occupant Located , Ol- . ? 514....

      NXV, - - , OL- . ? 514 . LONDON , SATOBM ^ iiUGDSfgB , 1847 ™™ ix ™™™ * r ^ .-=: — -- ^—— -Z-l - ° ^ * Five Shilling and Sixpence lt « r n « aTie r I _ - ft ^ ' " ' ¦ in— mMUMm ^ mam ' ¦»•¦¦ ' ¦ •*¦¦ ¦ ' ¦¦ ¦ ' ¦ ¦ ¦ " " ¦ ¦ *«** . « iaw . ¦ w ^ ii 7 i "

      Occupant Located, So That, During Next S...

      occupant located , so that , during next summer , l shall not be at all astonished if the company is giving full employment to twenty-four thousand labourers , and more ; and if Parliament will give that aid , which I feel every confidence in anticinating , I will undertake to employ 200 , 000 labourers daily , and thus relieve farmers from the payment of poor-rates , secure to manufacturers better paynniMiiDinf 1 a .... a .- 1 . « . . .

      ment tor their capital , shopkeepers better remuneration for their labour , and the honest workmen better wages for their services , and stiil more than that , the government a profit of two per cent , interest for all monies advanced , and , as a matter of course , the holders of that fund a better security for their monies than those who advance them upon national faith , secured by the thunder of our cannon and terror of our arms . - :

      ies , my children , I unhesitatingly dedare that _ the / days of | Vclass | i ^ -eminerice " mitst end , and that the hiitioai and riot a handful , must be the clients of the ^ government . And I assert , -without fear of contradiction ' , thaiithe annual amount now paid-in " -: pauperrtax alone , for the ' mere purpose of keeping up a comparatively satisfied competitive ; reserve for capitalists to fall back upon as , a , means of securing ; lar ge . ^ rofits . « utspLwdui ^ d ^ , wa < resr--Ia § sert

      that if that amoimt , say nve millions a year , and not seven , was capitalised at five per cent , it would give us a hundred millions of money , and would give the government 2 , 000 , 000 a-year ( as they would raise it at three per cent , and we would * pay five for it ) and with that hundred millions I would make a paradise of all England , and Ireland too , and would make the present Exchequer a better security even to the National Faith Gentlemen .

      But always bear in mind , my friends , that the great difficulty which has hersiofore presented itself to the improvement of the working classes is this—that their improvement and capitalists ' profit ever increase in an inverse ratio , the v < ore destitute the poor , the greater the prolit to the speculator in his w . iges- But upon the other hand , the greater the comforts oi" the poor , the larger the profits of the shopkeepers , and they have the votes , the people who deal with them have the money : and they hai'e a right to the legitimate protection of those votes .

      1 pass on to the next other point- for consideration—the establishment of a Company ' s Insurance Office . You will understand that , under any circumstances , each allottee will be compelled , by the conditions of his conveyance , to insure his house and premises in some office , or the trustees of the Company , in other words , will be bound to insure the property in the name of the Company , ami not in the name of the allottee ; and for this reason , that , if insured by the allottee , the allottee only could , draw the amount for which it was insured , while he would leave the Company minus a house and p remises . We also propose to insure lives and stock ; the

      lives of members and non-members , but the stock only of the allottees ; and as each member , located and ; not located , of the Company , will have a direct interest in the protection of the Company ' s property , the allottees upon tba several estates will have to appoint a committee of three or five yearl y , who , amongst other duties will have to send to the insurance office a faithful account of the state of health , and value of stock to be insured , as well as a medical certificate of the health , accompanied with their own opinions of the life to be insured ; while the duties referring to the state of health of parties not located , but wishing to insure , will devolve upon the District Observation Committee .

      "W e propose insuring at a lower rate than any other office , and for this reason , because in all other offices the capital of the Company is made up of profits derived from scales of payment regulated by capricious tables of mortality , and in those cases the profits above the required fund for contingencies are divided amongst the insurers . So it will be in our case for the most part , with this exception , that w » establish a lower scale of insurance for the benefit of non-members , while the

      members will receive the profit , all in the shape of reduction of their rent . For instance , when five hundred of a section is located , or three hundred , their fair proportion of the profits arising from the Insurance Company may be applied to the fining down of so much o : their rent . Thus establishing the solvency of the Company better , if possible , than even now , with all the labour of a man aaid his family iroinir to fatten the land , which in its natural state is worth double what we chanre .

      i es , 1 assert , without fear of contradiction , that if the Company consisted of speculators instead of occupants , that every tenement held under the Company would let for double the rent demanded by the Company , and that in all cases a premium would be given by the incoming tenant , winch would go to secure the payment of the reserved rent . The next question to which I shall call your attention is the LOAN FUND . What we

      propose is ^—tnat every occupant requiring a loan , and deserving a loan , shall receive an amount , to be decided by the directors , relatively as reuards two , three , and four acres ; and to secure the repayment of that loan the parties receiving it will be required to get two j-ooil and substantial householders to join 3 iim in a promissory note to repay the amount , witSi five per cent , interest , at such time as the Directors shall decide upon ; always taking care that the repayment shall be at such a date as will allow the occuoant the full use

      and a real beneficial interest in it . And in order to carry this view into execution at once , the directors have been allowed to appropriate as much oi ' the Expense Fund as in their discretion they consider necessary to the purposes of the Loan Fund ; but not a fraction to be . lent to others than those located , and no deduction to be made for interest out of the sum lent , but the interest to he paid at the time the promissory note falls due .

      The nest question of interest to you , is the period at which the several occupants shall be liable to the payment of rent It was not a question submitted to theConference , but it was n resolution cheerfully acquiesced in by that biidy !; that the directors should be empowered to name the day twelvemonth from the day ol location as the period at which the iirst halfyear's rent would be demanded — that is , another loan fund of half-a-year ' s rent—for instance , occupants are located , or their lands are in course of cropping , from the first of May ,

      and if thev are located during the summer , with a portion of work performed by the Company , they are under rent from the 1 st of i ! ay , a year ' s rent will be due on the'foh lowing ' 1 st of May ; they will then on that following 1 st of May have to pay a half year's rent , and that day three years they will have to pay a year ' s rent , 'thus at the end of four years' location , they will be called upon to pay the half-year ' s rent chargeable , but not demanded , the- November after tbeir location . Now this will be a loan of half

      a year ' s rent from November , 1847 , to May , 1851 . The next question to which I beg your attention , is the incde by which allotments are to be hencefo . -th transferred after location ; that is after the Company shall have expended a ' noriivH of its fuftils upon improvements and

      Occupant Located, So That, During Next S...

      cropping . In all such cases of transfer ' , the exchange must take place , not irith the a : inc » tion of the directors , because they cannot prevent it , or in any way interfere , but with tlisir cognizance and under powers devolved upon them as trustees for the Company to the following extent , that is to say—that ' all monies paid to an occupant by a * purchaser as premium , must psiss through the hands of the directors , and all monies expended by the Company will be reserved out of the purchase money , and placed to the account of the Company , the balance being paid over to the vendor ^ and the purchaser then , and not till then , being allowed to take possession . . _

      Now , allow me to show you the wisdom and justice of this position . Suppose an occupant to be liable to any amount of renty say ; £ 12 a year for land and house , and l // i % ^ 'ii year , ' for 30 / ., expended inVacts of husbandry , { ind . given as capital . ; ,, The occupant gets : that 30 * r and his ^ rent is J 3 £ lOs . . - ; . -harvest - "wines , ha lives upon , or disposes of the produce ^ pockets the capital , and-expends no ^< labour upon the j allotment ; the " purchaser comes in -and - must ' undertake the 22 / , rent for lknd and the I / . 10 s . interest of capital which the . outgoing , tenant : has appropriated . Thus the Company having but 12 JL ; a year value in land to . gay 1 . 3 ? . a year tlie reserre'd reht . So Ih *^^^' loan ' and

      sale , the securities of the vendor might be let in for the amount advanced ; ' and therefore , we have decided that in cases such as I have quoted , the directors shall stop the 30 / . advanced by the Company and all loans advanced , and which will be no injustice to either party , because the purchaser will only have to pay 12 / . a year for the land , and , of course , not the 1 / . 10 s . a year for the 30 / ., which he did not get . It will be no injustice to the vendor , because he will take care that the purchaser covers his liabilities to the Company , whereas it is a necessary protection to , the Company and to those who advance money by way of loan .

      The next question is , the mode of regulating the rents of the several occupants , and that , I think , theConference has ' very wisely devolved upon me , and for this reason , because , during the time of operations I am very likely to understand the relative value of every half acre of ground . I learn the value , not of every field , but of every portion of every field , from the farmers in the neighbou rhood and from the labourers who have been working on the land all their lives . You may , however , wish to know the process . I will explain it by a table of eight acres , and that will apply to 8 , 000 . I purchase eight acres of land for 50 / . an acre—four acres are worth 40 / . an acre , and four are worth 6 * 0 / . The man who rents the four acres worth 40 / . an

      acre , pays 8 / . a year for the land , that is five per cent , upon the 160 / . which they cost ; and the man who rents the four acres worth 00 / . an acre , pays 12 / . a year rent , or five per cent , upon the 240 / ., and " thus you will find tiiat the Company has its 20 / . a year , which is five percent , upon the eight acres that cost 50 / . an acre . Now that will put you in possession of the plan , while , as a matter of coarse , upon large estates , the table of relative value will be more varied . For instance , here ( Lowbands ) I make no doubt that some allotments will be valued at Go / , an acre , and mv own

      amongst them , although it is the only one that there ' s not a sod turned upon , or a stone laid upon , or a penny spent upon , and yet I'll have to pay half-a-year ' s rent on the 1 st of May ; but , however , some will be valued at G 5 J . an acre , and some at 35 ? making 100 / . for the two acres , just what 1 gave for it ; some will be valued at 60 / ., and some at 40 / ., again making the hundred ; some will be valued at 55 / ., and some at 45 / ., still making the hundred , and you will see not only the reason but the justice of this— -how unfair it would be , because we bought the land wholesale , to

      give one man four acres of land , worth ( 55 / ., and another man four acres worth only 35 / ., and to charge an equal rent for both ; but , even independent of the injustice , view it in a commercial point of view—the whole , and not a part , is liable to the depositors in the bank far four per cent . ; well , A having 240 / . worth of land for 10 / . a year , would be very good security for SI . a year to the Bank , —but B having only four acres , worth 35 / . an acre , or really 7 / . a year , would be very bad security to the hank , whereas A and 13 , rented according

      to the real value of the land , will be very good security for the joint amount . And here , allow me to draw your attention to a question which would have more properly come under the previous head , namely , sale of allotments . It is this , some men are captivated with the richest allotment , and they are right—but if I exercise my judgment wisely , and make a fair assessment of value , the very worst lot on an estate is worth precisely the same as the very best lot . For instance , A pays 12 / . a year for four acres of Lmd—vou'll observe I

      exclude house and capital , —and B pays 8 / . a J ^ ear ; now , the purchaser who gives the arger amount for the better lot , forgets that he is paying 4 / . a year , or four per cent , upon 100 / ., over and above what he would have to pay if he had purchased B ' s lot : therefore , to my mind , as the land is the best savings bank in the world , and , as , to a certainty , B ' s lot in five years will be as good as A ' s lot , I would rather give the same amount of money for the worst lot , than for the best lot . However , that is a matter for the consideration of purchasers , but one upon which their eyes should be opened , whereas , with regard to the mode of assessing the value of allotments , there cannot be the shadow of a shade of a difference of opinion .

      The next question to which 1 shall call your attention more particularly , is the LAND PURCHASE DEPARTMENT . Now , there was so much controversy upon this point previous to the meeting of Conference that 1 reserved explanation which would only lead to altercation in the several localities , until I had a clear representation of all sound opinions , from whom my plan , when explained as a whole , was sure of receiving calm deliberation , and through whom I could digest it for the several constituencies . To my mind , then , the greatest auxiliary to the Land Company is

      the Land Purchase Department , and for this reason , that it gives us more wholesale advantages than we could otherwise possess ; for instance , we have 0 , 000 / ., and v / ant an estate that is to be sold , the value of which is 10 , 000 / . ; we have twenty purchasers in the purchase department , who have p aid up all demands upon them in full , say ' 200 L each , or 4000 / . Their money then aids us in the purchase of the estate ; we are enabled to g ive the 10 . 000 / ., and get for the members land for b' 000 / ., which , if bought in the lesser bulk , would have cost us ( J 500 / ., because , relatively ,

      you will get le ? s land for 6000 / . than you will for 12 , 000 / ., that is , if you buy half the 12 , 000 / . worth of land , you will probably have to pay 7000 / . But , apart from that , each of those members in the land purchase department has paid 12 / . 10 s ., or 250 / . in the whole , towards the expenses of the Company , or to the capital oi * the Company , because each , upon entering , pays 10 / . premium for four acres , that is 2 / . 10 s . per acre ; a three acre member pays 7 / . 10 s . premium , and , a two acre member 51 . premium , and , in addition to this , each member , no matter to what class lie belongsj p ays 2 / , \ Qs . * towards making out the

      Occupant Located, So That, During Next S...

      gent r .. i tg } conveying , the ^ andand swveym ?> , f * % » ;^ fy' ^^ l # re ^ memlier .-payS m m- ~^ y ^ m ^^ Mmr ^ mmii every t *» 0 rc mem ber ^ fc ^ SiiiiNw- ^ -ii . pensstio ^ t ^^ i ^ iBg ^ oft ^ nJ itJ ^^ i ]^ . but gets || ipe > ration ; iippii ' the' next esta ' Jej parchaaedfiifter he . shall- have < - -. paid up his ' money irfpll , He- suits himself as to the ' descriptioWhouso i begets the " material at tne-samovn-lce- as we do—wholesale ;¦ ¦ he gets the land $# ie > trtj ^ market at the wholesale price , and ^ as £ don tt dread a four acre tfake , a thretf aMordi or a twaere- ' aaiiir * if . fe-ni » ' » tnre ^ aere ..-iord , or a twM « re -squireit is

      , ; my impress ^ thRt ' that c & ss ^ w ' ilLbe madeup of the ariffocracy of the ; , trade » and will riialke room fo ^ eirpoorer ' ; Methreri ; io , ; take their | dace . ^|& t ; apart fr ^ m ^ a ' tiStp ^ id . building ^ and mate ^ alsjuport- e ' ft ^ h ^§^ tet ^ aW- g 9 ld ^ t (> M ^ Pm ^^ M ^ ^^ ISiiM qthefw-B || i $ ught ^^ o'faose |» $ im ^^ whi ch ^ 1 ^^ are » tp 5 bft ' :-lbc ^ differencsgij' if' they ; Im ^^ aM - 1 ^^ *^ cirvjtliey receive ^ le ovevplus . ihlck * i tb ^^ akl ^ another , and

      a ^ jpe i ^^ e ^ id ^ yieW ' jo ^ i ^^^ P wUl put it thjgjp-j ^ pledge ^ t my ^^| b e ^ liat , in ; ieM , tha n |^ : eke -v ^ l n &^ MiNfelitt ^^ W ^ i ^ i' *^ tf £ ni jnOT ^^ will take the three-acre deparftaenf ; as' the " average—tiieu those 500 members will have given the Company 5000 / .,-at 107 ; a . man : now , there is a very convenient Loan > F ' und , a very convenient Expense Fuiid . a very convenient Sinking Fund , to be distributed- amongst the several shareholders , ?! very solid additional security for the bank . So that , upon the whole , I never was more struck with the

      necessity of further knowledge upon this branch of the subject than on reading the several hostile resolutions denouncing it in different localities . Why I am the man , the only man , that should denounce it , and for this simple reason , that if I chose to devote my time to this department alone , I would undertake to realize an income' of 30 , 000 / . a year , and upwards ; and in that there would be no enrolment , no registration , no bother about Feargus O'Connor dying , as all the chances would be confined to-the time between purchase mid distribution , while I could transact

      the whole business by half a clerk , as the sums would be ssnt in large amounts . Some have objected to the project , lest it should monopolise too much of MY time . Well , although I am against all monopoly , I at once and cheerfully concede the prescriptive right that the fustian . 'jackets , the blistered hands , and un shorn chins have to my undivided time and attention , and God knows very little of it is spared to any other class , or to the management of my own affairs , which . I am paying others to transact for me ; but , in order to answer the objection , I beg to assure my lords and masters , the working men , that the addition of this department will not occupy one

      hour of my time throughout the year ; it will take no more time to purchase an estate for purchasers and occupants , than to purchase one for occupants alone ; it will take none of mytime to have it surveyed , it will take none of my time to build their houses or cultivate their land , while from the pr ide that I have in the project , and in return for the confidence they repose iu me , I shall certainly overlook and direct . the erection of their houses and the cultivation of their land , and see that they are dealt-justly by , and which will not monopolise an hour of my time . For all these reasons , then , I sincerely rejoice that the Conference has expressed an unanimous opinion upon this question .

      The next question to which I shall draw your attention , is that of closing the company . It is quite true that I had mentioned my intention of confining the Company ' s operations , as far as I was concerned , to four sections . It is equally true that I never presumed that they would reach even two sections , but my reasons for resolving to close at four were numerous , they arose from a variety of circumstances , all creating no small amount of annoyance , and each tending to increase my responsibility , but I am happy to say , that most , if not all , have been dispelled by that protection and watchfulness with which the inquiring mind of the working classes is ever sure to protect those who exert themselves

      honestly and zealousl y in their cause . At the time 1 mentioned my intention of closing the Company at the fourth section , there was a general outcry throughout the country at the step , but since then a notion , and " not a very unfounded one either , has sprung up , based upon the presumption that the fact of closing the Company would raise the price of paid-up shares , and 1 never did intend that this Plan should become the groundwork of speculation . Moreover , I am but one of five , and have but one voice in five , and my brother directors were one and all most violently opposed to the closing of the Company . "Moreover , from the rapid manner iu which Members joined the fourth section . I saw that my house was not

      yet full , and that Labour s building should be sufficiently large to admit all who sought shelter or required shelter . Again , I have now two large packing cases of letters from individuals , assuring me that perseverance in my resolution would lead to heartburning and sorrow—that trade was so bad many were prevented from joining — that a thorough knowledge of the Plan was only now being entertained , —and for all these reasons , but more especially from the tact that a fifth section will aid the other sections , and that a fiftieth section would aid forty-nine sections , and from the fact of the vanity that 1 entertain that no other living man will possess the confidence or have the perseverance to carry

      out this plan ; and from the tact that the avidity and anxiety to possess land would to a great extent lessen the requisite inquiry into the pretensions and skill of those who would undertake to carry out the same scheme ; and , above all , from the fact that the good men of Nottingham have now placed me iu a situation to give wings to the plan ; and still further , from a conviction that all should be allowed a sufficient time to deliberate , I voted for keeping the Company open till the last day of the present year , which will be extensively announced , ' and within which period every man wishing to enter will have the power of paying three-pence , which will establish Ids right of membership , and leave him the future to establish his claim to the

      ballot . 1 have witnessed a strong desire that the Company should be closed from some parties who . « ffer the most violent opposition to the step ; and , upon the whole , my resolution was governed by a positive and a negative consideration ; positive , that it was better for existing members that it should be kept open ; negative for non-members , that it affords the best protection against the thousand-and-one foot

      schemes which would be instantly set on , and not one of which could or would offer the same guarantee , or the > ame advantages , that the present Company guarantees ; and as for the opposition of those who may be disappointed in receiving a premium upon their paid-up shares , to them I offer no consolation beyond my reprobation for an attempt to speculate in the labour and sensitiveness of their poorer brethren . Upon tiie wliole , I most siucerely thujik . Mr Gnujshy for his very

      Occupant Located, So That, During Next S...

      wise and timely interposition , which caused unanimity and saved thousands from deception ;; ' TheCon ^ iny ^^ till-the 3 isto | yDeceniber , and ^ e ^ Vyt ^ mwn ' .. whashall have paid his' three'pe ^ n ^; t ;^ prescribed expenses ,: up to . thajt ' . ' . pii ' io ( l ' \ viii ' be ajmember of the National'Lari'd-. Company , ' and ¦ by " 'that time our name will be Legion , and in the following month I shall require a petition from every Land member and his family , fwvying . for assistance , which in proper time I sh all define and submit to the members ' ¦ of is

      ^ Tt ^ e appointment schoolmaster a question iupM * * which " , I need say little—the resolution of Con-Ter ' encV is so " thoroughly in accordance with the rule * sr \ harmony , propriety , and common sense . No jOtherpaYty than the directors could possibly dii ' lchayg 3 vih \ : i ( luty ~ ifjt :. wa 3 . 1 effc to the ailottees " , some : cM ( lriij » - w . ould beWdueated , arid aoroe would-be ! % jj # ' ^» tor ^^^ t ^ qra-s lie ^ Mrnm ^ ^ i ; ^? ;^ eA rs : TOjildJiaye acted , -moat wisely ) iu ¦ ^' or aina ^ ii ^' a *^ few- there would have . ; been i colttt $ jiiJl & election ; Under'the . pjrwanfrar ^ exercise

      , any- fattqiiagey . under . the presnfc arrange-. mewyKfi- djr ^ oV ^' cle ^ h ^ .-tlss ; occup-mfs-have ' tliepiower of dtsi ^ ismg ^ 'Ha ^' ivtho wise arranged ; menii-thcprudent arrangement— the only possible ^ i ^^ en ^ Mj ^^ j edmaiwiy could be . xeured ' - TheiVisVoiily-one other ^ the proceedings-of Conference , but materially connected with the-well-being of the occupants ' * te > be mentioned ,. and ifc is this ; tliaiourarrangeinentshave placed the occupants in a position of perfect fade- j pendanee for . the first year , and I- will now ssiowi you the facility with which they may pay their rents ' after the first year , and when they have been broken 1 ! in to agricultural labour . In harvest time andiiav !

      time , say during live-weeks , the labour of a man and his family will be worth 30 s . a week , or iTIOs ., and remember ,, that every man is agoodmaa- inharvest , and every wosian is then a- man . la thi : spring of the year ,, the labour of a man anfl ' iiis family may he lowly estimated at £ l- a wesk for four weeks , and if you put those sums together , they will make £ 11 . 10 s-. earned ,, which will be over the rem of a two-acrs occupant , and will make a good hole in the rent of the largest , while it will , leave each forty-three weeks- ' work in the year , and the wliole produce of bis allotment for consumption and clothing ; but I am shrewdly of opinion that all will-find out , that if their labour is worth 30 s . to aianuerit is worth something more for themselves .

      I shall now state a few interesting facts that transpired at the Conferensc , more "beautiful incidents " than the beautiful incident , so enormously puffed . by the press , of Her Most Gracious Map-sty being graciously pleased to hiss the infant Marquis of Lome , the heir apparent to His Grace of Argyle , while not a word-is said of the- " beautiful incident " of my playing with , and kissing all the little children located in Lowbands ; hut this is the "beautiful incident . " Mr Hornby , who most zealously ami ably represented his located brethren at O'Connorville , stated as follows : —That the occupants there , thirty-Jive in number , had amongst them from 150 to 200 pigs j and when the question of complaints ,

      made by one occupant from Bradford , was dLcusscd , Mr Smith , the delegate from Bradford , showed that that occupant had received in cash , since his location , over £ 10 , over and above all the acts of husbandry perforata for him , and without any deductions for seed , or anything else . Ay , icplkd Mr Hornby , hut I beg to state that he bought two heifers with part of that money . This retort , as you may suppose , was received with roars of laughter . Now , another fact , connected with this location , is this , that a man , of the name of llenham , of whose

      success I entertain serious doubts , has resolved upon conquering—and , to my great delight , I found him this morning serving the plasterers , determined to earn what he could—in fact , apart from the little annoyances consequent upon the transition from a city to a country life , I am gratified beyond measure at seeing the devotion , the industry , and the resolution , of the occupants here . Some men will pay the fec-sinijde of their allotments in less tha : < three years , and already , the place begins to slv-sw the value of labour .

      My friends , builders and carpenters examined the work here ; they have taken their opinions—not my opinions—back to their constituencies , ami all thai I as ert , in the face of the world , is that sueh working men's cottages were never built—that so much work was never performed for a fifth more moneythat better materials were never used—amltiiat greater happiness was never within the reach of the several occupants located—and , with scarcely an exception , all confess it . Indeed , the ruU of yesterday is rubbed off by the sunshine of the morrow , and it must he always horns in mind that men arc not to lump , as if bv magic , frosn the

      hostile or the cellar to a mansion ; or from slavery to idleness ; but by industry each -. vill conquer every obstacle , and by perseverance all will be happy . Mr Woolff Moss , and his ' Opposite neighbour , have got the only bit of lean upon the estate , but their allotments shall be made as good as their neighboiuv , ami their rents will be in proportion to their value ; but again I caution you against presuming that every man , of every vocation , and some of wirnu mav never have trod a field before , is to succeed , as if by magic , or to be charmed into happiness ; while they have the gratifying resource that they will rec-ive over £ 100 for the £ 5 . G . ; . -Id . paid , if they are dissatisfied with their new callinc . Such is their solace ,

      and the Company s protection . I had the pleasure of entertaining the delegates , and a number of frijiids . atsnppiron Friday night , in our own school room , for 1 am one of the occupants at Lowbaudo , and I will venture to assert that there was never such a sight in Worcestershire ur Ensiar .-. I before . J left at half-past two , but my guests enjoyed themselves till four , unking the huViling ring with mirth , eloquence , and song-Mr Shaw , of London , contributing no mean share to the hilarity ot tin ;

      ni- 'ht , for he is a most charming companion . N-nv considering , that for a fortnight before the occupants were localnh that I mis up from Jive ti . J twelve , and that 1 had no easy duty during the Conference week , and that after paying the allottees their respective amounts of capital , I started for the Newton-heath Camp Meeting , Lancashire , on Saturday night , was hack again here at fen o ' clock on Monday morning ; and I assure you , so thoroughly exhausted , that 1 had fifteen hours sleep of it ; ami

      when you think that 1 had to send an account to the office of every fraction paid here , and at Newton , to me ; and when I tvll you that it is now seven o'clock , and that I haven ' t dined yet , and thai 1 have to start for Oxfordshire at six o ' clock to-tuorvow morning , and have yet to write aiwthar letter before 1 go to bed ; you will say that I have performed mv share of the duty , as 1 am determined thai no failure shall be a coiK-eipi .-nce of my nuhtference . or want of perseverance . The Octofeei number of the Labourer will contain a critical treatise

      upon the whole Land Plan , and henceforth the iirst number of the Northern Star in each mouth will contain instructions fur the allottees for that month , and shall be entitled "The Gardener ' s Calendar . ' Hoping that William Gioeutt will read this letter to our Manchester friends , and that it will be read in each locality , and thai the Stor will be preserved , as a Aiirror ' of Conference , _ I remain , my dear friends , Your faithful Friend and Bailiff , Fkahkus O'Connor .

      . The Lam) Flan And The Late Elk O Tion ...

      . THE LAM ) FLAN AND THE LATE ELK O TiON . The following is from the Tablet , ( Catholic joinu . il ) of last week , AU |! . 21 : — ' Even the Chartists , suiVicieii ' ily destructive thou"li they be , huvothouejits iu ttvaaetmkUH \ vol \ - ' above destruction . They are iinfjinuiiH ; to ba constructive ; they protest it is their wish ' to build up , and nut to pull down j * by means of a ' Labour Fund' they are taking possession of tha land ; thry are labouring to lind u remedy for their social evils by combini )! . ; ' to create employment and now oalihuw j lor that ' surplus population , ' of which we have 1 heard so much . Of this new movement , Ve-u'gus i O'Connor , be he qunckorno quack , honest or dls-I honest , is the lender , and will be a poworinl expos : e » J M the new Piuli M ^ W .

      To The Impjjkjal Chartists. ^ My Vert. N...

      TO THE IMPJJKJAL CHARTISTS . ^ My vert . nsAR Fiuknds , Your improved position renders any apolog ? for my last month ' s devotion to the Land Plan unnecessary . In fact , you may now he left to your own guidance , without the slightest danger to tha cause of democracy i and yet , I have longed to snatch an hour from . the consideration of othfif questions interesting to you . to join in exultation over our recent triumphs . I have read the newspapers , and from their . I learn that what we co » " * l" ** * i — " _ , TO TIIE IMPEfUAL CilAimSTS . " ^ ur— ........ * -. _

      j tended for , and were imprisoned for contending ' the parties who imprisoned ub are now conJcndinj for the same things ; and sure ); you canapl impact , nor can our persecutors hope , th £ t i will forget the wholesale injustice to which , we wresiibjectedfthfl rutldessnianfler-in-which we werc /^ ircssed , and the foul veiigcaiicfi that was take ' tr o ' vfiir ., friends ^ If you can , I cannot ; and ifis hopeIes « 'for the representatives' of faction to endeavour to" iniimidatflr me , by sayingthat 1 will findmy level iu "Ae Senate House . I was there iVIfore * and I found Siy level ; since I was there , thanks to your teaching , . I have learned what my level will he when i go-there

      again . . ' I fancy , whether-presumptuously or not . thaS'J ' understand , more of-the Labour Question , and mere' ' off theseiitiro-entsof the labottrers , thau the whole-Ife-use put together , with the one exception of ¦/ cur" . leafier ami-chief , xrho visjter ] you and meiii our FELOIfS .. ' .. '" © E ^ EpjjT ^ - £ gii ^ neverwni ' nsk , ' me , ivrm . neyar " ¦ wij £ e £ pcc ^ e ^^^ ^ . c ^^| e | y | i 3 ;; . a ^ encour ^ cd- us in = oiif .. . . enpt " iyitjr ^^;; cn $ .. # ytf ^ yourTequest .- '• 'W e ' . never cm forget' t } iat if ;' othersH . ' Iqiaei . ^ Whenkyre- ^ K strqiii £ aadv » ros [ ji ! i-bus , tliaf ; puNca ^ B ' -3 eized ; T ' ae " . -ino ^ raeftl ; 'bif oitr weakness -ft * :

      beepme / one amongstus : . ; r . Wry . miicli feV . r . th ' a ^ ,- - / . neepme-ene amongsfcus :: I' . *? sry . raucu te ? . r thatyf-. ¦ yoii . arersow iiubffireat to yourVpositSon , and that ^ you . jwill sot yet make the most ; of it . Let n : 3 pic-WeW' roaHwhatthat . position is . Ml the Monarchies of Europe are tre ; : i ); -liij | - * ' irsm > the corruption that has been proved against these- that' support 'hem . The-league of itinjjs M-i : is ? dfi " cie « J to destroy the league of people ? and yet thai rssad , now - ¦ natured and !> en !; upon domestic reform , will , if mt watchful , he diverted 1 from the pursuit b ' y f & reign diplon :-wv .

      : Tiie whole vwH is now t : inied-topay Survey , an'd 3 « t of universal-chaos I look to tha hsjeoved mind f .- » England , as the means of producing ; arder and rale . America h as weakened ? herself by her desolating and treacherous war ajrvinst the Mexicans , an-. il a national ile "; fr , monarchy , and the afeeiidancy of asp ' taUsts , must be the result The foil ! conduci ; the enormous treachery , and increasing brutality-of-the Frer . oh aristocrasy , are sowing the seeds of revolution hi- that-cowissy . The concession of ' a-Constitution wrung-from the Auioerafc of Prussia * - the godfather of our future k-insr , has laid the fcaudation of repubuoaubia iu

      his-domisions . The domination , the treachery , of- Me'teraich , makes Austrian resistar . e * to liberalism' indiinensable ; whilst the posi'lon assumed by the reforming . Pope opens the mind of Italy , and prepares the founders of civilisation for the re-assumptitm-of-those rights- of which modern- , cjavcrnmeuii lave robbed , them . The republic o ? Switzerland stands ir .-. tha scale between the Autocrat of Austria and the rerorr . iiner

      Pope . The Autocrat of Russia looks to his wealth and bis consequent influence upin inodsrn- states , backed by the ignorance oi his serfs , as the guarantee of his power ; while the aristocmsy of England trembles under the weighs of its own enormities : and yet , in theia trying and embarrassing circumstances , I confidently look to your improved minds as the safeguard and protection r . pi .-. st the usual appliances of monarchies / ar . d- tsir . istries in , distress .

      Ireland , in the next session ,-. an-of om \ . wul be the ministers' great difficulty , but ths difficulty will consist , not in ruling the people aright , but inrsatisfyinj the expectations of Irish representatives . The press tells yon that the principles of > Repeal have derived a great accession from the roesnt elections—but I toll yon ' . hat the professions of the new converts to that measure , are like the professions-of the new converts to Chartism—many of whom hava adopted the principle in the hope of strangling : L Repeal means Ireland for the Irish ; a Conservative Itenealer means patronage for the church ,, p . itro-.-tagc far the landlord , patronage for the aristocracy ,, and exclusive privileges fur the exclusive classes . Ireland was not move thercuiciily sold to the

      Whigs in 1837 , than Ireland has oeca so ; d in tiie recent election , to the highest bidder—whether it be I ' rki ., Bkntinck . or Hussar .. ' .. That , Englishmeu , was my reason for insisting upon a discuss ; : ; : ! upon , the llepeal Question every session- of Parliament—in ; onkr that tha virtue and consistency of the professors might be annually tested—and , believe me , as experier . es is yearly teaching you , ymi will learn , in the Ion-- vua . that tha r . us' ; over : i . " . iC ' . ' . t of Ireland is

      the s'leatest crievanee you kavo to cowonu agamsr , Vihile the juggle , successfully practised by the Irish leaders , has been the only grievance against which mv country men have had to contend ; ami j et . thinkif you can think sobrly and . de ' . i !) irately upon so great an iniquity , upon so blasphemous a si : ? , upon such an act of patricide , thi : u % —oh , lUink , of men , contending for nationality , refusing to pledge themselves to reject the golden bait of the

      oppressor . What would you say to me if I asked for , or if [ would accept of , place ,, pension , or emolument from a cabinet opposed to my principles ? and what must vou sav ! o the servile ,. slavish crev--, who profess to be the champions of a reviled ic / igio . *' , the advocates in " a persecuted faith ,. th « s sticklers for nationality , actually tickets themselves for sale , and making merchandise of their country's misery ? AYii . it hope , [ ask vou , is there for Ialand ,. when her national

      cause is made batter , to secure the pro-eminence ot ministerial beg ^ ttrs , i-- > pLase the caprice of an hierarchy , or to satisfy the cravings of an impotent , incompetent faeiion ? Sy . n'ii 0 'i 5 at ! :. \' s hido . 'tiiiablc counv' -i and integdty j-ioparihaeii las seat tor Limerick , while the managers of Conciliation Hall allowed a Catholic counterfeit to walk , as far as they were coucev-acd , over the course for Dungarvan . Yes , had not the proprietor of the ttmv Examiner

      ° ' "The good men , the true men , " of Dungarvan an opportunity of testing their devotion , their fealty to tiie good , old cause , the iiastc ? of the Mint , hacked by the ha-iks of Conciiiatica Hail , would have ridden roughshod ever the si ' . l , U livimr spirit of the borough . Vvi . cn 1 rememhe :

      how i fought for the iud > -pcu ' . ieuce oi that i > -jr . ; - ^ . «» in l'So-1 , after cur defeat in the House of Com- ' . j . o-s , and returned . l . vcou by my own exertion , backed by the independent eUctois , I mourn for the fate to which Conciliation Hall diplomacy has . bny . vuht my country , lint still , Englishmen , although I a : u your representative , you will not gag me- •„ yen w ' ' not shackle me ; while I represent yon - ; uiu'st ! y yon will allow me to renn-sent mv own coite ; : ; y proudly .

      If ever there was an election which ia * wrajmass « dUjjracefouv to a natian , it is the sscsnt gcncial election iu irclaud ; when a thv-iv ^ id uotr . patuJo the- Hck . vuUi ' . eS of Conciliation Uall , was the oest : t .: sv oJ filucis for ™ UUh revrcsca . 'suv--. * bsj e been banished from that country for now Wse lu vears , and vet the indolence t fleers , the mahgmty of tU" , wa , and the cold builfwvcncc ot Ir . a pco-ue . uWMctmnuo uiafor-j -ii thai 1 am an ioiuaaa ; and v . hen the time caincs . l will prcve lo my ^ unlry , men that an write , expatriated for his devotion , . ui been the cause of procuri .- * more sigunuves for f C ' u . ' -u ' . 'iucdW l ! ii- &;& l ' W c'

      * ' W 'W ^-. ' V S • ''" 1^ I - - -N& I ...

      * ' W 'W ^ - . ' V S ''" 1 ^ - - -n & i & - ' '¦ fVv :

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 28, 1847, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_28081847/page/1/