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    « Qoi helps those thit help themselves."

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    TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMP...

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    Company and which decided me against doW...

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    _T = ^H^/ A _. _v _ a if ____^_^L AND _ ...

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    FORTHCOMING MEETINGS. BniGH.usB.—A camp ...

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    S * 1 I

• Transcript

  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    « Qoi Helps Those Thit Help Themselves."

    « _Qoi helps those thit help themselves . "

    To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

    TO THE MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LAND COMPANY . Mt dear Friends , There is not Id any language a truer maxim t 0 be found than that which says— "If you _. _- _^ _nt to have your business done , GO ; if not , q £ _2 vD ; '* and the meaning of which is , that no _^ ne can do a man ' s business as well as a man c an do his own . And what I have endeavoured i 0 t _ eh both tho English and the Irish people since I entered public life is , that in one year they could accomplish for themselves every act of grace for which they have been begging in v « _-v _ throughout all time . And therefore I have ascribed every act which they call tyrannical to their own indifference , disunion , and want

    of confidence ; in fact , all classes , except the people , are thoroughly united—not only as classes , but farther , those several classessinking their own differences—are amalgamated into one great anti-popular association This is so evident that it requires not the repetition of a single fact to prove it ; and we see this concentration of class power most une-¦ quivoca-ly manifested in the House of Commons . The rule of Whigs and Tories is to suppress the vices of their party , to magnif y their virtues—if they have any—and if they have not , to work up an amiable weakness ( though it should only amount to a recommendation to slaughter 20 , 000 promptly in the

    hope of saving a much g reater number of lives ) into profound philanthropy , dictated by the purest Christian feeling . Upon the other hand , the practice of that class called " the people is , to suppress the virtues and magnif y the vices of their own party ; always _entertaining suspicion , hatred , or jealousy towards each other . There is net , then , I contend , one sinele g rievance of which the producing classes Lave to complain , that they may not remedy by the app liances at their own disposal . Nay , I * go further , and contend , that it needs no trouble—that it requires no expense—that , so far from incurring danger in the prosecution ef their labours in this direction , every step thev take secures and strengthens their

    protection . Tiie Whigs are not the Government of the middle classes , no-of the old Whig aristocracy . They are the Government of the people ' s adoption , acceptance , and protection ; because the very existence of a Government is the . _rongest evidence of the popularity of that Government inasmuch as it is in the power of a united peop le to displace any Government in less than six months , however strong it might be in class support . Now , there is not a working man who reads this assertion that can deny it ; nor is there a working man who has abstained from _ kin _ his fair share in those social and

    p olitical movements which have been agitated for the purpose of securing social and political equality for the working classes , who has a right to complain of any grievance , injustice , er injury he may eufftjr at the hands of those who hold power by his indifference . I have frequently told the working classes , that _if-they struggled for political power for one month as I have struggled for twenty-five years , they would long since bave achieved their object . Having said so much by way of preface , I shall now call yo'ir attention to the subject matter of this letter . I suppose that every member of the Land Company has read the resolutions of the Select Committee , and I

    presume , that , in moral as in physical struggles , the peop le will suppose that the leader who surrounds himself and strengthens himself in a defensive , as well as in an offensive position , best discharges fcis duty to his followers ; as nothing can he more foolish , or indeedmore unjust , than to strengthen the hands of the enemy by weakening your own ; and , therefore , that Committee having resolved unanimously that we may or may not wind up the affairs of the Company , or still prosecute our operations , looking to Parliament for legal protection under altered circumstances , and also seeing that that committee expunged the word " impracticable , '' as embodied in one of tha resolutions proposed by the chairman , and

    finding the words , " as at present constituted , embodied in another resolution , every share holder who has invested his money in the transaction will at once understand not onl y the pains and penalties , but the indignity to v , hich I should subject myself , were I , in the teeth of those resolutions—drawn up in the best spirit , and leaving tbe largest possible latitude for the prosecution of our objects , even in the present form—I say , were I to refuse compliance with those resolutions—• which must be rather taken in the spirit of kind remonstrance and advice , than as the slightest attempt to injure the Land Plan—I should not only be guilty of ingratitude to the Committee , but of treachery to the ¦ members .

    I shall now point out the two monster illegalities relied upon by the Chairman , by Mr Laves , the barrister , and , in fact , which I admitted myself , before anj committee was appointed , and to correct which I introduced mv Bill—namely , the Bank , in connexion with the Land Plan , being in violation of the several Banking Acts ; and , secondly , the Ballot , which is in violation of the several Lotterv Acts .

    Now you must always hear in mind , these _illegalities have been forced upon me b y the growth of the monster , as in the outset I bad contemplated an infant scheme ? but , like Frankenstein , if I had not observed the strictest honour in the administration of your funds , my monster would have destroyed both you and me . The question ofthe Bank I can easil y dispose of , by separating its connexion altogether from the Land Company . In this there is no difficulty , as it is my intention to issue a circular to every depositor , giving him the option to withdraw his money , with interest up to the dav of withdrawal , or to continue his deposit under the new arrangement , which is as follows ;—

    That the Bank is wholl y severed from the Land Company , and henceforth will stand soleiv in my name . With this question the Land members have nothing to do , and the depositors have the option of withdrawing their money , with interest , or of allowing it to remain upon the following terms and security : — At an interest of four per cent ., paid halfyearly ; no money to be advanced b y me except upon _' the deposit of the title deeds , representing the amount of money advanced , or vested in Exchequer BiSs _. _f er other Government Security .

    That not a fraction of the money snail be otherwise applied . That I owe no moneythat I will contract no debts which could in any way make any portion of the property liable to mv creditors , as I have none , and will have

    none . C . That I pledge my word * and honour that money to any amount so lodged in the Bank , shall be protected for the benefit of the depositors . That in order to disentangle the whole _concern , I will , _spon the adoption of the propositions which 1 am abont to submit , make leases to the several occupants now located upon the several estates of the Company , charging

    no more than four per cent , as rent upon the Outlay ; and I will then assign the whole property to trustees , upon condition that I shall appoint one , and that that one shall be Mr Shannan Crawford ; and I believe to him no man in the National Land Company will make a single _objectien , inasmuch as I believe he would be the first man to expose any injustice , come from w _ at quarter it mi g ht ; and what I have always courted is , the most strict and rig id management of the Company ' s affairs .

    The members themselves will take care to nominate two other trustees of acknowled ged character and integrity , and in the names of those trustees all future properties will be purchased . As far . therefore , as getting rid

    To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

    of the Bank illegality , and the suspicion attached to all the property now standing in my name , I can relieve the Company of those two objections in less than a month , and no depositor can complain , in case of dissent , of having twenty shillings in the pound and interest returned to him . Every other hank has not acted so . Thus I discharge myself of this monster illegality , and now I come to the twin monster—the Ballot—which is professedly in violation of all the Lottery Acts ; and releasing the Company from which , and the banking irregularities , there can be no possible objection urged against the recommendation ot the committee , that Parliament should legalise the Company in its altered form _.

    IV ow , my friends , you must criticall y understand that every member of the Company is directly interested in seeing to its legalisation , and vou will now admit that I had b y far the largest stake in the hedge , and that stake I will leave in the hedge , adding to it if necessary , until by my own energy I place the Land Company in a situation never achieved b y any Company before ; in fact , if you are never able to pay me , and if failure is caused either through my enthusiasm or indiscretion , I will be satisfied to pay the penalty by relinquishing mv claim to repayment .

    I established the Land Purchase Department with the view to making the funds of the more wealth y an aid to the poorer class ; but two Land purchasers having given me more trouble and bother than all the other members of the Company , I abolish the Land l _' urchase De partment altogether ; and , indeed , the premium required from those men was much too small to compensate for the great advantages afforded thern . And the substitute that I now propose , instead of the Ballot , is this : —

    That when an estate is read y for location , instead of selecting members by the ballot , thoselocations—that istheri ghtto occupancyshall be divided h y purchase amongst those paid up members thus : —I will presume a hundred allotments to be read y for location , and , instead of balloting for those amongst the shareholders , the paid-up members henceforth shall bid for priority ; and tbis mode of disposing of the Ballot , so far from injuring the poorer shareholders or postponing their time of location ,

    will , upon the contrary , hasten the event , and leave a large surplus upon the winding up of the affairs of the Company for every one of its members . And this is a portion of the subject to which I would especially draw their attention , namely — that the Company , as I now seek te constitute it , will be a Benefit Society and a Savings Bank for the funds of the poor , in truth and reality . And there is also another question to which I wish to draw the attention of the members , and it is this : —

    That , if the Company is based upon tho . = e principles which I mean to submit , and if the property is vested in Trustees , the affairs could be carried on as successfully , as rapidly , and as securely , as if the Company was protected by a thousand Acts of Parliament . However , under its altered form—not altered in essence or in spirit—there will [ be no difficulty in securing legal protection . Now , the ballot we must get rid of—location b y p riorit y of payments would stop the receipt of funds _altogether , and would give the richer an

    advantage over the poorer members , whereas location by purchase secures the most favourable circumstances for the developement of our future prospects , as well as the further means for securing the location of the poorer members , and will also stamp the properties of the Company with the best marketable value , and thus release us from all difficulty as to mortgage or sale . But , as this is a vital question , it—like the several other changes that I am about to propound—will be submitted to the consideration of all the members / and upon them all will have tn decide .

    The other alterations , which I _ submit to the consideration of the several members , are as follows : — That the price of allotments shall be raised to £ 5 , £ 7 10 s ., and £ lO . That the title shall be a lease for any life the occupant chooses to select , and ninety-nine years in reversion—that is , that the occupant shall have a freehold and ninety-nine years after the death of the person named in the lease . This has been a matter much mooted , and the necessity for the change will be seen at

    once when I tell you that the expense ot conveyance would average over £ 10 a man , while the expense of the lease that I propose will not exceed £ l 5 s . ; and I think that one life and ninety-nine years after its expiration , will be just as good as a tenure as a lease fer ever . However , the matter of expense is one that cannot be lost sight of , especially when you understand that the expense upon a hundred conveyances alone would locate four more members upon three acres each . The expense of Mr Sillett ' s conveyance of two acres was

    £ 14 . The next alteration is , that those located , as well as those not located , shall also pay up the additional amount of shares . The next is , that every two-acre shareholder shall pay twopence per week ; every threeacre shareholder threepence ; and every fouracre shareholder fourpence : as a reserve fund , out of which aid money shall be paid , and which will revert to the members upon the winding up ofthe affairs of the Company .

    The next is , that the occupants , after the first three years , shall commence to repay the aid money , in such half-yearly instalments as will not . stress them , and , according to the repayment of those instalments , the rent will become reduced—thus discharging the land of the Company from an incumbrance that may be considered capricious , and , at the same time , securing the earlier benefit to those who had subscribed to it in the first instance .

    The next is , the redaction of rent from five to four per cent , upon the outlay ; and in this last proposition , I think every member will not only acquiesce , but , further , he will find more than compensation for every single additional impost . So much so , that it might with safety be left optional with the several mem - ber ., whether they would allow the Company to remain as at present constituted—paying five per cent , as interest upon the outlay , or submit to the several alterations proposed , reducing the rent to four per cent . ; and , perhaps , I may best illustrate this by the altered

    condition of the occupants at p resent located . By the rules , as they now stand , a man whose allotment cost £ 350 , would have to pay £ 17 10 s . rent ; whereas , by the proposed alteration , he would have to pay . 14 rent , thus imposing upon him the necessity of paying £ 5 additional for his share , and giving him a reduction of 31 . 10 s . in his rent during his occupancy—that is , for S .. paid once , he receives what is equivalent to 100 . at three and a half leave

    per cent . However , I think we may the question at the option of the occupants , and not a roan amongst them who would not cheerfully p av 50 / . instead of 51 ., for the reduction of rent from five to four per cent . 1 heir shares must be increased by weekly payments of sixpence two-acre men ; ninepence threeacre men ; and one shilling four-acre men ; and what is a benefit to those located , will in turn be equally a benefit to those to be located . , , . , , I have now stated the . several alterations necessary ,

    To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

    Firstly . — -To bring the Land p lan within the protection ofth e law , and Secondly . —To secure its safer and more speedy working . And in order to separate the chaff from the corn , and to drive the vermin from amongst us who merel y joined for the purpose of hampering and annoying us , I submit to the further consideration of the members the absolute necessity of winding up the affairs of the Company , as far as concerns the vermin , b y passing a resolution , that all who shall not

    have paid up two-thirds ofthe amount p ayable upon their shares , on the 29 th of September , 1849 , shall be paid off and driven from amongst us . This step you will see is absolutely necessary to secure the peace , tbe well-being , and safe working of the Company ; as my object is only to secure the comfort and happiness of those who subscribed their pence upon good faith , and not to insure the annoyance of ruffians , not a few of whom have admitted that they merely paid their deposits to secure a licence to complain .

    Now , if the Land plan is based upon the proposed footing , with the consent of the mem bers , I will undertake to say , that it will be the largest , most remunerative , and best conducted benefit society in the world . But the working classes must always bear in mind , that unless they are prepared to assist those who undertake to do their work that the work cannot be done ; and the members of the Company , to . whose service I have devoted every hour of my time since its formation , must bear in mind that this is not , like other companies , established for the purpose of securing profit to the promoter , but , on the contrary , that it so far differs from all other companies that the promoter is satisfied with the lion ' s share of

    trouble—the lion ' s share of abuse—and the lion ' s share of loss . It is a curious fact , that upon the very day upon which the Land Committee made ' _. its report , the House of Commons passed the Farmer ' s Estates ( Ireland ) Bill , the avowed and confessed object of which is to realise a profit for the promoters , and that act allows the promoters a period of seven years to wind up the Company ' s affairs , if they shall so think fit—whereas I require little more than a year to wind up , as far as the vermin is concerned ; and what is still more , if the members in their several localities shall decide upon winding up the affairs of the Company altogether , 1 will undertake to pay off every _single member every farthing that he subscribed on the 29 th of September , 1849 .

    Another proposition is , that two and three acre shareholders may increase the amount of their shares , if they shall think proper , b y paying the difference , and I should much rather , as was my original intention , that the shares were uniform . Another advantage that we may derive is , that in the form which I propose we may still continue to admit new members and allow the Company to extend its operations . But the still greater advantage will be found in the fact , that when a man receives his lease he will have no difficulty in raising money when the rent is fixed at four per cent ., if he should be fool enough to do so ; and as the original rules make no mention of loans , and as the

    promoters of the Company have violated those rules , and subjected themselves to penalties , henceforth the directors have no power to make loans . And , as a matter of fact , it must be stated that every man located , with few exceptions , would demand both aid money and loan , whatever their circumstances were . The loans were established for the benefit of the poorer occupants ; whereas , it will scarcely be believed , that almost without an exception every occupant has required the loan , thus depriving the poorer occupants of an advantage which might have been made beneficial . However when they receive their leases they will have no difficulty in raising money ; but I venture to say that many of them , under the altered circumstances , will not want it .

    Let me now show how , under the present rules , a four-acre occupant would stand at the present moment either on O'Connorville or Lowbands . There would be due upon his farm 30 / . aid money , 2 ol . loan , and a year ' s rent . Of course , this year ' s rent will not be an item affecting it after the first year ; but the aid and loan money will , and this I consider a great injustice to the poor members by whose subscriptions the more fortunate have been

    located . And if any hardshi p is urged , my answer is this—that , by the reduction of rent from five four to per cent ., every four-acre allotment is made worth 70 / . bonus over and above what it was worth when the rent stood at five per cent—that is , that every four-acre allotment , for which 90 / . was previousl y offered , is now worth 160 _/ . _| and even at 100 / ., the man is neither juggled nor cheated who receives 100 / . in hard cash for 5 / . 4 s . paid .

    On Saturday last I received 22 .. 10 s . aid money , 15 / . loan money , and a year ' s rent from the purchaser of a three-acre allotment , at Lowbands , and the occupant received the difference between that and 90 / . for his allotment , so that he was net much damaged by his connexion with the bubble scheme ; and as soon as it is known that rents are to be reduced from five to four per cent , upon the outlay , the bonuses for allotments will rise in proportion—so that every change that has been made has been for the benefit of the located and expectant members * and erery alteration that is now proposed will tend to the security and speedy location of the members of the Company . As this Company has been established for the

    benefit of the members , and not for the profit of the promoters , I , in common with the other directors , have felt it to be our imperative duty to call as extensive a representation of the members together as possible , and as speedily as possible ; and as that object can be better effected by consultation with all who wish to take a part in the proceedings , we have considered that that object will be best effected by _calling immediate district meetings in the several localities most convenient te the shareholders , and at which the directors can attend ; and the time respectivel y for holding those district meetings will be found in another part of the paper . And here I will recap itulate the several propositions to be submitted : —

    Firstly , —The propriety of substituting location by bonus , instead of by ballot—not that the occupant so located is to purchase the land and house , but that he is to pay , according to Ids will , a certain amount for being located without the ballot . Secondly , —The propriety of raising the p « ce of the shares from 21 . 12 . s 4 rf . to 5 / ., from 31 . 18 s . to 71 . 10 s ., and from 51 . is . to 10 / . Thirdly , —The propriety of requiring repayment of the aid money in half-yearly instalments , after three years' occupation .

    Fourthly , —The propriety of abolishing the Expense Fund , and substituting an Aid Fund , at the rate of twopence per week for two-acre allotments , threepence for three-acre members , and fourpence for four-acre members . Fifthly , — -The necessity of winding up the affairs of the Company as far as the refractory are concerned _. Sixthly , —Whether the affairs of the Company shall be wound up .

    Seventhl y , —Whether itis prudent to substitute a lease for a life and ninety-nine years in reversion , which will cost about 1 / . 5 s ., for a conveyance in fee , which will cost over 10 / . Eighthly , — -The nomination of trustees , to

    To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

    whom the several estates purchased shall be _assigned , and in whose names all future estates shall be purchased . Ninthly , and Lastly , —Whether the rents shall be reduced to four per cent , upon the outlay . 2 _JjEj » such are the propositions upon which the several districts will have to decide . They are _^ whoIJy free to act , and in the event of the | r acquiescence in these propositions , I shag be quite read y to continue my unpaid services ; all the monies being thenceforth paid to the credit ofthe trustees . These propositions are p lain and simple , and

    I may now briefl y state an astounding fact . This Company has been in existence three years and three months , and according to the calculation of the accountant and actuary the amount to be paid upon the number of shares taken is 273 , 000 / . while not more than 90 , 000 / ., or one-third of that amount , has been paid up ; hnd yet those who are sanguine about being located are constantly asking , why the operations have not been more speedy I But , perhaps , they will be astonished when they learn that the average amount paid by the 70 , 000 shareholders does not reach two-pence per week ; whereas , if the whole amount had been paid " tip , instead © f now starting with 90 , 000 / .

    worth of property , we should have started with 273 , 000 / . worth ; but still there is no instance upon record of any company carrying out so g igantic a scheme to a similar extent , within a similar period ; and while many men , without brains , rely upon the calculations of actuaries , let me now show you by plain figures the amount of money that would be realised at compound interest in one hundred and fiftyfour years ; while the accountant states , that it would require one hundred and fifty years to locate all the members , either by sale oi * mortgage . If we start with 273 , 000 / . as a capital , at the end of one hundred and fiftyfour years we should stand thus : — First year . . £ 273 , 000

    14 — 546 , 000

    28 — 1 , 092 , 000 42 — . . 2 , 184 , 000 56 — 4 , 368 , 000 70 — 8 , 736 , 000 84 — 17 , 472 , 000 98 — 34 . 944 , 000 112 — . . 69 , 888 , 000

    126 — , . 139 , 776 , 000 140 — . . 279 , 552 , 000 154 — . 559 , 104 , 000 Now all that I dissolve in that period is 770 days ; as money , at compound interest , doubles itself in fourteen years and seventy days ; so that in little more than 156 years the present capital ofthe Company paid up , would amount to FIVE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-NINE MILLIONS , ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR THOUSAND POUNDS ; or , in other words , at 250 / . for each location , would , at the end of 150 years , locate two millions two hundred and thirty-six thousand four handled and sixteen Occupants .

    Now what will the accountant and the actuary say to their dissolving views i But I will now take the Company at the proposed alteration of doubling the shares , and the result we arrive at is , that in the 156 years the Company would have a capital of one thousand one hundred and eighteen millions two hundred and eig ht thousand pounds ; or , at 250 / . to each location , could locate four millions four hundred and seventy two thousand eight hundred and thirty-two families . Now this cannot be disputed . I defy accountant or actuary to dispute it . Let me explain what compound

    interest is . It means that if a man lets out 100 / . at interest at five per cent ., and if he does not draw the interest , but allows it to accumulate , in fourteen years and seventy days his 100 / . will be converted into 200 / . And you must always bear in mind , that our p lan is based upon compound interest , for the moment the money comes in it is applied to reproduction , and the credit which I get , though short , for the articles of the greatest expense —namely , timber , bricks , oats , and beansenables me to calculate the interest as reproductive from the day it is paid .

    You must always bear in mind , that the accountant ' s and actuary ' s data were based upon five per cent , rent charged upon the capital , and now I will show you the period at which one year ' s rent alone upon the presumed capital of the company , increasing- the shares to double their present amount , would locate all the members . The amount produced b y one year s rent , which would be 27 , 300 / ,, would in the one hundred and fiftyfour years , amount to fifty-three millions

    three hundred and fifty thousand four hundred pounds , or would locate two hundred and thirteen thousand four hundred and and one families . Now , thatjis , from one year ' s rent alone , making the magicians a present of the whole of the capital of the Company , and the houses , lands , and everything else for ever —that is , that the first year ' s rent of the Company alone would locate within the g iven time three times the number of the present shareholders .

    Now , although it is an elaborate calculation , yet I undertake to make you understand it . Estimating the ori g inal capital of the Company at the proposed price of shares , it will amount to five Jiundred and forty-six thousand pounds ; and estimating land at . 35 / . an acre a house at 125 / . and aid money for three acres at 20 / ,, and taking a three-acre allotment as an average , the price of each location

    would be 250 / . ; and if you divide that into five hundred and forty-six thousand , you will find that , upon the first _turning of the capital , I could locate two thousand one hundred and _eighty-four occupants ; and if the Company were either protected b y law or p laced in the hands of trustees , without being chargeable with any illegality , I could turn the capital over five times in the year , or locate over ten thousand persons in the year .

    Now , I will request of the scribes with their goose-quills , not even to _presume to smile at this calculation , and for this simple reason - because _^! could build ten thousand houses just aa expeditiousl y as I could build one hundred . I eould get land enough to purchase to build a million of houses upon , and when the rent was reduced to four per cent ., and the purchaser had the advantage of tenants who had paid for their location , the advantage of their labour and skill applied to the land to make it more profitable , and still more the advantage of making the purchase wholesale

    for everything—building materials , labour , and all—they would have a good security for their money at four per cent ., which would be the exact amount that I have paid for it ; and after a short time , so far from there being a difficulty in selling such estates , the agents of speculators would be on the watch for the opp ortunity ; and for this reason , because from twenty-eight to thirty years' purchase is the usual price of land , and three-and-a-half per

    cent , is considered good securit y for landed property , while I fix the purchase at twenty-five years , and allow him four per cent , for his money ; and I would wager my existence that there would not be one occupant a defaulter in fifty years , but that , on the contrary , if the occupation did not suit his taste or his health , he would alway s be sure of a large bonus for his holding , > nd it would not matter to him three straws whether the purchaser or the trustees of the Land Company were his landlord , aa

    To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

    having Ins lease , he would be independent of both ; and if the payment of aid money is urged as giving a capricious additional value to the land , my answer is , that the man who pays a bonus for that land , instead of getting it by ballot , will very speedil y expend more than the amount upon his allotment ; and if from idleness or dissipation , he should fall in arrear the landlord would have no difficulty in realising mere than the amount the land is charged with as aid money from another and a willing purchaser . I will now estimate the amount that bonus

    for location would fetch at 20 / ., and I think I estimate it lowly , and I will tell you why I I have sold this house at Bromsgrove and ten acres of land for 1 , 000 / . ; the purchaser had drawn a family ticket , which entitled him to two four-acre allotments upon the estate , and he has given m © 50 / . merely for attaching his eight acres to the other ten acres , rather than stand the ballot , which might have p laced him upon another part of the estate , and might , by good fortune , have secured him the adjoining eight acres ; however , he gives the 50 / ., n _ as a bonus for not standing the ballot , because he is entitled to location by ballot on this estate ; he does not require me to build the two houses for him , neither will he require the aid money , so that I do not think I estimate the difference

    of location by purchase , and location by ballot extravagantl y , when I put it down at 20 . especiall y when it is understood that I have received a bonus of 90 / . for four acres from paid _, up shareholders , and 67 / . 10 s . for three-acre allotments , and all of which is net profit to the Company , and goes to insure the more speed y location for the poorer members , and in the end will become assets to divide amongst the shareholders . If , then , 1 receive 20 / . bonus by

    doing away with the ballot upon the first two thousand one hundred and eighty-four located out of the original capital of the Company , I would realise forty . threethousand six hundred and eighty pounds , and if I only turned the capital three times in the year , instead of five , the Company would realise from this source alone , one [ hundred and thirty-one thousand and forty pounds , or sufficient capital within the year to locate 524 more members .

    Now , I ask , if this would not be a bonus and a blessing to the poorer members , and I further ask if any of the alterations could be considered to their disadvantage ; does not the fact ofthe rent being reduced to four per cent , compensate a thousand fold ? I now come to another source of wealth , namely—the weekl y sub scriptions of twopence , threepence , and four _, pence ; and averaging those payments by the three-acre standard , although the four-acre class is much more numerous , the weekly pay ments from this " source alone w , ould amount to 87 . . a week , or forty-five thousand five hundred a year , and would enable me to locate 182 annually .

    And now , perhaps , you will be astonished to learn , that . if my propositions are acquiesced in , I am satisfied to put every single farthing of my own money and property into this concern , living upon one meal a day ; and in the seven years I estimate that I will be able to put twenty thousand pounds into the concern , not calculating a single farthing for my expenses ; and if I do not locate every man of the 70 , 000 within the seven years , I will relinquish my claim to any money that is due to me , or that may be due to me , at the end of that period * , and I will work like a horse . I will not spend 10 / . in the seven years upon anything but this Land Company . 1 will not ask to handle a

    farthing of the money . I will work like a horse , and show you what energy , perseverance , philanthropy , and vanity may accomplish . The greatest friends to this Company have been the Judge-Advocate-General and Sir B . Hall , but they little knew the effect the suspicion of rogues can have upon a proud man . My whole desire , and the whole desire of my life , has been to ameliorate the condition of the working classes , b y fair . nd honourable means ; and God knows , if I have not evinced sufficient energy and perseverance in the pursuit—if 1 have not borne calumny and insult , as well from those I have endeavoured to serve , as from those to whom my services are gall and wormwood , that would turn a bold man from his

    undertaking . But when I set myself a task , 1 am not easily turned out of my course . Should any doubt the result that I calculate , the ex periment is worth the trial—it is a Benefit Society upon a national scale , and as Jong as livejnone shall make merchandise of it , so that , should it fail for want of their confidence , their abstinence and support , the worst than can happen is to receive their contributions back again , and they will have but themselves to blame for perpetuating their own ruin . The funds of all other societies have been gobbled up by vultures , who have never been called to

    account for their plunder . Your funds have not been pocketed by any one , and shall not be , and if I should make my escape to America , as your friends predicted , I cannot take th houses and land upon my back , while I wc aid be the largest claimant upon them ; but I ask neither mortgage nor security for my money , while the best security that you can have , is the assurance that yours shall be economically expended . If I commenced with what you

    owe me now , in purchasing land in the wholesale , and selling in the retail , market , in the course of ten years I should be one of the richest men in England , and , as soon as our funds warrant it , I will set 10 , 000 / . of the Bank money apart for speculation in that market , and you will then see the amount of property that I can realise in seven years from that source , one half of which I will give to the Land Company , and the other half as bonus to the depositors _.

    Before I conclude , I will meet the assertion of the Chairman and the Actuary , that every acre of land belonging to the Company will bear a rent of 51 . per annum—whereas the fact stands thus , and I take the most unfavourable of the lot—namel y , _Hemngsgate—where we commenced operations in our youth , and where we built five-roomed and four-roomed houses . Now , the whole cost of Herrin _* _. gate , including

    aid money and law expenses , amounts to 9 , 736 / . I made profit upon faggots and other things—314 / , ; and a man who purchased the wheat owes me about 86 / ., making about 400 / ., which , deducted from 9 , 736 / ., leaves an expenditure of 9 , 336 / ., which I will estimate at 9 , 400 / ., and which , at four per cent ., should realise a rent of 376 / ., and which would leave the rents to average as follows : —

    _, 1 wo-acre allotments . 8 / . Three-acre do . 11 / . Four-acre do . with school 13 / . That would make within three pounds a-year of the whole rent . Now , t : ike the interest of the aid money from the four-acre allotments , and it leaves them 11 / . 10 s . a-year . Take it from the three-acre allotments , and it leaves the rent 9 / . _\ 7 s . 6 c / . a-year ; and take it from the two-acre allotments , and it leaves 7 / . 5 s . a-year . The aid money I have put down at five per cent .

    Now , then , what will the Actuary , and what will the Chairman say to their calculations , when I tell them that those will be within a fraction of the rents , including aid money , between 300 / . and 400 / . for London dung and cartage , seeds , cultivation ofthe land , making of roads , and every other expenditure ; and when they know that all was day labour ( horse labour and all ) , and that a great many of the tradesmen -sho worked there , cheated .. the

    To The Members Of The National Land Comp...

    Company and which decided me against _doW work by the day m future . However , so the account stands—and what will philanthropists say , when they learn that in the same nei _ . bourhood working men pay 71 . 10 s . a-year for two rooms and a bit of a garden ; while upon our experimental estate the occupant will pay 8 / . for a whole house and out-buildings , for 15 / . capital , manure and seeds found for him , and his labour henceforth his own property . Now , I ask you , working men , if such a plan as that is not worth living forand worth dying for . A y , and so little daunted am I b y the recent apath y created by the French revolution and _Company which decided me against _doW VV ° rk h y the m fature * H » wever , so the

    continental wars , in which speculating kings are playing * for empires at the expense of the blood ot theirdupes , making widowsand orphans in thousands for their own aggrandisement , that lam now in treaty for one ofthe finest estates m England , and in the best district , capable of locating 500 occupants , and I need but your subscri ptions for your own benefit to enable me to concl ude many such purchases . J will now give you some notion of the justice ol the impartial Chairman of your Committee trom the following fact . In the last report of the Committee the list of expenses of witnesses

    is given :- — CuUingham , master builder ... _j _ 17 0 Doyle ... - o - Hornbj ... ... " ¦ % \ I Billett ill Hobaon ... ... ... 10 l 5 0 Now , observe , Hobson was not examined at all—the dateo f his arrival is the Uth of June , the date of his discharge is the 14 th , so for his

    day ' s work he receives 10 / . 15 s . The date o f Sillett ' s arrival is the 14 th , the date of his discharge is the 14 th , he comes about sixty miles and receives 8 / . The number of days that each remain in town is in another column . "Sillett and Hobson , one day , expenses in London 5 / . 5 s . each ; " in the same column CuUingham is stated to be two days in London , Doyle two days , and Hornby two days , while the expenses allowed for them is , CuUing ham , 1 / . is . a-day ; Doyle , 1 / . Is . a-day j Hornby , 10 s . 6 d . a-day ; and Hobson 5 / . 5 s . a-day . Now what will the impartial reader say of ' the impartial Chairman ofthe Land Committee ?

    Now , my friends , trusting that you will give the several propositions submitted to you your cool , calm , and deliberate " consideration , and that you will not allow yourselves to waver in allegiance to your order , - but seeing that you have not been duped , juggled , or cheated , itis now my earnest prayer , appeal , and entreaty to you , that you will revive our monster , and avenge the _insist that has been offered to you as fools and to me as a plunderer of the poor man ' s fund . Heed not the Press , it is your bitterest enemy , it is the caterer for the lust ¦• nd cupidity of your task-masters : cast off the

    mantle of slavery ; purchase your freedom b y temperance , perseverance , and confidence , and , believe me , from your improved social p -sition will arise that political emancipation and grandeur which may def y the oppressor , and you can thus purchase your liberty without the shedding of a drop of human blood . A word and I have done . Piace the requisite means at my disposal , and while I am going on with my operations I will thin the artificial labour market b y employing thousands who are now destitute , and constituting an idle reserve to enable capitalists to live and make fortunes upon reduction of wages . I am , your faithful Friend and

    unpaid Bailiff , Feaugus O'Connor Bromsgrove , August 9 th , 1848 .

    Company And Which Decided Me Against Dow...

    _ _T _^ H _^/ A j and \ _* k ' _ _. _ v _ a if _____^_^ L . *

    _T = ^H^/ A _. _V _ A If ____^_^L And _ ...

    AND _ NATIONAL TRADES' JOURNAL . _ VOL . XI . No 564 . LONDON , SATUEDAY _^ UGUST _ljJSiS . _ _, „ ____ g _ r _ _? _JH _ _T ,

    Forthcoming Meetings. Bnigh.Usb.—A Camp ...

    FORTHCOMING MEETINGS . _BniGH _. usB . —A camp meeting will bo held on Sunday next , the 13 th of August , at two o ' clock in the afternoon , when the local lecturers and a friend from Bradford will address tbo meeting . Manchester — Tbe monthly meetiui . of the Man * _cheBter branch r . f the National Land Company , will be held in the _People ' - Institute , ou Sunday miming , Auguat 13 : b . Chair to be taken at iii _ o'clock . Sowerbt . — The members of this branch of the National Land Company are requeBled to meet at the Helm , on Sunday ( to-morrow ) , at one o ' olook , to receive the secretary ' s balance _rh « et , and elect the officers f » r the ensuing Bix month ..

    Scnderland . —A general meeting of tbe membera of thia branch of tho National Land Company wiil ba held on Sunday , _AugnsH 3 _ , at half-past five o ' clock , at Mr John Buddon _' ., Robinson-Ian .. Carrington . —The paid-up shareholders of this branch oi ' the National Land Company are requested to meet at the New Inn , on Thursday text , at six o ' clock . Mottrau . —The monthly meeting will be held in the lecture-room , Mittram , on Sunday , August 13 h , atone o ' clock . At the close of business a publio leoture will be delivered . Stockport . —Mr Robert Wild , of Mottram , will leoture in tbe Hall ofthe _Lyceum , on Sunday , August 13 : h . at six o ' clock . _Bradford—A public meeting of the members of the National Land Company will he held on Sunday ( to-morrow ) , in the large rosin , _BuUervnirth-Duildings , at two o ' clock ,

    Manchester . — A meeting of tho Manchester branoh of tbe National Land Company will be held at the People ' s Institute , on Sunday morning , August 13 . . when membera are particularly rqu . d'ed to attend . The Chartists of Bradford will meet in th . ir room , Butterworth-buildings _, on Sunday , at s _ o ' olock in the evening . Thb Chartists of Little Horton will _tcesfc in tha Yorkshire Divan , Manchester-road , on _Sund _. y , at six o ' clock in tae evening . Blackb __* . —The quarterly meeting ofthe membera o _' lhe National Land Company will be held in tho dld _ Size Ilouse , Chap _^ .-street , on Sunday , tl / , 20 th instant , at two o ' clock in the afternoon . Cabrixoton . —The Chartists of this loc _. _Jity will meet every Sunday evening , at seven o ' ekek , at the New Inn , _Cairrineton .

    Mbr _.- _'tr Ttdvil—The members of branch No . 1 ofthe National _ ' _» nd Company _arr _rrqimted to attend at the brancn _entice , ba /> - jf the Thiee llor . e Shoes , on Monday _tveniug next , _August _U-. h . Tho . e in _arrears with tbeir local and general levies , are requested to pay the sanse without further notice . Oldham . —On Sunday next , August 13 h . Mr George Archdeacon will leoture in the Working Man ' s Hall , at six o ' clock in the evening . A special general meeting of the members cf the Oldham branch of tbe National Land Company will _« _* . place in the School-room , at two o ' clock in the a ! _t-rnoon . Members are requested to pay the local levies due .

    Shelton . — A lecture will ba delivered in tne Christian Brethren ' _a-jcom , _Market-8 tr < et , Hanley , on Sunday next , August 13 th . —A public tea party will be held in the same place , at five o ' _tloik en Monday afternoon , Auguat 14—after which , a public meeting will take place , and resolutions be submiiti d on tbe principles of the _People ' s Charter . Several Itcal speakers will _l-e in attendance . Tuns . au , —On Sunday , August 20 : h , a _lecture will be delivered on the People ' s Unatter , in the Christian's _Brethren's-room , Lune--tc . eC . _Tucatail . _Bj-Oomsbury . —Mr Merriman will hcture ut the Orange Tree , Orange-street , Red Lion square , on _bnnday evening , August 20 th . Subject : * llie Kepeal ot the Union . ' Meetings aie held every Sunday evening , at half-past eight o ' clock .

    South London Chartist Hall . —A meeting will be held to take into consideration the _. eotmin _. _ndation ot the Committee of ihe House of Commons , _rtspecting the winding up cf the btf . irs of the Lwd Company , on August 13 th , at six o ' clock . Holmfirth . —A camp meeting will take _olaee at Scholes Moor Bottom , on Sunday , _August 13 . b , a ! twoo _' clock in the afternoon , when Me . _ars M-r _. _ e _ , Lockwood , and others will address th . _meeting . A collection will be m .-. do for tbo defence of Dr M'Douall . Subscribers to the Nohthkkx Star , in the Holmfirth district , are requested to give their orders to Henry Maraden . ——Liverpool—The membera of tbe Chartist Council will meet in toeir room , _Wilaoa's Coffee rooms _. South-gate , on Sunday , ( to-morrow ) , at nine o ' c uk in the morning .

    Todmord-n , —A camp meetmg will take p ' ace on Sund _° y next , Augu .-t 13 ' . h , at oi . e u ' clock , on Brown Wardle Hill , near Withwortb . The people of Rochdale , Bacup , ' . _VdmordeD , acd surrounding district ? , are rtquested to attend . A collection will t > u m . de for the support ot the wives and families of the imprisoned Cb . _irtist __ . Manch _ _8 tbr . —A meeting of ihe National Cooperative Benefit Society will be l . cld on Sunday , the 13 th instant , at two o ' clock , at T . _Wh-. t-l _.-- ' -, Temperance Hotel , 93 , Gnat _Ancoats-street , Manchester . Districts wishing to join the Soeiety will have an opportunity of _doiDg io . S . ocivrjRT —A meeting of the members of tbis branch _ ii be held on Sunday , lhe 13 h of _Aujui _' , at two o _' clrck in the _afte-noon .

    Lbicsctkr —The members of No . 2 br *? oh ot tea National Charter Asaociati _ are _requesttd to iuf _. 0 at their reoRi , No . 20 , _Carley-street , at sis o ' cl ck _, on Su & dav . vetting , AucuBt 13 .

    S * 1 I

    S * 1

• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), Aug. 12, 1848, page 1, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_12081848/page/1/