EARBY THROUGH 60 YEARS (12) (MIXMAN)

[Stanley]

EARBY THROUGH 60 YEARS (12)

COTTON TRADE UPS AND DOWNS

THE MEMORABLE STRIKE OF 1905

(BY JOHN HARTLEY) 18 November 1938

After weaving on four looms for Henry Bracewell and Sons, at the Albion Shed, a fresh leaf in my life began in 1895, when the Earby Manufacturing Co. was formed. The mill company added a new section to the weaving shed behind the spinning mill, which was taken over by the new company on the room and power principle. There were seven shareholders, who also were directors and my father (G.P. Hartley) was one of them. There were also Henry Brown, Smith Duxbury, John Parker, Joseph Parker, Hugh Currer Smith and Hargreaves Wallbank (Kelbrook).

Mr. Smith was practically the originator of the company, and was appointed manager, secretary and salesman. For two years previously he had been engaged as the manager and salesman for Mr. John Shaw, a Salterforth manufacturer, and he was well esteemed by the Salterforth people. While he was there, Mr. Smith had an amusing encounter with one of the weavers, who was accustomed to walk out of the shed each afternoon to light the fire and put the kettle on. When she was told that the practice would have to be stopped she exclaimed, "But we allus hev done it, an' we hev a reight to goa out if we like." Ay missis," replied Mr. Smith, "you may hev a reight to go out, but you can't please yourself whether you come back or not!" It was an eye-opener to her. When some of the jobs were allotted in the new firm I was told that I'd to be a beamer. The work was entirely new to me, so it was arranged that I should go to Salterforth for a fortnight to learn beaming with Bill Inman, and the fortnight was extended to a month, owing to delay in getting the new shed ready.

I enjoyed the period of training very much. Bill was a good workman- as good a beamer as could be found anywhere - and he gave me ample scope to become efficient in my new occupation. If we were well forward with the work and "waiting for bobbins", we would walk out into the lane and saunter along the road, my friend having a good smoke at the same time.

Bill was a very patient, philosophical sort of chap, and if I let a bobbin fall through the ends that we were "creeling" he would say with a chuckle, Na' then, lad, tha can th'ends uyp thisel, an' it'll larn tha to be moor careful." Bill was native of Ap'tr'ick (Appletreewick), and the love of the country was in his veins. Often on a weekend, he would venture forth with a gun, and always returned with something stowed away in his capacious coat pockets. Not that he was a poacher, but he was on good terms with farmers, and with the "keepers" on the Craven Estates. His wife was a winder, and she was a good member at the Salterforth Baptist Chapel. The small sojourn which I had amongst the Salterforth people increased the circle of my friendship, and the experience was a happy interlude in my life.





MEALS WHILST WORKING

When I returned to Earby to take up my new job I laboured for the fitters for a few weeks, at 4d. an hour, and assisted in getting the new looms into the shed. As soon as the winders started I got to work with the "gaiting up" of the beaming frames. When I had got two frames running I was joined by a partner, Thomas Edward Parker, the son of John Parker. I had to "larn" him as well as I could, and at the end of the first week we had three frames running, and the fourth was got into commission the following week.

At that time all the beams for providing warp for the looms had to be made by the two beamers, and this necessitated running during the meal times, along with the tape machine. This procedure continued for five or six years, and some relief was then secured by an occasional set of beams made of coarse counts, which came out of Lancashire. Our working hours were from 6 a.m. to 5-30 p.m., and we got our meals with one or two frames running. We had some compensation, though, in the running hours after we had finished creeling. A set of 20,000 yards would keep the frame running usually for six hours, and creeling the other frame occupied about two hours, so each day we had several hours just tenting the frames.

An additional advantage was secured by the device by which each end was covered by a "pin," and if the end broke the pin dropped between two rollers and stopped the frame. When, as a rule, the work was good, opportunity was afforded for some light study, without neglecting the work, of which I readily availed myself.

We had a good set of winders, twelve in all, and they were keen on their job, and liked to do a bit of "striving." There was quite a family complexion about them, as there were three sisters (Clara, Mary and Emma Steele); a mother and two daughters (Mrs. Eastwood, Gertrude and Rachel), and my two sisters. The winders were fond of singing at their work, especially at Christmas-time. But there was one of them (Mrs Hartley Garnett, who came from Gargrave) to whom singing was her natural element and her favourite song was:-

"The world is very beautiful
And full of joy to me;
The sun shines out in glory
On everything I see."

She had a glorious voice, and if she had been trained she might have been something like Gracie Fields, who was, in her early days, a winder in a cotton mill. We had also in the team one who had been a prize vocalist (Mrs.W. Lowcock, whose maiden name was Annie Turner), who could sing soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto, so extensive was her range.

TRIP TO STONEYHURST

On Whit-Monday, 1901, we had a waggonette trip, in which event we included the tacklers and twisters along with the winders and beamers, with their husbands and wives. The route of the trip was the "North Round," and our original intention was to include Stoneyhurst College in the places to be visited. For this purpose Thomas Edward Parker and I (who were the organisers) visited father Marchal at Broughton. He received us very graciously, and promised to help us as far as he was in his power. We had a delightful conversation with him for about half an hour, at the close of which he rang his bell and summoned his housekeeper, giving her some instructions. She soon appeared with a tray, on which were two glasses of fresh drawn ale. My friend evidently enjoyed his glass, while I respectfully declined his generosity. Father Marchal apologised for my slight embarrassment, but he buttressed my temperance principles by citing cases of regrettable intemperance, including some of his own flock at Earby. He later informed us in a most courteous letter, that as the date of our proposed trip was Whit-Monday the college at Stoneyhurst would be closed that day.

The day of the trip at last dawned, and it was an ideal Spring morning. We started from the Lane Ends at six o'clock, and had our breakfast at Gisburn. A sumptuous repast of ham and eggs was provided for us by Mr. and Mrs. Duckworth, after which we resumed our journey. Our next stopping place was Bolton-by Bowland, and by the kindness of Mr.C.B.E. Wright our party was allowed to visit Bolton Hall and pass through the grounds. We had a short stay at Sawley Abbey, and then passed through the old castle town of Clitheroe, and arrived at Whalley for lunch, which was served in the Assembly Rooms. Owing to the cancellation of our intended visit to Stoneyhurst, we spent the afternoon sauntering around Whalley, and the horses being rested and refreshed, we proceeded to Burnley, where we had tea. The remainder of the journey home, through the cobbled streets of East Lancashire, was rather a tame affair, but the splendid view of Pendle Hill and Pendle Forest was a pleasing sight. We arrived home about nine o'clock. The days outing has remained an outstanding event to us all, as it was the last Whit-Monday holiday we were privileged to celebrate, owing to the change in the holidays.

AS A SHOPKEEPER

Early in the following year, 1902, I embarked upon a new venture, and started in business as a newsagent and stationer. The first shop I occupied was part of premises owned by Messrs.S. Hartley and Son, of Gargrave, painters and house decorators, situated in Colne Road. The whole block of premises were later acquired by Earby Urban District Council and adapted for their offices and council chamber. The following year I took a shop with living accommodation, also in Colne Road, near it's junction with New Road, and remained there until 1906.
In the meantime I retained an association with the manufacturing company, and used to do part "sick" beaming. My friend, Bill Inman, had taken over my frames, but neither he nor my old partner had good health, so I was able to "keep my hand in." In 1905 the warehouse manager, Tom N. Parker, retired from the service of the company, and started in business as a cloth agent, and he asked me to apply for his post. I was readily accepted, and I have since had an unbroken association with the company as assistant manager, manager, secretary and salesman.

THE STRIKE OF 1905

The cotton trade entered upon a period of steady unparalleled prosperity in 1905, and advantage was then taken by the Colne and District Weavers' Association to bring the outside districts into line with the principal cotton weaving towns, both as regards the recognition of the union and the adoption of the Uniform List of weavers' wages. Mass meetings and shop meetings were held, and keen canvassing was engaged in by the committee and collectors of the Weavers' Association.

The weavers certainly held the whip hand, as there was then no local association of manufacturers to organise united action in meeting the demands of the operatives, if they were inclined to resist them. The firms were tackled one by one, and as some of them were of the opinion that recognition was bound to come sooner or later, they acceded to the demands made, especially as the Weavers' Union were prepared to allow a deduction of five percent from the standard list for local disadvantages. The directors of the Earby Manufacturing Co. immediately adopted the new scale of wages along with the other manufacturers, but they, for their own reasons, demurred at "recognising the Union."

There seems to have been a lack of tact in submitting their demands by the weavers' officials, and also a clash of temperaments. On the one hand there was the feeling, "Now's our chance, and we'll mak' em"; and on the other side, "We won't be made by you." Notices were handed in, and the strike started early in November. About two-thirds of the weavers were involved, and the firm carried on with the rest. A strike of that nature at one firm was not difficult to support by the Weavers' Association, and for the space of four months there was little change in the situation.

The engagement of two youths from Trawden led to an incident, which not only broke the stalemate, but lead to exciting and tumultuous scenes. The young men were residing temporarily in Kelbrook, and after they had ceased work they were followed to Kelbrook, through the fields pathway, to their temporary lodgings by a company of weavers who had previously been employed by the firm. The police regarded the case as one of intimidation, and they presented a list of names of some of those who took part, and pressed for police court proceedings with a view to checking street "scenes," which had broken out. Summonses were taken out against six of the men, but the affect was just the opposite of what had been anticipated. The accused men were as inoffensive in character as any men in the village, but the charge against them was sustained as a definite breach of the law, and they were fined £5 each and costs by the Skipton bench of magistrates.

STREETS CLEARED

The police court case was the prelude to a stormy weekend, and the demonstrations continued on the following Monday night, and were accompanied by window smashing in some cases. The outlook was so unpromising that the police were reinforced, and mounted police were called in to disperse the crowds. But the crowds increased, the throwing of a half brick at a mounted constable aroused the police, and the streets were cleared by their combined action.

Then a reaction ensued, and it was felt among the operatives that something should be done to end the dispute. The services of Mr.D.J. Shackleton were secured, and he gave such assurances to the members of the firm that negotiations were entered upon. A meeting was arranged, and took place at the offices of Messrs. Proctor and Proctor, accountants, Burnley, and an agreement was signed by Mr.H.C. Smith (for the company) and Mr. Tom Shaw (for the weavers) which not only settled the strike, but this agreement, for nearly twenty years (until the industrial court was held at Manchester) was the only written document to form the basis of the relations between the Earby manufacturers and the Colne Weavers Association. The assurances given by Mr. Shackleton (afterwards Sir David Shackleton, chief labour advisor to the government) have been fully maintained, and the relations between the parties have since been of the most friendly nature.

One is reminded of an interview, which Mr. Shaw had with Mr. Jas. Wilson Green (the district assistant overseer) respecting the assessment of Earby Weavers' Institute premises. Failing to secure his demands, Mr. Shaw threatened resistance, saying, "Do you know that I have behind me the whole of the Northern Counties' Amalgamation?" "And do you know," retorted Mr. Green, "That I have behind me the ‘everlasting hills of Craven’?"

ANOTHER DISPUTE

Mr. Shaw had many excellent qualities, which carried him to high rank in parliament, but diplomacy was not one of them. One is inclined to wonder whether the strike was an echo of an age-long feud between Lancashire and Yorkshire!

In 1911, the Spring Mill came to a permanent stoppage in consequence of a strike of mule spinners, which was never settled, and the Walden Spinning Co. relinquished their tenancy of the premises.

The Mill Company converted the mill into warehouse accommodation for the adjoining weaving sheds, and the Earby Manufacturing Co. increased their looms from 422 to 684. The result of this transformation was to make the whole block of premises into one of the largest weaving sheds in the district, the firms all being run by one engine. The various firms were as follows with the approximate number of looms :-

Messrs.A.J. Birley Ltd....................850
Messrs.Chas. Shuttleworth & sons..580
Messrs. Stockdale & Jones.............280
Seal Manufacturing CO...................420
Earby Manufacturing CO................680
______
2,810
______

In 1913, MR.H.C. Smith, owing to breakdown in health, went to live at Ansdell, near Lytham. He removed to Didsbury five years later, and continued to be active head of the company until1922. He returned to Earby in 1929, but within a month he passed away. He was well known as one of Earby's distinctive characters in bygone days.





Craven Herald and Pioneer November 18th 1938 (p5)
Transcribed by Bob Abel, used with his permission.
These articles also appear on the Earby & District Local History Society web site www.earbylocalhistorysociety.co.uk
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Earby Through 60 Years (10)
FAVOURED HOLIDAY JAUNTS OF OTHER DAYS
Memorable Visit to House of Commons
(by John Hartley) 23/9/1938

As the holiday period is nearing its termination it is opportune to pass in review further experience of holidays in the years that have passed.
However pleasing the day trips were to us in the "good old days," of half a century ago, it must be generally recognised that the extended holiday was a great boon to working people.
It was in 1894 that the recognised holidays were extended in our area by a day at Whitsuntide and the addition of two days to the "Skipton Show" holiday, which, with the week-end, made a five days' holiday. This arrangement continued until 1902, when a full week plus the Saturday previous was decided upon, and the Christmas holiday was enlarged by the inclusion of Boxing Day.
In our own experience, the extended "Skipton Show" holiday period was utilised for a longer holiday at the nearest seaside resorts, Southport actually being the favourite choice for several years. Southport is denied many advantages, which some seaside towns possess, and the sea at low tide seems to be "far, far away," but its distinctive charms have an alluring spell for the tranquil mind and the lover of beauty. Nature and art have combined to transform a waste of sandhills into a most delightful residential area, and a pleasure resort whose attractions retain their fascination for those who become its admirers. Its arborial streets and spacious avenues, its miniature parks and luxuriant gardens, its golden sands and magnificent marine lake, supplemented by most of the attractions which modern civilisation can provide are a perennial joy to its patrons. What spot more ideal, within easy reach, could be found in which we could venture forth upon the roseate pathway which leads to the highest blessedness that human companionship affords.
That was what made our adventure on a sunny morning in late August such a moving experience to us, for it was then that our courtship blossomed out into a new stage, in which our companionship was intensified and established. For two youths, one short of 22 years of age, and the other just turned 20, who had never, from the days of early childhood, spent a night of their conscious existence away from home, it was a novel experience. Their surplus attire, supplemented with some provisions, was packed into a round tin box, which they carried in turn to the station. The journey to Southport, at that time, round by Burscough Junction, took nearly half-a-day, and the stock of footstuffs came in very handy for a start at the lodgings we had secured in King Street.

Night of Torment
The weather was delightfully fine throughout our stay, and during the daytime the heat was intense, especially so for the time of the year. Our first night in "apartments" we never could forget. For that one night, as the house was quite full, we were provided with a sleeping chamber which was a glorified box-room, with no window except a pane of glass over the doorway, and which served for ventilation as well. The bed was really only a "single" one, but we could manage to lie down. What a night of torment it was! What an "eternity" it seemed to be for six or seven hours! We counted sheep in imagination to induce repose—tens, hundreds, thousands—would the night never end? Mercifully, we got a few winks as the morning dawned, and then came "sweet, smiling liberty." For the remainder of our stay we were located in a pleasant room, well furnished, even to the extent of a couch, and we slept “like a top.”
One of the chief delights of "living in apartments" at the seaside is the formation of attachments, and even friendships, through contacts, which are made with fellow visitors. On that occasion we made friends with a Methodist farmer (Thomas Proctor) and some of his family, who resided at Sawley, near Clitheroe. In subsequent years, it was my pleasure to spend many happy week-ends at Green Head Farm, and conduct the services at the chapel near the ruins of Sawley Abbey.
Quite near to our place of abode in Southport was Duke Street Chapel, where the Rev. Silas K. Hocking was the minister. It was a delight to see and hear the Cornishman, who, when settled in Lancashire, wrote "Her Benny," and other novels, for which we made a raid on the libraries fifty to sixty years ago.
On the last morning of the holiday I remember the shock which was given to us upon opening our papers to learn of the disaster at Morecambe when a pleasure yacht, returning from Grange, had been overturned, and about a dozen lives were lost. Thus tragedy and pleasure are sometimes intermingled in our lives.
Three years later we spent our honeymoon at Southport, which placed the seal on three and a half years of happy courtship, and started a new volume of our life adventures, which lasted for twenty-eight years.

Windermere in July
The first holiday of the longer series we spent at Grange-over-Sands, which was a most memorable experience to us. From Grange we made our first association with the Lake District, which has never ceased to have a warm place in our hearts. According to the usual custom, we proceeded by rail to Lake Side Station, and entered the boat for Ambleside. The whole day was one of sheer delight, but the return journey down the lake on that calm, beautiful evening in mid-July, with the exquisite landscape in the background and the low lying meadows and woods around us, was a scene of unparalleled grandeur. Another notable event of that week was Morecambe's Charter Day, when she became a borough, and when we visited the gaily bedecked town in the afternoon we found much difficulty in getting anything to eat.
During the succeeding years previous to the War we ventured across to the Isle of Man on three occasions, travelling on the famous Heysham to Douglas M.R. steamer, the "Manxman." There is an exhilaration to be found on this expedition which is not experienced in visiting the English coastal towns, and the voyage is one of the main attractions in visiting the small sea-girt isle in the Irish Sea. We were fortunate in all our crossings, both inwards and outwards, and had no trouble with sea-sickness, for which we were very thankful.
There is additional interest in pleasure-trip sailing by reason of "rubbing shoulders" with people from various parts of the country, as so many passengers are conveyed in a relatively small space, which makes conversation easy and natural.
The approach to the island, with the hills in the background, is always an impressive scene in favourable climatic conditions, and one that memory delights to recall. We "sampled" well the pleasure places in and around the island, and our full day's outing to Ramsey was always our major excursion. Peel and St. Mary's were very interesting, not forgetting Rushen Abbey and Castletown with the Tynwald Ceremony. We had many a jolly afternoon on Douglas Head and Port Soderic, and a boating diversion on Garwick Bay, after which we could eat all the food placed on the table as fast as we could be served at a cafe by the shore.

Royalty in Dublin
On the occasion of King George V's visit to Ireland, after his coronation, we went over to the Emerald Isle on a sea excursion from Douglas. Dublin rose to the occasion in grand style, and it was most pleasing to behold the evidences of loyalty to Their Majesties for, politics apart, the Irish people had a genuine regard for the King and Queen. The return journey to Douglas was made under the most serene and charming conditions imaginable. There was scarcely a ripple on the face of the sea, and the gorgeous colours of the evening sky made an imperishable impression upon the mind of the beholder. A most amusing incident took place during the evening, when some jolly young men got hold of one of the old "sea dogs” and marched him up and down the deck. Then they prevailed upon him to sing, and, standing on one of the fixed seats over the cabin, he obliged with an old favourite, which had for a refrain the words;
"If your wants are too many,
And your means are too small,
Then cut down your wants to your means."
In the apartment houses in Douglas there is a homeliness of a kind which can rarely be found elsewhere and the jolly parties in the evenings are very enjoyable. We stayed at the apartment house of Ald. Faragher, the Cunard Line’s representative on the island, and there were, several of the “guests” who made it their holiday home every year. One of these "hardy annuals" was always the leader in provoking merriment, and one memorable evening stands out from the rest, when he managed to get hold of a copy of "Kelly from the Isle of Man," which was just published. Standing upon a chair in the middle of the large room he had the entire company singing with unrestrained hilarity the popular song.

The Great Orme
For a few years we alternated with Douglas and Llandudno, and the north of Wales became to us another enchanted land. We liked the sea journey from Liverpool in preference to the train route, and the "La Marguerite" was a very pleasant sailing vessel. Our sea excursions also included a run up the Straits of Carnarvon, and a visit to Holyhead. The setting of Llandudno is very picturesque, with the prominent headlands, the "Great Orme" and "Little Orme," guarding each entrance to the lovely bay. Nothing in my experience can surpass in undiluted pleasure a walk over Great Orme on a midsummer morning, with a cloudless sky reflected in the waters of the Irish Sea, and the sunshine tempered with a refreshing breeze; then to rest for an hour, perusing the "Manchester Guardian."

In the afternoon a siesta in the "Happy Valley" is most welcome, and then a pleasant hour with the Pierrots. Llandudno is exceedingly fortunate in the possession of its western shore, which has been much developed in recent years. In our early experience it was in rather a wild state, but it afforded a fine playground on its sand and shingle. What happy hours I spent there with a little golden-haired girl, playing at ball, and running in and out of the water and, as she grew bigger, playing at cricket with a bat and a soft ball! But it was life at its brightest and best.
It was at that delightful spot that Lewis Carrol played with little children, and afterwards wrote "Alice in Wonderland" to commemorate the happy hours he spent there.
Our itinerary in that neighbourhood always included a visit to Conway, and its charming castle and quay were an unfailing source of pleasure. From Conway, a favourite walk of ours was through the Sychnant Pass to Penmaenmawr, but the journey from the latter place to Conway is the more entrancing, with the Conway valley and the adjacent mountains forming a most glorious landscape. In the later years our visits to Llandudno have included musical evenings at the Pier Pavilion, which were formerly of such a high standard.
During that period of years before the War our holidays included visits to Humanby, Cleethorpes, and Aberystwith, which were rather uneventful, but the journey through the heart of Wales was very pleasing.

In London
In many respects the most memorable of all our holidays was a visit to London. This took place in 1907, after my younger sister had gone to live at Harlesden, in Greater London, after her marriage. We lost no time in beginning our explorations, and on the Saturday afternoon we went down into the City by horse-drawn 'bus, and spent the afternoon in Westminster Abbey. The history of our country has always made a strong appeal to me, but no words can describe my emotions as I beheld, for the first time, that most sacred edifice of our Commonwealth; the place where our Kings and Queens are crowned amid a nation's homage; the last resting-place of our illustrious dead—soldiers and sailors, statesmen and administrators, explorers and scientists, philanthropists and social leaders, and which now contains the nameless grave of a representative of the countless host who gave their utmost for our nation and humanity; and the honoured place where the pure gospel of Christian truth has been so eloquently and faithfully proclaimed.
"These temples of His grace,
How beautiful they stand;
The honours of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land."
We visited the Tower of London on our next expedition on the following day, and were captivated by another exhibition of our national mementoes. The afternoon and evening of the same day was spent at Madam Tussaud's, where we beheld history in waxen models.
During the rest of our available time we patronised some of the great stores, and made sure of a visit to Wesley's Chapel in City Road. Our tour included a river excursion to Greenwich and later to Gravesend, which was very interesting and enjoyable. As I looked down the narrow street leading to the river quay I thought of that Tuesday morning, October 14th, 1735, when John Wesley, with his brother Charles and Benajmin Ingham, set out to Georgia on their mission to convert the negroes, and of what transpired from that visit to America.

The House of Commons
The outstanding experience of that holiday week was a day in the House of Commons. Three or four parties of Earby holidaymakers visiting London, augmented by a company from Sedbergh, made arrangements with Mr. William Clough, then M.P. for the Skipton Division, to be shown round the Houses of Parliament. Mr. Clough escorted us round the historic buildings and explained all the chief points of interest. A glimpse in the House of Lords showed us an arbitration case being heard, and in one of the Committee Rooms of the House of Commons some of us were introduced to Mr. (later Sir) David Shackleton, who happened to be the first in attendance, which was very characteristic of him. Mr. Jesse Turner and I were favoured with tickets for the Visitors Gallery in the Commons for the rest of the day, and it proved to be a most memorable occasion. The Prime Minister was the Rt. Hon. H. Campbell Bannerman, and he was in attendance with all the Members of the Cabinet and the Government except Mr. D. Lloyd George, who was the minister in attendance upon King Edward VII on his visit to Wales in that year. It was a Tuesday, and on that day in the week Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary, dealt with foreign affairs, and answered questions bearing upon them. After questions had been disposed of a new Member was introduced prior to taking his seat in the assembly. This was Mr. Peter Curran, who had been elected as a Labour Member for Jarrow at a bye-election. At the close of the ceremony he shook hands with the Speaker. Mr. J. Ramsay Macdonald was then called upon by the Speaker, and under the Ten Minutes' Rule, as a private Member, Mr. Macdonald introduced a Bill dealing with unemployment, which was given a first reading without discussion. The principal business of the afternoon session (as the business of the House was then conducted) referred to India, and Mr. John Morley (as he was then) was in charge of the measure under discussion.

"F.E." in Form
The evening session was a great Parliamentary "field day," and the Budget was the dominant business of the House. Mr. Asquith was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the debate of the evening was on an amendment to the Sugar Tax. Every Liberal Member was pledged to its abolition, but the Government desired its retention to provide a "nest egg" for Old Age Pensions, which were introduced at a later stage in the life of that Parliament. Mr. Harold Cox, a Liberal Free Trader, and Mr.F.E. Smith (who became Lord Birkenhead) sought to embarrass the Government by submitting an amendment to reduce the tax by one half. The Unionist gladiator was in his most tantalising mood, as he taunted the Government and its supporters with breaking their election pledge to provide a "free" breakfast table. His sparkling wit, his brilliant raillery, and his pointed epigrams entertained the House immensely. Mr. Asquith rose, cool and unperturbed, and in a few sentences squashed the attack of the policy of the Government. It was like a mighty steam hammer crushing a pea-nut. The interest immediately waned, and the house soon was only a quarter full, but the debate furnished a good opportunity for private Members to take the field, and Mr. Philip Snowden was one who seized the opportunity, and furnished the House with one of his sarcastic diatribes against the I Government. Amongst the rest who took part in that debate was Mr. Theodore Taylor, then M.P. for Radcliffe-cum-Farnworth. Mr. Turner and I went down into the Lobby and retired through Westminster Hall. The tension in the House, however, was very acute, because some actually thought the Government would be defeated. The strain was too much for one Member, Sir Alfred Bilson, M.P. for Rushcliffe, Notts., and he died in the Lobby of the House a few minutes after we left.
 

The following letter, addressed to Mr. Hartley, is to hand :—
Dear Mr. Hartley,
Should my wife misplace a "Craven Herald" featuring one of your "Earby" articles before I have had time to read it, the domestic atmosphere is very strained until such times as the paper is found. You will gather from the above, that I am another of the many folks who thoroughly enjoy your articles.
On looking back in your past columns {which I have kept), I do not see any mention of the old Bawhead Farm, just beyond Moor Hall, on the Kelbrook side. Of this building, only a few stones now remain ; cattle graze where the hearth once was, and an Earby Urban District Council seat stands in what was probably the old farmyard.
My grandfather, Edmondson Brown who, I believe, was known as "Eddie at' Baw E'ad," lived here, and it is therefore of interest to me on that account.
I think this farm, as well as Moor Hall Farm, would be situated on the old packmen's route from East Lancashire into Craven.
With many thanks for your articles (which have also given my mother great pleasure).
I am, yours sincerely,
H. BISHOP,
32, Baldwin Avenue, York Road, Doncaster.

Craven Herald and Pioneer 23rd September 1938
Transcribed by John Turner February, 06
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