• The weavers of Todrnorden have petitioned the Privy Council
to inquire into the effect of the use of kaolin or China clay in the manufacture of calicoes and other gray goods. They allege that the clay is made to adhere to the warps by poisonous ingredients; that the dust poisons the weavers, causing bronchitis, consump- tion, and other lung diseases ; that ventilation is insufficient, and that they are constantly thrown out of work by illnesses produced by the clay "sizing." Supposing all this to be true—and the men are likely to know their own business—why do they not remedy' the evil themselves ? A strike against bad ventilation would be approved by the whole country, and a cheap and convenient form: of respirator or mask is not beyond the reach of human ingenuity. Much more serious evils were overcome in the steel-filing trade.
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