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Northern Star (1837-1852), 22nd February 1851, Edition 2 of 2, Page 4, THE FACTORY ACt "6' f1850.

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  • Departments (4)
    • ENLARGEMENT OF THE HATIOSAL INSTRUCTOR.
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    • THE NORTHS Ml STAR SATURDAY, F£BRUAlf¥ 23, 1S5I.
    • THE FACTORY ACt "6' f1850.
  • Adverts (8)
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      The Northern Star. — ' Febkuary S3, 1851...

      THE NORTHERN STAR . — ' Febkuary S 3 , 1851 :

      Enlargement Of The Hatiosal Instructor.

      ENLARGEMENT OF THE HATIOSAL INSTRUCTOR .

      Ad00409

      2 fo . TJIL of the yew Series OF " NATIONAL MTRUTOL Is now ready . SIXTEEN LABGE E 0 YAL OCTAVO PAGE S , Price One Penny . XT 13 THB ADVOCATE OP POLITICAL SOCIAL . ANO INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS

      Ad00410

      LEEDS niSTHICT . A DELEGATE MEETING of this district was held on Sunday , Fehruaiy 9 th , in the Bazaar leeds . when it was unanimously resolved : — " That a delegate be sent to the Conference in London , on the 3 rd of March . " Itvras likewise resolved : — " That the meetinc should be adjourned to the 23 rd of February , when aU delegates were to lw prenartdwith tbe : r ijrojwrtioa of the expenses . " The meeting will therefore be held m the Bazaar , on Sunday , Februarv 23 rd , at ten o ' clock in the morning . Birstall , newsbuiyf Wakefield , Pudsey , and iSatley , are requested tosend delegate * . _^___

      Ad00411

      Perfect freedom from Coug hs in Ten Minutes after use , andins lant relief , anda rapid Cure of Asthma , Consumption , Coughs , Colds , and all disorders of the Breath and Lioigs , are insured by DU . LOCOCK'S PULMONIC WAFERS . A few facts relating to the extraordinary success of Dr . Locock ' s I ' uanonie lFafers , ia the cure of Asthma andConsunptiou , Coughs , Colds , and Iiflaenza , Difficult Breathing , Tains in the Chest , Shortness of Breath , Spitting of Uiood , lloaricuess , ic , cannot fail to he interesting to all , when it is borne in mind how many thousands fall victims annually to disease of the chest .

      Ad00412

      Matrimoaif made easy ; or how to win a Lover . TllliS ELLEN DAWSON continues to AM . seal free to any address , on receipt of thirteen poitige stamps and a directed envelope , plain directions toeial . ' e ladi-. s or gentlemen to win the affections of as man of die opposite « ex as their hearts may desire . The prop - < al is simple , but so captivating and enthralling that all may be married , irrespective of age , appearance or positio i . young and old , p ^ er and peeress , as well as the peasant are subject io its influence , and last , it can be arranged with such ease and delicacy that detection is impossible . N . B . —Beware of ignorant pretenders . Just Published , Third Edition . ETIQUETTE ON LOVE , on

      Ad00413

      RE-ISSUE OF THE LECTURES BY ERNEST JONES , Uevued and corrected with rtftmees to the aufttntiw ouol « d . and a new distribution of the notes . The second edi tions of Nos . I . and II . are noir ready . Owing to the increased demand , « c . CANTERBURY versus ROME , Are now re-issued in five psrts , price twopence , or in one volume , price one shilling . The second edition of No . 1 , is now ready . OPINIONS OV ME MESS . The firs * tiiinfr that will strike any one who takes up the ^ uZrt will be the beauty and eloquence of the Hn ^ e mThich Mr . Ernest Jones has do tied his ideas , Ra t knowledge of biblioal and historical lore , which he displays . —The lectures are effusions ef incontestible and , in some respects , incomparable ability . — WeeVa Timet . ^ ., ,. „ ,.,. . . ,. Both eloquent and able , we shall further notic « them when this publication is complete . —Leader . and soul stirrinelo

      Ad00414

      * Liberty—Equality—Fraternity . ' IN FEBRUARY WILL BE PUBLISHED The First Number of 'THE PEOPL E . ' ' "We'll struggle on til ! all be won the good God has designed . The Ekfise of the People—the Monarchy of Mind . ' A NEWSPAPER established b y p rivate individuals is manifestly inadequate to the attainment of any great National object . ' It is , ' says a distinguished Irish writer , 'in many particulars defective , in many others injorioos , and in some dangerous , unsafe , and untrustworthy ; it may be bought or bartered : it may be traded with and trafficked on ; it may be cerrupted , conquered , or intimidated , and offers no guarantee for firmness , independence , or honesty . ''—Influenced by these considerations , a number of Irishmen—deeply interested in tbe welfare oftheir Native Land—have resolved on the establishment of a National Weekly Journal , which , founded by the People , will be alone responsible to them , and will have for its immediate aim and object the uncompromising advocacy of their rights—their interestsand their liberty .

      Ad00415

      NATIONAL CHARTER ASSOCIATION . Office , 11 , Southampton-street , Strand , T « HE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE JL hereby announce the following meetings : — On Sunday afternoon at three o ' clock the Metropolitan Delegates will meet at the City Hall , 26 , Golden-lane , Barbican . At the same time tbe Lambeth locality mil meet at the South London Hall , and Mr . Pattinson , the sub-secretary , will be in attendance to enrol members . On Sunday evening next at the Hock Tavern , Lissongrove—Princess lloyal , Circus-street , Marylehone—Bricklayers Arms , Tnnbridge-street , New-road—Crown aud Anchor , Cheshire-street , WaterlooTown—and New Eastern Literary and Scientific Institution , Morpeth-street , Green street , Sethnal Green . Ou the same evening at five o ' clock , the United Delegates Of the Towel' Hamlets will meet at the Woodman Tavern , White-street , WaterlooTown -and at eight o ' clock Mr G . W . M . Reynolds will lecture at the above tavern . Subject : ' The History of the English Aristocracy . '

      Ad00416

      TO TAILORS AND OTHERS . , EXHIBITION , 1851 . B y Approbation of Her Majesty Queen Victoria , and H . R . H . Prince Albert .

      Duelling Is Fiuxce,—It Will Be Remembere...

      Duelling is Fiuxce , —It will be remembered that M . Alexander Dumas and M . Merry were some time ago fined by the Tribunal of Correctional Police 200 francs for having acted as the seconds to M . Charles Hugo in a dueCand M . Delapierre and M . Grimaldi were h ' ned 100 francs for having been the seconds of M . Viennot > M . Charles Hugo ' s adversary . All the four parties appealed on Saturday last to the Court of Appeal against the judgment , but it was confirmed . 6 "

      Sro Grortwuomiftui

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      ' "". W.,' Tutbury.—Sent. Mr. Tficnoixs,...

      ' " " . W ., ' Tutbury . —Sent . Mr . tficnoixs , Morlvy . —The sum you sent for Winding-up Fund was 3 s . Gd ., but , by a misprint , was announced as only 2 s . 6 d . Blwkstone Edge . —We are requested to state that all the localities represented at the late Blaclcstone-eJge delegate meeting are requested to forward their quota of expense ! to the treasurer , Mr , Bake , Church lane , llochdale , with ' ut delay . Mr . MelviUE , Maikinch . —The fid . from J . Donaldson should have been for the Honesty Fund , not for Windingup the Company . Alex . M tchell ' s address . was stated to be Ferryport-on-Craij . ' , instead of Markinch , Nottingham . —J . Sweet acknowledges the receipt of the following sums ( sent herewith ) , vix . . —Fob Honest *

      Frwo : —Mr . Brown , Cd ; Mrs . Burbage , 6 d Fob Winmns-ot Fond : —Mr . Brown , Gd j Mr . C . Barker , Cd ; Mr . T . Marriott , Is ; Mr . J . Tinkler , 6 d ; Miss Tunstall , 6 d ; Mrs . Hayes , 6 d . Mr . B . HroHiox , Halifax . —The 5 s fid from W . Maud , and tho Ss from W . Fletcher , should have been under the head Honesty Fund , but by mistake was placed to that for the Winding-up of the Land Company . - Mr . M . Newbolv , Lojjghuro ' . —The sum sent last week for the Winding-up Fund was -is fid . It appeared only as 4 s in the Star . Hongabun Hefugees . —T . Autill begs to acknowledge the receipt of 15 s from Mr . Harney . G . B . —We cannot answer your question , it . Hodson . -Your intelligence is of too old a date . We should be gUd to receive- earlier reports from this quarter .

      The Norths Ml Star Saturday, F£Brualf¥ 23, 1s5i.

      THE NORTHS Ml STAR SATURDAY , F £ BRUAlf ¥ 23 , 1 S 5 I .

      A Pedlar's Budget. Sir Charles Wood Will...

      A PEDLAR'S BUDGET . Sir Charles Wood will be the death of the Whig Ministry . For the sake of the partyif for nothing else—they should take care of bim , and instead of allowing him to be at largo , should send him to some quiet "Retreat , " where bis hallucinations would be harmless . Last year , with a considerable surplus , he contrived to do as little good , and to produce as

      much dissatisf a tion , as previous to the exp loit , one could have imagined was in his power . This year , however , he has shown that his capacities in that way are not to he easily gauged . With a larger surplus , and , conse-, quently , a hotter opportunity of affording palpable and substantial relief to . the over-burdened tax payere , he has contrived to create universal disappointment and a howl of indi gnation and contempt from one end of the country to the other .

      Previous to the meeting of Parliament deputations from the interests that thought themselves most entitled to consideration in the framing of the Bud get for the year , pressed their claims on the attention of the Financial Minister . Sir Charles received them " courteously' '—in many cases familiarlylaug hed and joked with thorn in high good humour and—declined to say anything till he r e vealed , once for all , his scheme as a whole . The only thing real about these deputations appoars to have been Sin Charles ' s merriment . He could not help laughing at anybody

      being so "jolly green" as to come and ask Aim to take off any oftheir burdens ! What matter , thoug h he had a surplus ? He could not , with the two or three millions at his disposal , satisfy them all , and , therefore—Oh , bright idea!—he would go to work in such a way as should-satisfy none of them ? In bis endeavours to be o ri ginal and * striking in his Bud get , he has exhibited a perverse ingenuity , and an elaborate infelicitousness , in discovering modes of making his surplus do the least possible good , which is positivel y astounding . It reaches the very sublime of financial

      maladministration . For a third time he proposes the renewal of the income tax , with all its inequalities and monstrous injustice to those who have to earn their bread by the sweat of their hands and their brains . The lordl y owner of broad acrestho wealthy possessor of streets , warehouses , and factories—the snug recipient of dividends on stocks and shares , —all those whose incomes arederived fromreal property , independent alike of their health or si c kn e s s , a nd which at the i r death will descend to their heirs without diminution in value , are to continue to p a y

      sevenpence in the pound . The poor clerk , who out of £ 150 . a year , has to maintain himself and famil y , keep a respectable appearance , pay house rent and taxes , and insure his life , to leave a few pounds to his wid O w or children in the event of of his death—is to pay exactl y the same ! Professional men—hardworked authors—journalists , and reporters , whose brains are incessantl y on the ra c k , to the shortening of life , and the deprivation of enjoyment while living , are assessed at the

      same rate as the proprietor of Chatsworth or Woburn Abbey . How often do these poor slaves of the lamp look wishfully at the £ 5 note , hardly earned , which o ught t o p a y for the schooling of their children , but of which they are p lundered in this infamous manner b y tho Chancellor of the Exchequer , aud , as & consequence , theiroffspring deprived of the education which is the only fortune their parents have to bequeath to them . But what cares Sir Charles Wood for all that ? There are

      "difficulties" to an equitable adjustment , aud , therefore , he proposes it shall remain as it is . That its continuance in its present shape , will uot only perpetrate a gross injustice and downri g ht robbery on the classes we have menti o ned , but at the samo time perpetuate a wh o lesale demorali s ation o f public op ini o n , fri g htful to contempl a te , isevident from thereturns of tho number of persons who pay tho tax . Out of the 30 , 000 , 000 of inh a bitants o f this country o nly ab o ut 500 , 000 pay this impost . Of these a large proportion are individuals whose incomes just come within its

      range . But the large traders , brokers , manufacturers , and successful professionals—all contrive to escape almost scot free . There must he more individuals , with incomes ranging from one to two thousand a year , in the sing le parish of Marylehone oc Paddington , than are returned for the whole of Great Britain . The tax is opposed to the innate common souse aud justice of the community , aud they enter into a wholesale conspiracy to evade it . The bi g fish escapes because the Government dare not institute a strict inquisitorial investigation ; they catch the small ones who have no influence , " aud who may , therefore , be robbed with impunity .

      Basing his scheme on this fundamental injustice , Sir Chahles Wood proceeded to construct another scarcely loss flagrant and intolerable . Apparently repealing the windowtax , he proposes to substitute a house tax nominall y one-third less in amount , - but which iu m a ny cases , will amount to as much or more than the tax it replaces . The house tax will , to a great extent , f a ll peculiarly heavy on the same classes who are . so uujustly treated by tiie income tax ; and thus a second robbery will be committed upon them . The return of h o us e s and persons assessed to the window duty , show that , like the income tax

      it is paid b y a very small portion of the community ; and though the substitution of a house tax has tho recommendation that it will not necessarily shut out li g ht aud air , \ et it is invidious and unequal in the selection " of th e houses to which it applies , and the manner iu which they are to he assessed . Thus au old house , rented at £ 100 » year , wltich has formerly paid £ 1515 s . 'for window duty , will in future pay two-thirds or £ 10 10 s . ; while a new house , rented at £ 100 , will only have to pay £ 5 house duty . We should like to knew on what conceivable scale this gradation has been framed .

      We have said that tho Bud get exhibits elaborate and perverse ingenuity iu dovisinomodes by which ;> s little good as possiblecould be done . Let our readers judge of the fact . Out of nearly two millions of a surp lus , we are to save £ 700 , 000 a year b y the substitution of the house for the window duty , in the manner we have indicated . The rest is frittered away in several unmeaning , if not ridiculous , small boons , or

      A Pedlar's Budget. Sir Charles Wood Will...

      apparent boons to the landlords , the colonial interest , and the farmers . To the landlord he gives £ 150 , 000 , by placing the charge of county lunatic asylums to that extent on the consolidated fund ; to the farmers he gives £ 30 , 000 a year , in the shape of a reduction of duty on foreign seeds ; the colonial interest he proposes to propitiate , b y equalising the duty on coffee and making it an uniform rate of 3 d ; in the pound ; and to the shipbuilder and farmer he offers a reduction on sawn and hewn timber of 10 s . and 7 s . 6 d . a load . That is the Budget . Neither more nor loss 1 We

      forgeta few hundr e d thousand pounds a re reserved to buy down the National Debt , in which laudable process Sir Charles tells us , he had been eng a ged alread y to the extent of about two millions sterling . A very gratifying statement on the face of it . But our gratification is rather modified , when we learn that our " wooden " Chancellor has been buy ing in the debt at £ 96 per £ 100 , which- he contracted himself latel y at £ 86 per £ 100 , and has thereby sacrificed about a quarter of a million sterling . That is paying too dearly for such a whistle as Sir Charles Wood !

      We can scarcely imagine that a financial plan , so utterly devoid of any pretensions to common sense , or common honesty , which fails to relieve , in any perceptible degree , the burdens of any one class or interest of the community , which , with a large surplus in hand , squanders it so ridiculousl y , will be permitted to pass in its present shape . It has been hailed by an universal outburst of execration and condemnation by journals of all complexions , and representing all parties , and it

      will have to encounter a most determined opposition in Parliament . There is only one fear , and that is , for want of some well-digested and workable p lan , on the part of the opposition , Sir Charles may carry the day with his wretched abortion . If the opponents of the Budget mean to succeed in their oppositi o n , they must be prepared with another . If they are not , it will bo a deliberate denial of their responsibilities as members of the Legislature , and an abdication of the most important of their functions .

      We have often complained of the enormous loss entailed upon the country , b y keeping such a mere pedl a r in o ffi c e as the present imbecile and incompetent Finance Minister . Here is another and more forcible illustration of his incapacity . When will the patience of John . Bull give way ? Had Sir Robert Peel been alive , and entrusted with such a surplus , how different would have been Ms plans , and our prospective payments !

      Agricultupval Distress. Affairs In This ...

      AGRICULTUPvAL DISTRESS . Affairs in this country appear to proceed on tho gee-saw principle—one up , the other down . When the manufacturing districts are said to bo enjoying " prosperity , "the agricultural are plunged into the deepest " distress , " and vice versa . Their seems to be no possibility of both being prosperous together , under our present arrangements . Wliy that is the case , or how it mig ht be remedied , are , however , not the questions to which we now propose to direct attention . The immediate result is , that the duration of the Whig Ministry is threatened by it—that , last week , it was onl y by desperate exertions they saved themselves by a narrow majoi'ifcy of fourteen , in a House of upwards of five hundred and fifty members .

      Those who onl y read the Free Trade papers —which are in the habit of ridiculing Protection and Protectionists , and of studiousl y concealing from their readers the facts on which th e y base their agitation for the reconsideration of our late commercial policy—must have been consider a bl y surprised at the closeness of that division . A party which can muster so strongly is neither to be despised , nor can it bo supposed altogether without some foundation in fact for its complaints , and its demands for redress ; and while the balance is so nearl y equ a l , the question cannot , by any means , be said to bo settled . ¦

      Much of the success which attended Mr . Disraeli ' s motion has , however , been ascribed to the defection of some of the Irish members , who usuall y vote with Ministers , because they disapprove of the Papal Aggression Bill . Perhaps this had some influence ; but we believe that such has been the injury inflicted upon Irish owners aud occup iers o f land b y Free Trade , th a t , under a ny circumstances , they were certain to have voted with the "Country Party . "

      The weakness of that party appears to consist in the want of a definite and a practical policy . The elaborate and varied speech of Mr . Disraeli , did not supply that want . It was , no doubt , a very clever essay , and indicated a range of reading , thought , and reflection , which hitherto have not . been expected from so purel y rhetorical a speaker . But it wanted simp licity and directness . The very length of its exordium was a fatal blunder in its construction . There was no necessity for spending an hour and ten minutes in " preliminary remarks , " for the purpose of proving that the most eminent men on both sides of tho houss had been mistaken iu their calculations

      as to the probable effects of free trade on the prices of corn ; and therefore that all p a rties oug ht'to enter upon the consideration of the subject unbiassed b y anything that had formerl y occurred . The unwieldy introduction was . appropriatel y cl o sed by a s ex t ensi v e and p o nder o us a c o llection o f r e medies , or rather hints as to remedies , which , couched in Mr . Disraeli ' s language , must bo very bewildering to tho farmers . W e wonder , for instance , if Mr . Chowler , the valiant hero , whose bold

      defiance to mortal combat at the Crown and Anchor none of our readers can have forgotten , comprehends his leader ' s pr o gramme in the House of Commons . A string of measures , which it takes an hour to recite , will never make a good " cry " at a General Election . Mr . Disraeli may be very good at constructing a three v olume novel , " or a political essay suited for the atmosphere of the House of Commons , but he has yet to learn how to construct a working party .

      Among the long list of measures alluded to b y him , however , there were many pregnant indications of a ripening of public op inion on important questions . Foremost among these is the necessity for a complete revision of our whole Financial System , with the view ' of redistributing and equitabl y adjusting its burdens . Another , not less valuable , indication was the allusion to the improvement of outlaws of partnershi p , aud the consequent improved cultivation and value of the land , which would arise , b y a number of persons with small c a p ital being enabled to embark in

      agricultural pursuits . Sir James Graham , who m a de the " crack" speech on the Free Trade side of tho question , expressed his surprise th a t , after Mr . O'Connor ' s experience in Joint Stock Cultivation , Mr . Disraeli should have dreamt of such a thing . We are surprised at the audacity of Sir James ' s remark . No man leuows better that it was precisel y oecawse of the want of a proper law of partnershi p ; because the Land Society was deliberately excluded from the protection of law , that the hon . member for JNWmghamhas been obli ged to bring in a Bill for winding-up tho affairs ol that Society .

      We observe , with much pleasure , that Mr . Slaney has followed up his Committee of l o st Session , by another Select Committee , the leading object of which is the introduction of something like common sense and common justice into our laws relating to partnerships . In connexion with the measure of the Attorney General , for registering deeds , and facilitating the transfer of estates , it will greatl y tend to the diffusion of landed property among the peop le , and thereb y to the breaking down of the huge system of exclusion and monopoly , which shuts out the masses from all

      Agricultupval Distress. Affairs In This ...

      direct interest in , or connexion with , the soil . The unwholesome utagnation , the artificial sterility , andunder-cultivation , which results from locking up the land from the bulk of the population , can only he effectually remedied by measures that will permit industry , enterprise , and capital , to be applied freel y to it , and that , not for the benefit of landlords or usurers , but the actual cultivators . It cannot be denied , however , that at the present moment the agricultural districts are suffering severely , and it is questionable whether even the formal abolition of rent would be equal to the losses the fanners are

      sustaining under present prices . From 50 s . to 56 s . was estimated even hy Sir Robert Peel , as the lowest prices at which wheat could be permanently and remuneratively grown in this country ; and it was estimated that upon an average of years , taking into account the cost of frei ght , and other expenses incurred in importing forei gn grain , that would be the ruling price . We find now , however , it is down to 37 s . with every prospect , ia future , of the average not ruling higher that 405 . in the best of cases . - To tbe large and wealthy markets of England all countries are certain to send supplies . Low prices must continue to be the rule in that market as an inevitable

      consequence ; and however p leasant that may be to those who live on fixed incomes , or who derive incomes from usury and profitmongcring , it will be no joke to those who have to bear the burdens , and produce the provisions sold at these low prices . If such is to he the permanent condition of the " owners and occupiers of laud , ' a revolution—not the less real and extensive because it has been quietly made b y act of Parliament , instead of barricades and cannon—is certain to follow . In the course of that

      revolution we expect to see many singular conjunctions * as it is proverbially the office of misfortune to make strange bedfellows . Is it beyond the scope of possibility , that landlords and farmers should-join the labouring classes against the domination of the money power , which grows mig htier every day at tho expense of both landlord and labourer ? 'We have no doubt , whatever , that if the suffrage were commensurate with the adult males of this country , that a very different system to that of unregulated and uncontrolled competition , would bo instituted in this country . In

      America , under the most Democratic constitution the world has yet seen—and with the cheapest Government also—a carefully-constructed protective system exists , hy the will of the masses . The Political Economists have not yet persuaded the industrial classes to surrender their interests to the keeping of those whose business it is to sell dear , and buy cheap ; and , in all cases , to take care that whoever loses they will win . It is very doubtful w hether the examp le of this country will ever be of so fascinating a kind as to induce them to do so .

      Meantime we conclude by expressing our belief , that " agricultur a l distr e ss " will not be cured b y speeches from Mr . Disraeli , nor even b y tho formation of a Protectionist ministry . The first step towards that object , will bo for those who are really engaged in the cultivation of the soil to make common cause with the producers of wealth in every other department ; they are all preyed upon by the non-producing , rent , profit , and

      taxeating classes . If they mean to be "first partakers " of the fruits of their own labours , they must have a thorough searching Reform of Parliament , whi c h will g ive them the command of the purse strings ; they will then be a bl e to " cut the coat according to the cloth ; " and if they must still continue to compete with forei gn n a tions , they Avill take good cure that it shall be on something like more equitable terms , as far as national and

      local burdens are concerned . South Nottinghamshire has shown that the tide flows that way , The candidate of the " Dukery" has been beaten , a nd an active business man comparativel y poor and acreless , sent to Parliament to vote for diminished taxation . Revolt number one . Who'll follow ?

      The Factory Act "6' F1850.

      THE FACTORY ACt f 1850 .

      The Reports Of The Inspectors Of Factori...

      The reports of the Inspectors of Factories may be briefl y described as a collection of official contradictions to the assumptions and theories of the Political Economists and Free Traders , with reference to the legislative regulation of labour . Ever since 1816 , when it was first proposed to place the factory workers under tbe protecting care of Parliament , the

      objection has been incessantly repeated that such an interference was utterly opposed to all sound priuciple , and could not fail to be pernicious and mischievous in practice , by either driving our manufacturers from this country to others where such meddling was not permitted ; or by artificiall y raising the price of manuf a ctured goods to such a hei ght as would render our manufacturers unable to compete with those of other countries .

      Successive enactments constantl y increasing in stringency have had the invariable result of falsifying all these predictions . The manufactures of this country have not decreased , but the contrary . Capital has uot departed to seek out inv e stments in forei gn lands . Prices have not risen and prevented us from finding customers . On the other hand , all the antici pations of the advocates of regulated labour h a ve been full y realised ; we find that tbe physical , domestic , and social improvement of the condition of the operative classes has been exactl y concurrent with the extent of our leg islation in this direction . Whenever the one has stopped the other has stopped also .

      > Last year , notwithstanding tho accumulation of facts all demonstrative of this general conclusion , the " Free-Booters " in and out oi Parliament stoutly resisted any further interference ; when , in consequence of the clumsy maimer in which a ckuso in Mr . Fielder ' s Act was drawn — the cunning with which it had been evaded , and .-the-sympathy of millmaster m a g istrates with the offenders—or all these causes combined , rendered fresh legislation necessary , There was no doubt whatever that it was the intention of the legislature to give the factory workers a bona fide Ten

      Hours Bill , by the act of 1817 ; and finding themselves cheated out of this boon , they naturally and justl y app lied to the Government to enforce the act . The question was tried in a superior court , and the evasion having been pronouueed to be no infraction of the lett e r of the law , no alternative remained but to appeal to Parliament again , to exp lain its own meaning in such a way as to prevent any misconception , or chance of evading the provisions of the act with impunity . The "Whi g Cabinet , ho w ever , was not prepared to take that honest aud straightforward step . They are too dependent on the votes of the : ' Manchester

      School" to risk . offending its members and hence Sir Geobge Guey proposed a compromise , by which ten hours was replaced bv ten hours and a half , as the working day -for women and young persons ( luring five davs of the week-work to cease at two o ' clock on Saturdays instead of , four , as enacted by the old law This regulation was accompanied bv another important provision , namel y , th a t women and young persons could only be employed these ten hours aud a half between the hours of six m the morning and six in the evening , thus giving them time for domestic occupations , or for healthful relaxation . So far this

      was an improvement on formcracts , being equivalent to a restriction on the moving power in the case of the class to which the provision applied . Had it been carried out consistentl y , it would have effectually prevented all possibility of evading the law , and dispensed with the necessity for an expensive , cumbrous , and we fear , in too many instances , ineffective ma-

      The Reports Of The Inspectors Of Factori...

      chincry of supervision and penaiT ^ T giving to any person tho power of ] aV j " ? information at common law , against any m ? owner who ran his machinery before or ft the prescribed hours , and givinsr tha W a moiety of the penalty for the infrinZ ^ of the law , the practice would have been ff tu a ll y put down . But this was too mul T expect from a trimming Minister Jib o- ° George Grey . Instead of doing thi i proponed an arrangement which app ear ' -, it had been deliberatel y framed for th aS press purpose of furnishing the milhlZl with fresh loopholes . He proposed to evo , «;! " children " from the clause which ree „| t J the hours within which " women and vo persons " were to be employed . Thei p loyers had thus the power of SJ ^' them to work before six in the morn n ? aud of keeping them at work after 6 { l & the evening , on condition that they did " n 3 employ any one set of children more than r i > hours and a . half in any one day , exr-lr ™

      , of time for meals . The effect of this was oh vious . As tho legislation did not apply t adult males , the millowners had it in the } power to work two sets of children with th sp inners—and , in fact , to make " the day " t ! the latter fifteen hours , instead of twelve i n eluding the time for meals . ' We have now the Reports of the Iu spectors of Factories before us for t he half year ending 31 st October , 1850 , and which have just been presented to Parliament They fulfil , to tho letter , the auticipa

      tions we expressed m the Star at tho time the bill was under consideration . Mr . Horner says , that the pernicious and unjust system of working young persons and women by shifts has been put a stop to ; and , cwise . quentl y , the last three months of the half year during which the new act has been in operation , ' have been a period of comparative quiet and contentment . He admits there are to be found some who still contend for tlis

      "Ten Hours Act in all its integrity ; but fi 0 adds—and we think the explanation is very obvious—the reason very natural , " They are not be found among ' the young persons and women' whose labour is restricted b y the Act but among the adult m a les o nl y . " Those who have obtained what is equivalent to a " Ten Hours Act , " taking Saturday into the account , are contented . Those ' who have not are discontented . What more natural ? '

      As far as young persons and women are concerned , we cheerfull y concur in the statement of Mr . Horner , that the act of last session is a great improvement on any pre . vious act . They have now at their disposal , at least something like a reasonable time for the purposes o f rest , domestic duties , mental improvement , aud recreation by tbe cessation of their work at an early h o ur ia the evening . The greatest boon , however

      , conferred by the act , has been the cessation of work at two o ' clock on the Saturday afternoon , All classes of factory workers seem to prize it hi g hl y . Iu cases where attempts have been made to induce adult males to work after that hour they have refused to comp ly , prefering the leisure to the additional pay . Mr . . Horner adds , "I have heard many emp hatic expressions h y the workmen , of the satisfaction which the enactment has

      given ; and the generality of masters full y admit the advantages of it to the men they employ . " Another result mentioned b y Mr . Horner as coincident with diminished hours of labour is , that the amount of produce keeps up to very nearl y to that of twelve hours under tho old system . This was the strong point of opponents of factory legislation . We remember Sir Jamer Gbaiiam in 1847 , backed by Mr . Bright and tho factory interest , " ; moat energeticall y denouncing Mr . Fielden ' s bill as certain to bring ruin upon the manufacturers of this country . A reduction of

      onesixth of the working hours was declared by them to be equivalent to a reduction of one-sixth of production ; aud if so , the sun , of Eng land ' s prosperity was set for ever . In that , as in many other cases , " Political E c onomy ''led its disciples astray . Dealing with human beings always as if they were mere machines , they fall into lamentable mistakes on very important matters . Experinco has confirmed the statements of the advocates of regulated labour . The manager of one of the largest and best managed cottonmills in Mr . Horner ' s district , made the following voluntary statement on this sub * ject ;—

      " We aro now turning off the same amount of work as we did when we worked twelve hours . When I came to this mill nine years ago , the quantity turned off in the spinning department was the same as we turn off , and there has been no change in the machinery , m increase in the speed . I set down the keeping up of the quantity entirely to the greater attention and activity of the hands .- they are aisle TO WORK BETTER BY THE SHORTEll TIME THEY ARE AT IT .

      Tho "Economists" who mystify themselves and mislead society hy mountains of : ' statistics and fallacious averages , should cure- ¦ fully consider all that is involved in the sen- ¦ tence we have emphasixed in this extract .. They might have puzzled their brains over r their dogmas and abstractions to all eternity ,, without ever hitting on such an important t truth , or such a . natural deduction . The manager of another mill equally large , ¦ made a similar statement , except that there's had been a small increase in the speed of tho o machinery .

      We can only repeat , that wherever an up- ) - proxim a tion has been m a de to the princi p l e s a of the advocates ' of regul a ted l a bour , the re- bsults have proved the soundness of these priu-1-ciples , tho correctness of tho antici p ations is founded on them , and their beneficial chamc-ctor when carried into practical operation . The same experience has equ a ll y demon-nstrated the injurious nature of tho arrange ^' ments framed in opposition to these princip les-is . The exclusion of children from the clause ap-iuplying to young persons and women , has lcM

      not onl y to great dissatisfaction , but is a a Source of constant controversy , annoy aii « . ce „ fraud , and inconvenience to ail p arties . Iulm Scotland the opposition of the cmp loycr-ci * seems to be peculiarl y bitter . Captain KiN'iN " Caid , the Inspector of the Scottish District ,, states the abandonment of tho relay systcnlcii " " hits led the millowners to have recourse t <) t <; modes of working more inconvenient , aii < ani . tr o ubles o me , both to themselves and the perper sons in their employment . "

      One plan is to run the machincrv , with the aid of nicHiicni women , nnd ^ oung persons , during the ordinary worfcin-fci "" hours , from six a . m . to six p . m . Tliowoimn and youiwi persons then leave , anil tlu-ir places tire taken hy eliil'lKI'lio under thirteen , who , along with the . same men , carry o-y t >> the work till half-past eight p . m . Many ot'Uie menainai " thus kept at work thirteen hours a ( lav . . Other mill-owner ? , by employing ' males only nboviuov ; eighteen , run their mauhinerv nil night—a mode of woi tooi M ing always objectionable ; fur while it imposes on »]«¦ ' » . " . owner extra expense in wages , lire insurance , lighi'i ' -iii " :: & c ., it is harassing and demoralising to the pt'isoi-s em i-nii ployed , inducing to habits ot intemperance , with all lli ti [ li ! " teudant evils .

      Another objection to the act of Inst Sessrow which is strongly urged by all tho Iuspcctofitor is its interference with the emp loyment ( it « children on alternate days . By the fonmrnm system , tho children went to school , both fonfont noon a nd a fternoon , on the days they did n < l n « work , and b y changing his working days evdeve " week , the manufacturer gave the child M h » entire days of schooling every fortnight- i k ofloMloM

      the wording of section 31 of tho act " this is now rendered impracticable in conjuttijinn tion with the provisions of the law of lilo ° . 50 , the serious injury of the children , who , v W wbw they work half time each day under the j * pn sent act , are obli ged to go to school their working dresses—very often so smeaneaw with dye and grease , that they are not out our placed in disadvantageous contrast with Uh tt other children , but aro refused admission lion

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 22, 1851, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_22021851/page/4/