The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-01-11 00:00:00

stoulribg tlsertrer.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 1868.

LEGISLATION FOR CHILDREN.

There is an old legal Insxiin, be Mita
orreh c.e—the bew does not roncern itself with
trifles. Were we to translate the maxim, the
law takes in cave of the hale (mem, it would be
easy to show thu iii too malty matters the pi ix.
int ham hitherto been borne out. But PO Ad of
nt wits passed Nat session which deals
specially with tie wrongs of children. The
Factory Aetc Extension Act hies come into ope-
rution with the present year, and it bids f or to
prove a great boon to the little ones of society,
the eltild-utilers in mir factories anti worksh ips.
'rim act de di with furnaces, mills, fonndriog,
machineonaking gtabtighinents, paper•woiks
toNteao-factories, uu,. rite principle of the
measure is to give 11 UV power to tile inspectors
and anh-inenectors. ties power hehig nem.' fir
tote be-netit of the v.ottien and children employed
V.( rein.

Among. the enactments effected by this men-
' sore tire the following. No person under 18
ye. rs of w.,:e is to ic eniployed without being
reghdered, and children tinder lef are not to be
eniplojf d wdhout a medical certificate of liteess
h‘r tI e work. No chiol except under certain
prmisiens is to be employed en Sunday. No
chili uni!er eight years of age is to be employed
at all. With regard to glass works the proliihi•
Una ig extended to children under twelve., and
1 in metal works the prohibition extends to Mill-
' dren under eleven. No child under thirteen
years of age is to he employed before six in the
morning or after els at night. No children are
to be employed oil Saturdays after 2 p.m., or for
more than six amid a half holiti per nay.
It fie not easy to overrate the importance of
thcse alterations. At one blow they overthrow
the sveteni of prolonged labour which, bad
enough when applied to strong men, is always
injorions anl fretieutly fatal to ehildren. As
long as mud, of us can remember the overnvork
of boys and girls in various euiploymenta has
been a subject en which a great deal of argu•
meld, sympathy, sod philaothropy have been
espeiolud ; cud it has naafi very uutiouen to
[Teak of the grinding tyranny_ bun the remorse.
Idea ov.aiee of eiopluyerJ. But this is a Very
olie•sidA way of looking at it. Poor parent's
hove always been noire or less desirous of ad.
diag to the income of the family by sending
out its younger members at an age when they
ought to hi. nt school or at home. The locreasf d
Post of living, end the increased luxury of the
age, which lovi hat its Influence on the working
classail as well as others, have fended to mug-
mod this evil, which has only of lute years been
curbed be wholesome legislatlon. The Factory
Aids Extensiou Act is no dher step ia the same
diii ctien, and if iuu prOVisioui ho strictly en-
-I.)eal.ltill t Tid a con cider chile timeli-
er 'lion in the condition of children of the work.
lug class.

Coniliined with wholesome restrictions as to
the hours of !skim., an attclopt ii Made to en.
force a system of primary talimatioii, Children
arc compelled to attend school either for half
tie, day throughout the week, or OF° on all .1.-
nate days, the employer being iillowed to dminet
one-to eat!' of each child's wages in -Adorn for
the lims of time to tile former and the beliefit
which the letter witl receive. Besides these
provisions there are others which pncluile tliJ
ruiploymmit of young person in certain very
miwkilesoine trades, which secarc four d.tys'
holiday during the your, and which shield tier-
s:ins employed aniongst machinery from acid-
deut3 to whieh they would otherwise probably
be liable.

An net of Parliament has tdso just corns into
force mhich materialiy improves the condition
of young women and children engaged in agri-
cultural labour. The ganging system bas proved
very injurious to the physical health and the
moral condition of boys and girls who Is toe been
subjected to it. Children of tender age have
been employed in field work, at a distance from
their homes, and under the " care "of a gang-
:easter whose only object has been to get as much
work out of his " gang " (a very odious word to
apply to honest labourers) as possible. Certain
restrictions are now imposed upon the employ-
-111:11t of young persona; ganginasters are to be
list:used, and thus brought under the control of
the magistracy ; and tho BCIOS are to be sepal,
ated in field work.

Many of the regulations in both these Acts
will be difficult to carry out into practical work-
ing, and perhaps sonic Maher alterations will
yet have to be made. But the main effect will
be to improve the condition of • large number
of )oung persons throughout the country. It
will restrict the absorbing devotion to mere
inanal labour, afford time and opportunity for
toe cultivation of the mind, and supply incen-
tives to it. When legislation is thus practically
directed to the improvement of the condition of
those who have hitherto been neglected, the de-
sire and the power of self improvement always
follow upon legislative changes. The provisious
to whian we have referred were not hastily
adopted. The proposals were fully discussed,
moss especially in the House of Commons,
where the interests of the employer are at pre-
, sent over-represented; and we may fairly con-
clude, therefore. that the ;jaw regulations will be
for the benefit of the employers as well as of thd
employed. To the objection that i,my be raises
to liOC:1 legislation, that it is an interference with
the relations that atheist between the two, it
may be replied that this interference is not pee
de, an evil, and that if the legislation he good,
' the interference will be goad also. A somewhat
similar interference was effected many years
since, after session open session of opposition,
and it hag been found to work well. There can
be no doubt that the further step which has been
taken in the same direction will also be produc-
tive of beueficial results.