The Express.
London, England, 1855-10-18 00:00:00

(Stamped ld. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

THE ROUES OF APPRENTICES .

A question of some importance (says the Wolver-
hampton Chronicle) was decided at the Town Hall, on Mon-
day last, by the local magistrates. The tuts will be seen
from the remarks of Mr. Hartley, who, is giving the deci-
sion of the bench, slid,—The summons charges the de-
fendant, George Hughes, with neglecting the service of his
employer, James Jones, but the real object appears to be
to obtain a decision from the bench as to whether the master
can compel the apprentice to labour more than twelve hours
a day, deducting the usual meal hours therefrom, the appren-
tice in this cue having reload to work past seven o'cloct at
night, commencing at coven in the morning. In addition
to the indenture., we have before us some evidence which
has been given to show the custom of the Venn this point,
and Mr. Wynn and myself have, during the week, endea-
voured to obtain information on that point. The
.prepon-
derance of evidence is in favour of thirteen hours a day, but
It is variable, and not so conclusive as to justify us in deciding
armordiag to custom. But with reference to this point the
Wash would reserve to themselves the right of interfering
sad pronouncing against any custom which should not give
equal advantages to the employer and the t mployed. It is
• practice in this court and in other police courts in this
district to set upon certain customs, but they are invariably
such as to give mutual advantages to both employer and
employed. Per instance, that which requires masters ea/
men to pvs fourteen days' nodes before • separation takes
Setting aside, therefore, soy custom
CIL matter, the Bench will base its decision upon a fair
and reasonable construction of the indenture., which I hold
in my hand. In these indentures are two clauses bearing
upon the subject in dispute. The first ie that in which the
&panties hound himself to attend at the regular hoar. se
appointed by his muter; but that, I apprehend, relent to the
hours of aommeneing work and to those appointed for
meals, and not to the number which shall compose a day's
work; bemuse, Um, the muter may appoint 14 or even 16
hours • day. The other clause referred to is that wherein
the apprentice agrees to work for so much per week ; and
we have now to decide what is the reasonable construction
to be placed upon the term "a week's work." W• are of
opinion that such reasonable construction is six working
days of twelve hours each, deducting therefrom the yawl
meal hours, that being as much as we consider it right to
allow the physical powers of • boy to be subjected to. It is
not good pcdiey on the part of the employer to require •
greater amount of work than the physical powers of an
apprentice are equal to. In giving this decision I speak
from my own experience, and have no hesitation in saying
that the interests of the master will not suffer from it. As
an employer myself of between one and two thousand work-
men, lam sathasd that if the whole were apprentices I
should prefer the amount of work that would be performed
by them in twelve hours undisputed, rather than the work
that would be performed in thirteen hours, if the extra hour
wen disputed; and I have no doubt that in this ease, if •
fair and proper feeling exists between the apprentice and
his employer, the apprentice will perform as much labour
sad in a better manner, in twelve hours, than he would in
thirteen. A question may arise as to the hours for meals.
In this cue I undersund that the master', hours are from
seven in the morning until eight at night, allowing half
an hour for breakfast, an hour at dinner, and half an hour
at tea. I have • strong impression that it would be better
if six o'clock were the hour fixed, in which case half an
hour at breakfast and an hour at dinner would be all that
an apprentice could n quire. If he left work at six o'clock
in the evening he would not be entitled to the half-boar
for tea. Such an arrangement would therefore reduce
the question in dispute to a simple half hour. But if the
muter should continue to fix the hour until *even is the
evening, then I think it only fair that the apprentice should
have half an hour at tea. If sit o'clock was the boar of

commencing, it would have the effect of inducing habits of
early rising, and would allow apprentices to avail themselves
of those institutions which are intended ter the moral and
intellectual improvement of boys of that class, and which
are only available during the evening. And on this point
I may go so far as to say that I should hesitate in convicting
any apprentice who refuses to work after via o'clock, pro-
viding he expresses his willingness I. imminence at that
hoar a the morning, end his employer could show no via-
cleat reason why six in the morning should not be the hour
of commencing Trask. I can imagine the fact ot an ap-
' rennet who, according to his master's mutations, had
wasted at lout an hour of the most valuable part of the day
—the moraieg—and being compelled to work until eight
o'clock at night, having no spirit to do other then stroll,
dirty se be came from the shop, into the tiro public house,
sad there join a party to rob the most valuable garden in
the neighboarhood, a crime very prevalent recently in this
town. [Nr. Bartlett: In conseqsence of leaving work
too early.] Mr. Hartley : No, no. But if permitted
to leave work at sin o'clock in the evening there would be
timeand the boy would be more likely to feel the disposition
to clean himself and take trivialities) of the institutions to
what'll I have referred ; or otherwise seek to improve his
eoadition. It has been urged that the apprentices will not
turn out at 8 cs'ekek in the morning. They do in other
great public manufactories in the town, and would in the
leek tends if a proper example were set them; and, further,
I would say that 1 should not be unready to punish an
apprentice who habitually absented himself from the shop
after six in the morning, if that were the hour filed by his
employer to commence work. I hope, in this ease, the
apprentice will nut conceive that he has achieved any
triumph over his master, but that he will prove, by close
attention to his work, that he can serve his rosette as effi-
ciently in twelve hours as in thirteen, and that from this
time a good and proper feeling will exist between both the
apprentice and his employer.