The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-11 00:00:00

part he must candidly avow that he disliked these nibbles at
legialati in more than he disliked a bold and straightforward
measure. (Cheers.) In order that he might not be misun-
derstood, he begged Man to add that he had not the slightest
perermal iapou=sttomiesithis question ; that he regarded it as
question, and as an attempt to
for Inge', against which he should always raise his
S.l" With regard to previous measures that they had
pealed, regulating factories, he had aot the smallest obj..etion
to them. There were sordid mill-owuers, as well as sordid
men of every other class, end in the case of such persons
sapsniona sad inspection were desirable. But this was a
measure of a very different character. He believed it would
Led to nothing but difficulties and mischief, and therefore he
should vote against it.
Lord 3. MANNERS said that no menthe of that house
had less cause than the hon. member for Maeoheeter to give
any assurance of being astostad by di fieristed mode"
At the same time he most gin gain woffit for the owe
parity of intention ; and owe* see Bald lay skim
611 more pure, honest, and deemed Whigs than flea
who had struggled for the rlNAlliell of this came.
Whatever changes took place m thst boome—whethir Yr.
Bader, Sir John Hobhouse Lord Ashby, or Mr. Male
were their leader—still they find the boas* and lathed's"
people of the north sedgy poweihe this sese ols-
lwarit& unflagging elegy, sad istherbio pmesmsonse.
8o long, indeed, as there wan messodele gym to weep
end souls to pray,—so long as es he hese to Oath sod
hands to raise—so long would this Nee be osstred. the
whet arguments had been bre& Reshot this ateserei ?
Tim right hon. baronet, the HMO llsiniary, had ere hoi
the bey enough as " the old argermate," butter Odor
owe the aid arguments, there was onelty in the more
eerie application. Year after year, 'stew rugamies wee
re-advanced, their efficiency became mere and more impathe
That which was sound in 1843, carried no mayiethe is
1845 ; that which was important in 1846, bemuse of me
east is 1847. (Hear, hear.) Did they recollect how Mr.
Gee lied been met upon this question by the arguments
dew fete the existence of a corn law ? Lord Ashley,
wen the effect of those arguments, had nutributed as
moth as an individual could contribute, to effect the raped
of that law by, resigning his place in the legislature, and
dig the weight of his high character Ind same to the
orders-law cause. Nevertheless, that sremiest bad
bee sopeduced. The right hon. baronet, the member for
Therhooler, like the old soldier in the song,
o Who taught on his stamps when his legs were at Of,"
Weirdit even after the corn law was repealed.
require an argument to show that that
=, was now exploded ? The Terialli Dade
reported that in all deems Meek* was
wormaalating in the warehouses; yet the
aadprodaten exhibited no relaxation in their the
eenseressoes of which, at no distant day, woul he a drotal
mem Under the restrictions which had bean ahead,,
imposed in this respect, our manufacturing industry had per
wee so mach that, according to Mr. Maculloch's taWm, the
cosameree of or exports—of cotton goods, for instance-Iml
ineremeed from seventeen millions in 1832 to twenty minim
in 1842. If the premises of the Manchester school of pealed
economy as to the niched= is the price of food and the In-
tension of foreign trade were menet, then the operatives of
the manufacturing districts wire entitled more especially to
the jetties which they had so
imedgeri The opinion
of the established deem of the ski try, of the
medical men throughout the dierkes—all ef
them most competent and imeetiewitomess—arellelostly
that a diminution of the hours oilstone use osmaile to the
spiritual and physical health of the operativadatbeesillthiste.
It was to little purpose that parliament
theyvided the
with parks and places of recreation, ifdid ail at
same time give them hours of leisure in which to eel them-
, selves of these advantages, as well as Rd tamed ealture.
AU put legislation in this direction had been pathotivs of
good effect : let no time be lost in onagieft the great
work. He rejoiced infinitely that Edinburgh sad its elo-
quent member, and its blue and buff Review, that powerful
organ of a learned philosophy, were wholly with the des.
cotes of the limitation of boors of labour. But, whatever
the fate of this measure, it would be his gratifying radioed's
that he and the Tory gentlemen of England had
maintained their historical maiden—(' laugh)—hodec=
the good fight of the poor against the rich—of the week
against the strong; and, to the best of their ability, had
wielded the power vested in them to protect and defend the
working classes of this country. (Hear.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
when the noble lord talked of the Tories being historically
the peculiar friends and protectors of the poor, he was
taking up a position for them as to which then we a good
deal to be said on the other side of the queued's. (Hear
hear.) On the subject hews the house, be (the Cheek:.
of the Exchequer) retained the same opinion, adverse to the
proposition, which he hid expos as Maw moil= ;
and he felt bound to declare this on the present ammion, in
order that the proposition might se go kirk with the weight
of government authority, but simplyas one with reference to
which each member of the government acted upon
I his own individual opinion. In adhering to his
opposition to this measure, he considered that he
best showed his friendship and goodwill to the work-
ing population. The point was, could you benefit the opera-
tive by diminishing his hours of labour to the extent pro.
posed That, as to young children, good bad been done by
I banning their hours of labour, he did not mean to deny,
but here the object was to diminish the hours of labour of
adult persons. This, though it did notappear in the preamble,
was the simple object of the bill, and this was the avowed
object with ail the deputations from the manufacturing da-
-1 trios which he had seen on the subject. Now, what would
be the practical effect of each a measure on the earaiao of
the poor ? Nothing leas than in full proportion to them
those earnings. Nothing would more gratify hint than that
circumstances should enable the labouring population to have
ample time for recreation in the public parks referred to by
the noble lord; but as matters stood, he was of
opinion that it was much more important not to de-
prive them of one-sixth part of their means of sub-
sistence, which would be the result of this measure. (Hear.)
If the same quantity of goods was to be produce 1, vou must
increase the amount of fixed capital employed in the produc-
tion, and either the price of the article must be raised to pro-
vide for the difference, or the additional con must fall on the
profits of the manufacturer, or on the wages of the operative,
or be Mated between them. That price. to the purchaser Is
every part of the world could be raised was impracticable
the profit of the manufacturer at the present moment did
not exceed that which was necessary to induce capitalists to
engage in this branch of industry. True, large fortunes were
made; but, also, many men were ruined in this pursuit, and
the constantly increming competition, in itself, tended to re-
duce even the existing rate of profits. The loss would, there-
fore, fall upon wages; there might, and doubting would, be
a long struggle between the employers and the employed
on this point; brit in the end, there was every rea-
son to believe, that the employed mast succumb. An
arrangement was made by the masters in one district to
work short hours, if the operatives wished it, making a pro-
portionate reduction in wagex. Of the operatives in that
district, in four mills not one would ultimately avail himself
of the reduction. By their own act and deed the workmen
preferred long hours and high wages, and he believed that if
, they now sought short time, it was under the belief that
wages might be sustained at their present amount. They,
then, who believed that reduction of wages must be the non-
sequence of short time, were not to be taunted with hostility
to the workmen it they opposed the motion of the hen.
member for Oldham. (Hear, bear.)
The Marquis of GRANBY supported the hal. He did
not see that reduction of wages must neesserily Mow re-
striction in time; but even if it did, the *parody's Is
several large districts had declared their rearm to
submit to such reduction, if the redo:dos in the
hours of labour were granted. In his opinion this declass-
tion on the part of the operatives took away_ grounds
of argument from the opponents of the bill. (Hemhotaage4
Dr. BOWRING felt it to be his duty to oppose dis
progress of the bill. He believed that the retie of the
operatives who supported the short-time minden mem
acting under a delusion. Their advisers told them that if
the hours of labour were reduced less goods would be sir
neutered, the demand would be greater, and consequently
that wages must be sustained. Not one of them, he be-
lieved, expected to give up any portion of his wire is,
the boon. (Hear, hear.) The loss to be sustained by the
=l redaction in the hours of labour had been esthete
es millions siding. Now, there were three parties
among Whom this lam Mast be divided—first, the general
consumer might berme ; but they eddied, desiiM that
he was to buy is thodospost and sill lathe dowse minket ;
and Made comffille of oar toilsories booth he foreign
market to which sore of ersr thiladen could math Then
it might be said that de milselM 'held be 'applied from
the geed coffers of the morriesecesA belie manufat-
tuns were capitalise, se weed withdraw their
capitol if its employee woo mossweed by undue
nerieless and WI to their rode Mr. Osugg had stated to
the bows that on twenty roof emelopmem of a large
, melte he had realised only two sad slier per cent. The
less, then, must and would fall wholly and inevitably on
the working clamed themselves, who would too late find the
change of interfering with the regular connexion of supply
and demi (Hear, hear.) Under all the circumstances,
sad aerated by strong convictions of the dangers of the
tonne proposed, he should give his strenuous opposition to
the motion of the hon. member for Oldham.
Mr. P. HOWARD supported the bill. Last year the
landed interest had made a splendid sacrifice on the altar of
their country's interest, and he thought that now the manu-
facturers were called on to show equal generosity by giving
their ready assent to this bill.
Mr. MUNTZ said that all the changes which had latterly
taken place in the manufacturing districts bad been for the
advantage of the master and to the injury of the operative.
The number of spindles under the can of each young girl was
increased, and amuse the labour and anxiety m proportion.
It might be mid that the labour was light ; but if it was no-
thing, the mere fact of remainin twelve hours in a room
heated to 90 deg., was quite enough to injure the health. ft
was dreadful to walk through the factories of Manchester,
and abaci ve the ghaatly appern_ ace of the young women
' and children. (Hear, )em.) There was not among the
whole of them to be seen ode personable or healthy-looking
pang woman. (Mr. Bright liear, hear.") The hon.
seabw. hr Durham cheered ; botdfd he think that no one
maid judge of a healthy or permeable young woman's ap-
but a Msnchestnemonfactimer ? (Much laughter.)
ifr:a hon. member himself billed a short-time
rid in 1813 got up a petition on the select at his own ex-
pense. ',ebeerey The thibthasteren objected to a
esehauts bar, but they had never avuiyed tin hours a
nth day
in workingilisir mills. Sometimes they made too m
goods, but at other times they stood Idle, so so never to
the talk
thabe,2,ltme now objected to. • Be attached
ad no value to
✓triwg; it th=hing.." iaitaetia. the afinTelYseare:
Vellum in an 'omnibus ; we had restricted the growth
of topeoto;• • add in many other matters had we
interfered much to the advantage of tug labouring Masses.
He thought that interference was loudly -railed for in the
wrangereats ol McCoy labour. Ile had lately gone through