The Express.
London, England, 1850-04-06 00:00:00

TEN HOURS FACTORY MEETINGS IN

YORKSHIRE.
Within the past few days Newel meeting. have
been held in different localities In Yorkshire, on the subject
of Labour in factories.

An influential meeting of the mill-owners, mill-occupiers,
and manufacturers of the Holmfirth district has been held
at the White Hart lan, Holmfirth. The objet of this
meeting was stated to hell* consider what measures should
be taken ta oppose Lord Ashley's Declaratory Bill, and
whether they should urge upon government the necessity of
passing an eleven hours bill, without any system of relays.
Mr. Isaac Boardsell was called to the chair. He showed the
importance of the millowners and manufacturers of Yorkshire
and Lancashire immediately pressing their views upon govern-
ment and their own representatives, in order that hasty and
rash legislation on this question may ne avoided. Mr. George
Robinson moved, and Mr. James Beardsall seconded, That
this meeting MI with regret that an attempt is being made
on the freedom of industry in the shape of Lord Ashley's
Declaratory Bill, and is ot opinion that further restrictions
on factory labour would be prejudicial to the true interests
of Britian commerce."—Mr. James Hobson Farrar moved,
and Mr. Abel Centel seconded, •' That this meeting is of
opinion than an eleven hours bill, with liberty to empl yas
yo ing persons children of eleven years of age, and without
any system of relay. would bee reasonable compromise of
this qui stion ; and 'although they are satisfied that the re-
duction of the hours of labour to eleven hours will diminish
the work done nearly is tie-came ratio, yet they are
wilting to make a sacrifice of a portion of the return from
their fixed capital in mills, machinery, lte, that their opera-
tives may have sou time to devote to their moral and
social improvement." It was moved by Mr. Thos. Mell.r,
and seconded by Mr. Henry Brooke, That any further
limitation in the hours of labour of children and young
persons really operates as a restriction on adult labour.
That the adult labourers have been seriously affected
in the amount of their wages by such limitations, for the
children are paid by them weekly wages, whilst they are
paid by a per tentage upon the work actually done ; thus
the practical malt is to bring adults to the position and pe.
runremuneration of merely your.g persons."—Mr. Abel
Ilinch die moved, and Mr. Henry PontefriEt seconde I,
" Thst many manufseturen having leases of mill property
which were granted during the operation of the Twelve
Hours Factory Act, and as • Ten Hours Bill will reduce
the vslue of such property in nearly the same ratio, they
ought either to have compensation for the 1. u they would
sustain, or be released from their leuos by the authority
of parliament." Mr. Geo. Robinson moved, and Mr.
Joeepb Marsden seconded, That a subscription be en-
tered into, and that petitions to parliament from the
several mill*, and embodying the above resolutions, be ins-
medistely signed, and forwarded (or presentation." The
noolutione were tarried unanimously, and the opinions
g• Ily expressed by the gentlemen present were, that the
agitation for ten bouts was mainly promoted by clergymen,
satiating, and others, who understood little of factory la
hour, from a misclinctied philanthropy, sloths,/ at the im-
proved condition of the working classes. whiist they were
diminishing their means of maintaining their Galileo or
giving them an ordinary education, and crippling the re-
sources of the manufacturers of this county in the great race
of national competition; that • great improvement had taken
place of late year. in factory labour, and that now little
physical elution was required ; that they were extremely
anxious to raise the working classes in their mural, racial,
and intellectual position, as witness their of in this direc-
tion ; that this neighbourhood was peculiarly situated,
being engaged is the fancy trade, which required the almost
entire cessation of operations for at least two months in the
yeas during the change of seasons ; that the foreign manu-
facturer was virtually as much • competitor as if he resided
in a neighbouring county; and since the British parliament
can only legislate for themselves, they fund that a limits
tion to ten hours would be relying too much on our often
boasted superiority.
On Thursday evening last, a meeting of the supporters
of • Ten HJUri Bill, took place in the Town Hall, Holmfirth.
Then was • very large attendance, and the proceedings
were of a very excited character. The motto over the plat-
form was "Ten Hours and no surrender," and so strictly
was this motto adhered to by the great buik of the meeting,
that though several gentlemee stood forward to advocate ea
eleven hours measure as a fair compromise of the question,
they were moet perseveringly hooted to silence, and even-
tually the ten hours advocat,s carried their resolutions by •
large majority. The Rev. T. G. learn* presided.