The National Register.
London, England, 1818-05-04 00:00:00

138

Clot*: little children to endure. Petitions had been presented
(rum medical. men and etettty of Manchester, playing that
little chitdien tni2ht not lie subjected to so intolerable a la-
Ile therefore hoped the House %void,' allow the Bill to
go into the Committee.
Lord Sr.»it v had sonic difficulty in opposinz this men.
su:e, recommended as it appeared to be by humanity ; but
it involved notch of the interests of the county which lie re.
presented. Ile was persuaded that this measure, it adopted,
would have the effect of increasing the dific•ulties which our
rlanalactures at present felt in their competition with the
foreign market. Convinced that the measure, it adopted,
o:;14.1 Le productive of inuat ill, lie would move that instead
of now, the House should gu into a Committee on this Bill this

day 'Oar mouths.
herd LA iCLI J.LS 4110114 ht that the piestion should he re..
fooled to n Conenittee of Csiquiry, and that the House should
t 00 ex-parte stateinvins. Another objection he had
to this measure u.O, that if the House once cennueneed this
of legislation, they must apply it 10 all branches of
snanuttietnres alike.
Mr. PELL proceeded to enter into a review of the state of
labour in the factories, and contended that the system w;:s
uhe most injurious to health. If it was su ; and he eeeteutled,
it could nut be denied, he need only to state that in Manchus.
ter alone there were 11,600 children employed in the cotton.
tacturies, and thou ask if this was not a case of import:lll4.e.
It appears,from the statements of litany celebrated physieluti,,
41111U1Itt'Sl others, of Sir Gilbert Mane. that the average
Lumber of deaths in England• and 55 VAIC one :n :30 mi.
totally. Now Ito hat heard it asserted, that in the Cottoii
factoly of Messrs. Findlay and Co. at Glasgow, where toots
e!:iltli en were employed, the average number of deatas for
turec years, was two in a year. Ile recollected iu one of the
Odes ut the I'uet•Lnureat un the Birth Day, the poet in beau-
tiful language invokes • the Goddess of flealth to take her
stati••u on the head of his Majesty. The l'oet proceeds to
erilptire where the Goddess resided--asks• was it at Mat!oek.
it at Bath, Ste. lie recollected the following lines :
" Say, in that craggy cell
Of health the Goddess deignsto dwell
Say, in what shady dim retreat
The nymph selects her lay'rite seat."
-

The Poet, atthe time he wrote these lines. little suspected that
tee " dim retreat" which the Goddess hail selected was the
(*cotton Factory of Messrs. Malley awl Co. at Glasgow,—in
which the proportion of deaths in a year was only two in
50s,- whilst in the most healthy spot. it: England and Wales
the overage of deaths was one in O. The Right linnourable
' Gent. proceeded at length to argue id favour of the hill, which
• Le avid should hose his warmest support.
• Mri.Pittif les snpported the amendment propesed by Lord
Stanley ; he come-iied that the Sta"..lllvOls which had been
tr•-•fie•of the ill state of health of elder:el empluyent in the
f:eterice were gross exaggerations. lien some of NI,.
e..ilation; who, deceived by misrepresentation, had signed the
Petitions to the •House,cin enquiry. findine out the mis-state-
r•ents upon which they had acted, had declared their regret
• leaving-signed-them. The work M the factories was light,
the wages were good, those employed in them were well fed
and well clothed, and ou those accounts-they did enjoy better
tealth. • With respect to the injury instanter/ by perwus em-
- ploved in factories, lie was prepared to say, that meire•oecur-
ed to injure the health of the Speaker in the k7liair of the
• flume or Cummins its one Sessions than there did to injure
ste health of a person employed in a well regulated factory
tbr su years. --With respect to the looks ofpersous employed
in factories, it was net to be expected that in these large as-
:caddies in large towns florid complexions were to be found.
• Even in the Hunse of Commons, very few pictures of florid,
rustic health were to be found.—Gentlemen might laugh but
• it was trite. He was persuaded there was nothing so injini-
ves to the •maseufactories of this ceentry us combinations
ameggst - workmen. Thu Petitions now before the House
l•ad been procured in a manner to encourage those combine.
Lions ; they had been sent into the factories by discontented
workmen, and the arghment used had been," sign, and have
less work and more wages." He asked why it was necessary
to legislate for cotton.spinuiug manufactories, rather than ter
woollen. The reasou, be believed, was this—that cotton was
an exportable article.
Mr. W. SMITH disclaimed any wish to give countenance to
combinations among • woiktnen. If the House were there-
fore of upinwu, that it was not right to work adults for t 3 or
IS boars a day, children should not be compelled to labour
• beyond their strength. Tee evidence of the masters them.
selves furnished ample proof in favour of -the Bid which had
his warmest support.
•Mr. FtsiDLAY admitted, that the horns of labour were too
• long ; but•the effect of the Rill would be, to drive them to a
species of • labour still harder, and to deprive the masters of
the children, who would be compelled to Mid out other ent-
ployineut, more dangerous to their health, and more laborious.
He thought the Bill was not calculated to remove the ex-
isting evils, and should therefore vote fur the motion of the

`Noble Lind.
Mr. d. Smart stated, that hr had presented the Petition
• t'ioin the workmen 'of New Lauark, who had by their conduct
accurtd•hl3 regard and respect ; and -they had declared, that
they were enabled to do as much work in a shorter space of
tone, a, other mtanotnetiners, in the protracted hours to
which they wcru compelled to labour. • •1!e supported the
• Lill.
Mr. ROBINSON considered t!,e question as f;nr:ounded with
difficulties. The result of the discussions on this subject had,
however, convinced him of the necessity Wr passing the Bill.
Whatever difference of opinion there might be in the medical
gentlemen, it was evident that the strength of the children
was materially injured before they arrived at maturity ; and
above all, it Win clear, that the present hears of labour were
gt (dly injurious; fur it was seldom that a man, above the age
of 10, could he found labouring in the mills. '1 he House then
di, ided. For going into the Committee 91—Agaiust it i 6—
Majority 65.
Ou our re-admission, Mr. FINDLAY moved that the Chair-
man aliould report progress, and .tsk leave to sit again.
After a variety of obcerv.ltious from l.otd Stanley. Sir. J.
Mw•kiiittnli, Mr. Findlay, Mr. Lamb, and F. koninsutt, !sir
H. Feel consented to postpone the Committee till nest sitting,
on en understanding that there should then be no objection
to the speaker's leaving the Chair.

TUE6DAY•

WIDOWS' PENSIONS

itSr INTTEI.rOS. said that the que►tion stood rot merely nn
groonds ut giniorosity,4•%:t 41t. strict justice to the army. He
had, therefore, nut thought it right to waive his intention or
submitting a motion. It 4 rystrro ot rigid economy was prov-
. ed to be necessary in all branches, hr, for one, was very
• • featly to agreelb ►ti but if it went to shock the common