The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-18 00:00:00

L PA k MENT
HOUSE OF LORDS, May 17.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at the usual hour.

FACTORIES BILL.
The Bishop of LONDON presented several peti-
tions from various districts in favour of the Factories
Bill.

,LOP4I'W,II.I.II.NCLIFFE presented a petition from the
inhabitants •of Huddersfield with 5,000 signatures ; a
similar petition from Blackburn with 4,520 signatures,
and a similar petition from Boness, Lancashire.
Lord FEVERSIIAM presented a petition from the in-
habitants of Ashton-under-Lyne, signed by 2,301 persons;
also 100 similar petitions from various manufactories in
Oldham and its neighbourhood; also thirteen petitions
from various other places in Lancashire.
The Bishop of CHESTER presented similar petitions
9.0111 the clergy of Bolton, Rochdale, and Burnley,
signed by 60; from the clergy of Manchester, signed by
35; another petition from the medical men of Man-
chester, Bolton, and Rochdale, signed by 141; a petition
fro
_ti:l the clergy, medical men, manufacturers, and in-
habitants of Londley, in Yorkshire, signed by 760, also
for a similar purpose.
The Bishop of LONDON presented a petition from
thel inhabitants of Warrington and other places, signal
11,3',1.,688 persons also in favour of the Factories Bill.
PREVENTION OF PROSTITUTION AND SE-

RUCTION.
The Bishop of EXETER presented petitions from
the county of Middlesex and the county of Norfolk,
Praying their Lordships to adopt measures for the pre-
ntion of prostitution.
BILLS FROM THE COMMONS.
MessPhgers brought up Bills from the House of Com-
mons,

FACTORIES BILL.
The Earl of St. Germans, Lords Eversham and
Wharncliffe, the Bishop of London, and Earl Grey pre-
sented petitions in favour of the Factories Bill.

TOWNSHEND PEERAGE BILL. The House then went into Committee on this Bill.
The Bill passed through Committee.
PUBLIC GRANARIES.
The Earl of WINCHILSEA rose to bring forward the
motion of which he had given notice, raspecting the ex-
Lor
of establishing public granari. a. The Noble
Lord, who was very imperfectly heard, was under-
stood to say, that had the Government established
*
such depots' at the beginning of this scarcity it
would have' done much' to have prevented the present
state of thiiigs. It would have prevented the supplies
ruin
being hoarded in a few hands. He however sug-
g'sled that for the future the Government should take
up the matter and provide for the accumulation of
grata in order to supply the working population at re-
duced rates.
iioEarl GREY" said that the question opened by the
of bi,le Earl was of too much importance to be disposed
fit-!,junYedatly incidental discussion, and he therefore ab-
Zi from commenting upon it, not because he agreed
it"
him in his opinions, but from the deep sense which
eentertained of the present state of the country.
-The subject then dropped.
POOR-LAW
n.
Earl FITZWILLIAM moved for IRELAND)
certai returns con-
nected with the rateable districts in Ireland.
After a few words from Lord ELLENBOROUGH,
Bari GREY
Ir -sss said that the returns asked for were
thea'Y Upon the table in another shape, and to place
he would in a new one would require so much trouble that
in -"Id desire his Noble Friend to postpone his motion
,e,°asequence of the present pressure of business.
1
, .I:he Earl of FITZWILLIAM denied that they were
,11 possession of the returns which he asked for. At
N."lobsiarae time he would be most willing to oblige his
Th
Earl of WICKLOW said he would press his mo-
Lione for the returns.
After some conversation,
The
Nonnt EARL postponed his motion till to-morrow.
The E FACTORIES BILL.
z-
arl a ELLESMERE presented a number of
oneLieris in favour of the Factories Bill, and then pro-
ti;Ettged to move the second reding of the Bill. He said
little of
subject of so greats importanca had been so
triad of late before their Lordships, that it might be in •
thattle" perhaps with some apprehension, and the more
the second reading was not moved by an authority to
whom their Lordships were accustomed, but at the request
hottaY Most anxious that the Bill should pass into a law,
trd consented to move it before their Lordships.
iraPasr,atively novel as the subject might be to their
existed p
n uis, he was still relieved from the difficulties that
,hi i introducing a new principle to their Lord-
of he
The present Bill was supported by many classes
▪ y entlunanity. He admitted that the question was
vizy different one. still he thought it was the best or
ea the Policy to pursue the one which he now proposed
, second reading of the Bill. The reasons why he
hadbeen . reconciled to the measure was, that the ten-
-14160e40 at!. the present factory system was to throw the
ing their those who were the least able to bear it, mak-
ss_anractedlifteeire of severe, continued, unmitigated, and
ta
A system of labour which no Christian
ought to could sanction, and which no Christian Legislature
m •
this sysos This Bill proposed to interfere with
weres„,ar ;_ and provide a check for the abuses which
Nya.s said known to exist. He was well aware that it
beat
pillars of
this branch of • dusts embraced one of the
sources of
revenue,
Y
the evenuc, and was one o. f the. main.
portanee • state. He admitted fully its nn-
the evils ' but it could not be defended that
remedied which Were connected with it, should be
se
ss that there should be no remission in the pre-
os system, especially when the remedy, in his opinion,
• old not tnater ially interfere with the progress of this
great branch of national industry. Considering the
effect of this Bill the population of the manufacturing
ringdistrict had petitioned Parliament to ant their oex-
tent, and they might be considered now at
Lord-
ships' bar, waiting in anxiety for the safety of the Bill in
its passage through the House. The only two ob-
jections that had been urged against the Bill were that
it would diminish the wages of the artisan, and
defeat the late Act of the Legislature
relative tk foreign competition. The Noble Lord ex-
pressed alititrary opinion, and proceeded in a very low
voice to exhibit his reasons for differing from those who
urged those objections. It had been objected that the
reduction of the hours of labour would reduce the quan-
tity of the manufactures and injure the trade of the
country, and if the rate of wages as at present given
Were kept up, the competition with foreign goods could
not be kept up. Such an objection could not be main-
tained, for the principle which they inculcated by pass-
ing this Act would, in all probability, be followed up by
other countries, so that the ratio of supply and wages
would remain equal, leaving the competition as it at
Present stood. He was aware that in introducing such
a measure to their Lordships' House he incurred consi-
derable risk. The measure was one which was likely
to lead to much difference of opinion, and many
se°llisieus between opposite interests; but still it
_ras one which was required, not only by the
tloerking classes, but even by the manufacturers
in alseives, as its operation would tend to equalise labour
stead of having, as they then had, the most sudden
ens,liranitio from activity to idleness. (The Noble Lord
sittrison. I.le greater part of his observations was nearly
audible in the gallery.)
mot. /"EVERSHAM said that in seconding the
wisill" of his Noble Friend who had just sat down, he
ge wishes to make a fcvs observations upon this measure
a.:lle,La,llY, A considerable body of the industrious and
fr_rilsos
desire operatives, men in favour of this measure,
a not only to avoid the present severe labour
ws• "s'ts sudden alterations, but from a conviction that it
..7a measure which must eventually result in the ad-
`nocetnent as their interest—by their eqalising the
7laenunt of labour to be distributed amongst them, and
n
tio
of their employment more constant. The ques-
of wages was one which had induced many to
• nd forward in opposition to this measure, who ap-
-151:07,e,d_ of its regulations as being likely to benefit the
waves
classes. It was possible that the rate of
'ea might be reduced, but that would be coun-
teracted This by the greater certainty of employment.
Bill had been brought into the other House by a
gentleman who was himself deeply interested in the
Illabufactures of the country. Mr. Fielding had spent a
''tig life in the cotton manufacture, and
allybenefited the
he during
the
course of that life he hadri
brought
forward this 'ilea.
Working classes, andhad
sure with a view of adding one more benefit to the many
he had conferred upon the working classes. The
opinions of this gentleman were supported by a very
large number of those who were also engaged in the
various manufactures of the country, and who had
equally the welfare of the operatives in view. The
Noble Lcrd then proceeded to refer at a considerable
length to documentswhich showed that from the year 1819
to the present time the provisions of this Bill had been mat-
ter of agitation, not only amongst the class whom it more
irnmediately affected, but in the Houses of Parliament.
and since that time, up to the year 1847, the consumption
of cotton had increased nearly at the rate of 400 per
cent. In seconding the motion for the second reading
of this Bill, he was not aware of what reception he would
meet with from the House and from her Majssty's Go-
vernment, but he hoped that a measure, which was so
Perfectly consonant with all recomnised principles of po-
litical economy, and so well calculated to benefit the
working classes, would not be otherwise than favourably
eceived.
Lord BROUGHAM said he
t that was very sorry to
at the unanimity of feeling which had appeared
upon this question during the evening, by an expression
of dissent_ fr ssents om the measure before them. He was glad
lattice so large an attendance of the Right Reverend Pre-
jate, as this matter was one, in the discussion of which
eLnlight to be more than usually interested ; an
listed that he should be enabled to lay before
itidca such views of this question as would perhaps
ace them to consider it maturely before giving an
assent to it. The question was not one which was
tnarelY affecting the interests of the manufacturer—it
'eted the condition of that great body of men who
als
the
oured fo? support of these manufactures, and with
R
hose
condition and labour he had. ever since he had
had the ower of reasoning. maintained that they. had
p
no right of interference. There were no mysteries of
Political economy in science come sod with this ques-
thm, for if any- man who had funnel: v worked twelve
Lours a day were restricted to tan, it was nothing but
the effeet of increasing the prise of manufactured com-
modities. He could not too highly deprecate the
conduct of any man who volunteered to meddle with
this vast subject, which effected thirty-seven millions
bathe trade of this country, and assure the world
he was so confident of is theory that he had
doubts of its future success. There was no question
whichrequired more caution and slowness of action than
`!,l -"` It restuired the deepest and acutest circumspec-
tion to deal -with it ; and for any man to dare to assert
t
ha t there could be
no soundness of the principles of the
Inteasura was really surprising. At the present moment,
labour—they
manufacturing districts were overstocked with
our—they were overwhelmed with an immense body
o_b
t destitute children—and their Lordships ought, there-