The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-05 00:00:00

FACTORY BILL.

Lord MORPETH said he had petitions to present from
the master manufacturers of Pugsby, from the operatives of
the same place, and from the mill-owners of Comerford in the
West Riding of Yorkshire, praying for an alteration of the
Factory Bill, especially against some of the clauses in the
Bill which were coming into immediate operation, and which
would affect the employment of children from the age of 8 to- 11.
the effect of the clause being to throw all such children out of
employment. He would not enter into the details of the
Factory Bill, which he should regret to see opened again.
—( Hear, hear.) From the petitions that had been presented,
however, it was manifest that all classes—the mill-owners, the
master manufactures and the operatives themselves, concurred
in thinking, that several parts of that measure would be ex-
tremely onerous and utterly impracticable, and that some al-
teration must of necessity take place. He hoped that ;the
inspectors appointed by that Act, would therefore sub-
mit to the Government their views upon the subject, which
they had acquired since their appointment, and that the Go-
vernment would act upon those views. He felt bound to
mention with some disappointment, that he was given to un-
derstand that the inspectors had received directions from the Go-
vernment not to receive deputations either from the masters or
men. This seemed to him to avoid the most easy and effectual
method of meeting the difficulties of this question. He did not
mention this as a matter of charge or complaint, but he thought
it a subject of regret that any step should be taken
to interfere with the easiest way of bringing the question
to a satisfactory issue. This was a question in which
party feeling had no place, and it must be gratifying to
the House that in the present state of circumstances
it might be discussed without party reference or influence
whatever.—( Hear.) He did not wish to bring the question
before Government, but he hoped attention would be paid to
the subject.
Mr. G 0 LTLBURN said he had no doubt he could satisfy
the .Noble Lord on the subject. He found that many
conflicting opinions existed between the masters and
the operatives on the proper application of this Bill,
which had been so recently passed. His object was
that a fair experiment should be made, as passed by the last
Parliament, and that before any alteration should be made,
if alteration were necessary, we should have an opportunity of
knowing what the defects of the Bill were. So far t'rom being
anxious to withhold information, his anxiety was on the contrary
that there should be a full and fair report of its present opera-
tion. The Noble Lord has alluded to a letter which passed
between myself and the Inspectors: now that letter was for the
purpose of directing a requisition to persons most interested
in the provisions of the Bill, to ascertain if certain alterations
were necessary, or whether tho Bill should stand as it now
did. They concurred that making the alterations now, would
not be giving it a fair trial, and that every opportunity should
be afforded in a further experiment before they proceeded to
alter its provisions. Such were the grounds, and on no other
had the Government withheld its assistance, as upon the report
being prepared he should submit its claims to the considera-
tion of the House.

Mr. BAINES said that the reason why they were not able
to proceed in their remedy was that they were entirely impeded by
the operations of this Factory Bill. The Bill was brought into
Parliament under great agitation, and, as he thought, with-
out due deliberation ; and the effect was found to be ex-
tremely distressing to the manufacturers and operatives.
The object they had in view was to enquire how
far the provisions of the Factory Bill had been
applicable to the present state of the manufacturing system,
and to see if that Bill could not be so amended that it might
not interfere with the free course of that trade. He had un-
derstood that the answer of Government to the Deputation of the
trade was, they could not receive or hold communication with
them in any such manner as that they had thought fit to adopt.
He could assure the House that in the situation in which the
Bills at present stood, the remedy which the [tight Hon.
Gentleman intended was far too much for the matters which
were involved in its adjustment. The parties most imme-
diately interested would be obliged to shut up their manufacto-
ries ; and until the remedy of the Right Hon. Gentleman
should come into operation, they would be left in the greatest
distress. He ( Mr. B.) therefore hoped that the Govern-
ment would take the subject into its most serious consideration,
and enable these parties to carry on manufactures so essen-
tially connected with the prosperity of the country. For 12
months they would not be able, and, in fact, it would be
impossible for them to resume their business, as the law
then stood, without involving them in the greatest confu-
sion and disorder. He hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman
(Mr. Goulburn) would institute, as he ( Mr. B.) was sure he
was disposed to do, such inquiries into the subject as would
tend to give the aid that was desired, in order to enable those
parties to resume a species of industry so intimately connected
with the public welfare.
Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND having received peti-
tions from that part of the country which he represented
on the subject in question, felt it his duty to make a
few observations. He entirely concurred in the opinion
of the Noble Lord ( Morpoth), that no party feeling was in-
volved in the consideration of this question.—( Hear.) It
was a question of mere humanity—a question as to whe-
ther children of a tender age should be allowed to work
in these factories an immoderate length of time—( Hear)--
so that they would have the appearance of health, but be
so actually crippled in their limbs as to 'be unable to
maintain themselves in after life.—( Hear.) Twelve hours
a day was the time they were allowed to be absent, from these
ten were allotted for work, and two for meals. But when it
was considered that this was not like agricultural wort:—on
the contrary, the time of these children being wholly employed
in attending to the operations of machinery, he ( Mr. B.) thought
the time was. long enough. But a great change had taken
( place ; the time of absence was altered to eight hours. He