The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-16 00:00:00

MEDICAL REFORM.

Mr P. M. STEWART wished to put a question to
the Right Hon. Baronet, the Secretary of State for the
Home Department. He would be glad to know when
the Right Hon. Gentleman intended to introduce his
measure of Medical Reform, and whether he intended so
to alter the Apothecaries' Act of 1815, as to admit of
Scotch medical students practising in England. •
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said, that considering the
fosition of the New Poor-law Bill, he must hesitate be •
ore he appointed a precise time for introducing any
other measure. Either before or immediately after
Easter he intended to introduce a Bill affecting the medi-
cal profession throughout the United Kingdom, and
which, instead of increasing, would tend to relax the re-
strictions which now controlled medical practitioners.
IRISH FRANCHISE.
Lord J. RUSSELL wished to ask the Right Hon.
Baronet, the Secretary of State fir the Homo Depart.
punt a question with refereuce to the measure affecting

e the franchise of Ireland, of which some notice had been
already given. He wished to know if the Right Hon.
Gentleman would name a day for bringing it forward,
and whether the Bill would be printed before Easter.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM would on Monday next give
notice of the day upon which he meant to intoduce the
measure, and that day would be before Easter.
FEES AT QUARTER SESSIONS.
On the Order of the Day for going into Committee
on the Factories Bill being read,
Mr. ESCOTT wished to put a question, of which he
had given notice to the Secretary of State for the Home
Department. Previous to putting the question, a few
observations were necessary. The Right Hon. Gentle
man would recollect that in the last session of Parlia-
ment he (Mr. Escott) had called the attention of the
House to a sytem of certain illegal fees, which were
taken by the Clerks of the Crown in Courts, and by
Clerks of Assize, and Clerks of the Peace, at Quarter
Sessions. The statements which were then made by his
Right Hon. Friend, and by the Noble Lord, the Mem-
ber for London, would, he thought, have put an end to
the practice, for both stated, in the clearest possible
manner, their abhorrence of the practice. At the end
of the session, he (Mr. Escott) moved for a return of the
number of those taken in the preceeding year. That
return showed that 20 counties had abolished the prac-
tice, but that 32 counties still retained it to a greater or
less extent. Now, the practice was simply this :—The
Clerk of the Assize or Clerk of the Peace demanded a
sum of money from every defendant previous to his
pleading guilty and taking his trial. It had
been contended that this was legal, because an
Act of Parliament gave to the Judges of Session
power to settle the amount of fees ; it was therefore con-
tended, that the clerks had a right to demand a certain
amount of fees from defendants. He was quite certain
that no Hon. Member in that House, acquainted with
the subject of criminal jurisprudence, could think that
the clerks were on that ground entitled to take one
sixpence from defendants. The practice never would
have endured to the present time had it been generally
known. He was sure when he introduced the subject
last session to the House, there was scarcely an Hon.
Member, or at least not more than one or two, that was
aware of the practice. Neither his Right Hon. Friend,
the First Lord of the Treasury, nor the Attorney-Ge-
neral, nor the Solicitor-General, knew anything of the
practice, nor of the magistrates he had spoken to, ex-
cept one Chairman of Quarter Sessions. The practice
was carried on in secrecy, and in the dark. By those
secret means sums of money were extorted. There was
no case in which this extortion had been practised, that
an indictment for extortion would not lie against the
officers of the Court who made the charge. He wished
to ask his Right Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for
the Home Department, who had made a very strong
declaration on the subject last session, again to express
his opinion, so that this abominable system might be
put an end to. He hoped the power of the Executive
would be exerted to crush it. There was no need for
further interference on the part of the Legislature. The
laws were quite strong enough if they were put in force.
Sir J. GRAHAM Agreed with his Hon. and Learned
Friend in thinking ftis a very vile practice, and a state
of things that ought to be speedily remedied. He would
not presume to say that any opinion expressed by him
would have the effect anticipated by the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman ; but he felt bound to say that these
practices were at variance with the first principles of
law. He did not think the defendant should be called
upon to pay anything in proving his innocence, nor
should he be mulcted when a jury of his countrymen
pronounced an acquittal. Such demands were only justi-
fiable when the judges of the Court had sanctioned them;
but the demands sanctioned by the judges were not at
variance with the law. Those observed upon by the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman were al, origine illegal.
FACTORIES BILL.
The Order of the Day was then read, and
Mr. HINDLEY, before going into Committee, wished
to present a petition in favour of an eleven hours' fac-
tory Bill from the inhabitants of Bolton.
Lord ASHLEY presented petitions from Birmingham,
Leeds, and Stockport, in favour of a ten hours' Factory
Bill.

Mr. ',BARMAN CRAWFORD presented a petition
from manufacturers and mill-owners in Tewkesbury, in
Yorkshire, against the seventh clause of the proposed
Factories Bill, on the ground that it would,cause a reduc-
tion of wages.
Mr. M. GIBSON presented several petitions of a simi-
lar nature. ,
Mr. STRTJTT presented two petitions from Derby
against the Bill.
Mr. WA T.LACE said it '14.1., been his intention to
move an instruction to the Committee Factories
Bill, that they should extend its operatiun t ''her
branches of industry ; but as there was so strong,a
sire expressed to get e Bill passed into a law, he should
postpone to a future occasion the motion of which he
had given notice.
The House then went into Committee, Mr. GREEN,
in the Chair.
The preamble of the Bill.was posponed, and Clause I
was agreed to without discussion.
On Clause 2 being proposed,
Lord ASHLEY moved the ametiiiment of which he
had given notice. He said it required some preliminary
explanation. He meant that the word " night" in this
clause should be taken to mean from six o'ci..,ck in the
evening till six o'clock in the morning. During the
summer months the range of a Factory Bill would then
be fourteen hours—twelve for work, and two for meals ;
in the winter months it would be twelve hours.
With a view to conciliate opposition, he would
propose to take eleven hours till the Ist of Octo-
ber this year, and ten hours in the year 1845.
Now, he would proceed to the subject under discussion.
Eleven years had elapsed since he made a proposition
of a similar nature to the House, which he would now
renew. But not at that time did he approach the sub-
ject with half the anxiety which he new not from
any fear of any personal pique, because,
" Disappointment is the badge of all our tr
bat from tern >:.
would not bt able to discharge his duty towards thos,
who had confided their interests to his keeping. IL
wished, however, to anticipate an accusation math
against him of being hostile to the owners of mills. This
charge was altogether unfounded. It was a prominent
question before the public eye in 1815, when he first
undertook the subject. It was a subject painful for
many reasons, but it was one upon which he thought an
inquiry ought to take place. Ten years' experience
proved to him, even if he doubted it before, which he
did not, that avarice and cruelty were not peculiarly in-
herent in any class of men, or in any one occupation.
They would ever be found where means of profit were
combined with a virtually irresponsible power, whether
landlords or manufacturers. And where men possessed
such a power, there ought to be a close supervision—
(Hear, hear)—some supervision—some public control—
some restraints on the indulgence of those passions,
which otherwise might be indulged with safety and im-
punity. How many evil things were connived at when
they administered to our profit or even our convenience!
They might take as example the awful sufferings of the
dressmakers and milliners of London. For whom were
they working out their lives night and day ? Was it
not to meet the sudden caprices of fashion ? Here were
no manufacturers, no landlords.—(Hear, hear.) They
rcust ascribe it in many instances to the in-
difference of the tender sex, and he was ashamed
to say that amongst them were many of his own
intimacies and his own connexions. There were many
instances of kindness among the manufacturers. If there
were many bad men amongst them there were likewise
many good men, who went even to considerable expense
for the comfort of their workers; he would even admit
that many of them were the victims of a bad system.
He knew that in what he would now state, and lay be-
fore the House, he would excite a spirit of hostility; but
he would say now, as he said before," strike me, but hear
me." He would not go into the commercial part of the
subject—not because he was unwilling, or, perhaps,
unable to do so—but would confine himself to the dura-
tion of the hours of labour. In other European coun-
tries the hours of labour were less than they were in this
country. In Russia, in Austria, and in Switzerland, the
hours of labour were less than they were in England.
In France he knew that a law, founded on the provisions
of our Factory Bill, was in operation ; but there were
a great number of inspectors in that country, whose duty
it was to enforce the provisions of the law, and who
were inspectors by virtue of the offices which they held.
In Prussia, no child under sixteen years of age could be
employed more than ten hours a day, and
visions were made for their education. To. all countries
of Europe, provision was made illaL persons employed in
factories should not be overworked, and that proper pro-
visions should be made for their education ; and surely
it was the duty of this country to make proper provi-
sions for their welfare, when they considered how their
numbers were annually increasing. In 1818 the
number of persons, of both sexes, who were
employed in the cotton factories was 57,897.
Since that period they had no return, until
1835, when it appeared that the number of persons em-
ployed in the cotton and woollen manufactures amounted
to 354,682. In 1839 they amounted to 419,591, and of
these the number of persons under eighteen years of
age employed in manufactures amounted to 192,880.
Simultaneously with this great increase in their num-
bers, a vast increase bad taken place in their labour.
The labour which these persons were now compelled to
undergo was three times greater than it had been in the
year 1818. A few thousand persons now performed the
work of several millions, owing to the introduction of
machinery. He had several returns which would show
that labour at the present day was three times greater
than it was in the year 1815. It had been progressively
increasing from that time up to the present year. In
1815 the distance travelled by a person following a pair
of mules in the spinning of cotton yarn was about eight
miles per day, calculating twelve hours to the day.ln
1832 the distance travelled by a person following a pair
of mules, calculating twelve hours to the day, was
twenty miles, and often more. In 1839 it ranged' from
fifteen miles up to thirty-seven. But that was not all
the labour the men had to go through. In 1815 a
spinner put up about 820 stretches on each of a pair of
mules, being 1,640 stretches in the course of a-day. In
1832 a spinner put up 2,200 stretches on one of a pair
of mules, making, on a pair of mules, in the course of a
day, 4,400 stretches. In 1844, from returns which had
been given him on that morning from a most expe •
rienced and practical mill-owner in Lancashire, a spinner
put up in the same period
.2,400 stretches, or on a pair
of mules 4,5300 stretches. This calculation had, been
made, as he had said before, by one of the most expe-
rienced arithmeticians in England, At his (Lord
Ashley's) request, he went down to Manchester and
made the measurotnents and calculations himself. 14
took a number of yarns in five different mills, viz; the num,
hers 14,15, 30,38, and 40,and on these hp rea,4 alcala-
tions. On N 0.14, the least distance possibly travelled was
17 miles a day, and die greatest distance was 97 miles.
On No, 15, the least distance travelled was 19 miles,
and the greatest 29, On No, 30, the least distance was
24 miles, and the greatest was 37. On No. 38, thu least
distance was 15 miles, the greatest 23 i and] o.g No. 404

11
the least distance travelled was 17, and the grea
te
st
miles a day. It must be borne in mind, that thesebeiog
culations were made when the machines were,. the
driven at moderate speed. During their wer`'..,l
labourers had to turn round from four to five th°tl7ll
times a day. The calculations which be had justify;
were partly made in the mills of a gentlenian isa
name of M'Connell, of Manchester. This gen;thea
also made calculations, and afterwards compared Lord
with the calculations of the arithmetician he tiete
Ashley) had sent down. The two sets of calculi!,
were found to materially differ, Mr. M'Connell's.l:ls
surement being much less ; but, upon examinatio.
was discovered that Mr. M'Connell had made n°ll dif•
ance for the diagonal movements. This made theber
ference between the two statements. The Hon- Ile oe
for Oldham (Mr. Fielden) had published a paraLt that
this subject, and from his calculations it apPe947,ote
the average distance that the men travelled in the ge
of a day, working at a pair of mules, was 22 riAttice
(Lord Ashley) had also consulted a number of °Perot
spinners, and they stated that the average at leest.bere
20 miles per day. They also stated that althougu 'thee
was more work performed than there ever was, ye
were fewer men made to do it. They further .tareddto
that an inferior kind of cotton was now used, sure,
increased the difficulty of spinning. Now the Inn'heea
meats he (Lord Ashley) had read to the House ha
own'
disputed by Mr. Greg, a gentleman who waslvelt.;o to
In consequence of this, he (Lord Ashley) hadwriv his
the arithmetician who made the calculations, an"ridi.
answer was, that either Mr. Greg's statement was rod
culous blundering, or a gross perversion of °bsenoir
facts. He (Lord Ashley) believed that one man go.
did the work which was done by two a few Year,, ie
In the year 1819 the number of picks per minu"'euted
pair of mules was 60, and in 1842 the number 41131 est
to 140. They had had the evidence of several e" ;see
physicians and surgeons to show the fearful c00t:4940
which resulted from this excessive labour. Dr• ibtroor
had stated that diseases of the feet, legs, arms, an
oast
parts of the body were of frequent occurrence anion
the factory people. Dr. Souden had stated thew nothing. Dr. Hawkins had given it as his opinion .t tin
lad
person under the age of 18 ought to be engle,,hiey)
bour more than ten hours of the day. He (Lo I'Dfmael
had visited the infirmary in Manchester, and he Notts
that it was filled with persons affected with sen been
diseases, and these persons were labourers Who
had
employed in the factories. The medical get_rthat
who was attending this establishment stat'used
the majority of these diseases had been-diet
by excessive labour, heated rooms, and low tries+
The same evils were found to prevail in other ea° fel
and a very admirable work had been published ,9ge
years ago by a French physician named Billertnior)
stated that various diseases, which he (Lord Itsio ea'
had enumerated, were prevalent among the Pers°,olo"
gaged in the manufactures of the Continent. it "doll
mentable to find the dreadful effects this labour It pa
the constitutions of the persons engaged in it' pest!'
frequently effectually destroyed the visual organ• e
ful accidents were continually occurring, and til°9„,,evoll)•
dents consisted of loss of fingers, hands, Bcee ner
occurring at a late hour of the evening, when_ WI; of
sons became so tired as to be almost regal'
danger. He would next direct the attention. '9' the
coo~'
r°
House to the early period at which superannus-
menced among persons of this class. It was %ea if'
dom that persons above the age of 40 were fu
bouring in factory employments. He held a ref" 0910
his hand of the number of persons engaged '1.7, eh°
in Moseley, Ashton, and other parts of Laneas"-'1,665,
turned out in the year 1831. The number iveso, erbo
and out of that number there were only 51 Permsothe„;
were above the age of from 45 to 50. pie had
return of the number of persons engaged in cel.% 004
in Scotland, and out of 1,600 persons there Niter tide in
10 above the age of 45. He also had a return gins
1839 of the number of persons engaged in 42 94, and
Stockport and Manchester; the number was 22,0 e of 451
out of that number only 143 had passed the
and 16 of those were retained as a specie bead
Of 131 spinners in Manchester, seven only were,loo
the age of forty-five, and these were refused elnr'.' foal
on account of age. He held in his hand by
Bolton, from a gentleman employed to make retnof 601
the Government, from which it appeared that Were
wets
reduced spinners who were out of employment, !, Oae
more than fifty, and the rest did not average ford for sir
man, at Oldham, who had worked at a factory
of we,
teen years, and was now only forty-three year ..pfased
had frequently applied for work, but was often 'ilea le
it on the ground of old age. The same evil Pfeivgiternis
iTittee, as appeared in the report of Doctor sod oil
a letterro
It was found more economical, both in Englanuit letter
the Continent, to employ younger workinell• smote 9
htul been addressed to him, in 1833, by Mr• i'=" this re.
large millowner in Lancashire, and it contained swot
•''.eitable passage :—" You will naturally jail r
the 6.17...y.ien, who are said tn-,l;e, or to be unfit„° codas;
when the/ attain the age forty: As JeLt`holgost
seinners Whether young or.- cilo are
Prig per pound, the produce of tiv, 5.,2 'nail Is B.bwets,
9,0
expens, because there is a diluinishee. quagtlo'w )1
this fact :,,metimes occasions their discluirtv-,urero'
(liird Asltee) would ask what agricultur'sl;";fery
seperannuated at forty years ? Old men -of
scription adhered to the 42.4 -,ontrittiPd
and those who were discharged from the fac/ti'rejletoi''
almost unfit for any other kind 6f labour-" (%.
went on to say that the old men, " men of forty'
the Noble Lord), frequently disagreed with their Yoze
fellow-labourers, and preferred living at lu-ane aint
earniegs of their children were sufficient to nifeatere
them. There was not a more alarrnivisti ths°,
in the dismal history of factory labour .t.,,eeesi
men of forty were commonly maintained in 1"' -hr Ile
the labour of their childr e.—(Hear, hear.) tl
port of the Commissioners appointed in 18? ► st:
it was difficult to 1,-lieve the 94:NS of the rnien'
in factories from their appeaftWeA, so comlof te
and.:te-y
premature old age come upon there.- *.l aseheit
confidence in the Report of theip `,z3 for
• • , • T.) tat; ,r,..wecrow,x, ad a
augment and intelligence. ! IA•
of t,":
non which would come) to the House 50n1...el
aifference between agricultural and mall°'-f etyce:feicl
hour. On an estate in Worcestershire, where ° s
cultural labourers were employed, twenty-thrff,enivshireej:
the age of forty-five years. On an estate in LlP;iploY On
where twenty agricultural labourers were evistes,
eleven exceeded that age. On an estate in thirty
which sixty-two labourers were employed, the 59-,
seeded the age of forty. On another estate wore e 0
be
principality, on which forty-two labourers le due
gaged, twenty-seven exceeded the agwhich f°rlffitteeffte
Isle of' Wight, on a small farm, on of I°,,e-r;
bourers were employed, ten exceeded the Wooer- .
On another estate in the same island, where
were employed, seven were beyond that age'ead f°l:tr,
other, out of fifteen labourers, six were beyon whiogi
On a calculation of several small farms thereecied jr
thirty men were employed, every one exee.,,,itural,o
of forty years. Thus, in a total of 341 agf!'"doel,
bourers, employed in different parts of' the a
wth-
were above the age of forty. Contrast th(
of 004
manufacturing returns, which stated thatti7,, 189 ;got..
her of 22,000 employed in factories, 0 in Pe ,ere
beyond the age of forty. On different estates its b,
estate
tA9
shire, on which 427 labourers were eroplor
beyond the age of forty-five. Why be would ftresa:i hl
experience of Hon. Members, if it were ho!,f:
to see agricultural labourers working da"10.0.--4. toe
fifty, sixty, and even seventy years et 7„eci t°,o*
hear.) The employment at the factories s.F_ opers'iliee
entirely debilitated the constitution of the eir fitio
for when discharged, unless supported by `;;totion-keere
they generally sank down into hopeless nerlot, if 'say,
education of male and female was most de.'" via?, 01
were any at all, and their physical condlu° „ractin
passed by their moral degradation. The nrogeortioil
thrift and economy was a virtue altogether.ool9,
these people. They scarcely ever had all,9`'.eark,„it,
of savings to meet old age. The N°lll.e,leplefi. e'
quoted from returns, showing the state of tbtw
in Manchester. These returns showedzoff factwlfel:
11 jobbers, or casual porters, 9 were °as' es, `f
bourers. Of 37 hawkers of nuts and oranare.seeers 0
the same description of persons. Of 9nsa howl' 11 •
were cast-off factory labourers. Of 3.4elletsott:
boiled sheeps' feet, 84c., 22. Of 14 11157 113 Kge 87,
of 25 comb-sellers, 16—making a total 0! of thrideo
in the lowest employments of life, and out „oetaPoter#
were discharged factory labourers. Of 34,!,,;yl9b°1aelt0*
-- 10
operatives in the ,same town, 217 were . _
who wore maintained by their own childrep „item of
ai"uti i.sg-gatherers, 50 had
1842, in 2.fanchester, of 2
were living entirely on the earnings of tile hadfo-onee
remainder were following the occupations .red how gag
45cast-off been
cotton; nye
mentioned. The Commissioners had inrbeea eLfoell,,
of these unemployed labourers had was--"-rditesf,"
on the revival of trade, and the answer otsiofthior
one, Dr. Hawkins observed upon the orjer°_„or_
State of things in Manchester; he said tbe ft_ea.
eio
was reversed, for the children of tender.3Z,o Tote °.
porting their parents, whose age she had esar4Cr
the prime of life. The evils which he "14 Ow GI.
revs' f the e
were not peculiar to England, they p is
Brent, and had engaged the serous attene. Theheaen
vernments and crowned heads of EuroPoitrAreila‘in
id T,-,
nature could not be, violated with in;l„),ltiOn
fringements would cause a bitter realm, idol
physical condition and consequent inoea' thtt„to
the
1830, a Commission had been apfointio,itifirii4erto
Chamber of Deputies, for the purpose of
joOnop, ie,
condition of the manufacturing Peru° coton'i9,o6'ear"
Lord quoted from the report of
itobisoo Ine11:56110"
effect of which was, that out -.o.ected
agriculture in France, 4,029 were rejens3Bs' the
military service ; out of 10,000 men of gun; ste. sor
factures, 9,93 C) were rejected beeal
rent le afil°llol'
report went on to recommend a differ con of
Ineautfacturing districts, and stated.
017.170.11 ear•
individual suffering there was
plate, and should be at once remewto the
vice, Ivor
A report had been preseiVied _Or the 0 oil
Prussia by a General in tUit P.m el if., itie;
lamented the inefficiency these ene., try 'jpiaen, iota
facturing districts of Vru.ssia for nlllll too rojeuid)
declared that if A reformation did Ilcinore ellpiPhot
the present generation would grow urao
enfeebled than the former one. i';'er of no in
lamented to observe upon the nn
were employed in the manufacteriZti.,..o ....Lop tory'
land, notwithstanding that it li W‘: that
fileotiOr
sicians, of the greatest eminew4s 550clie, file col
Elliotson, and Sir 13,94.0' .ita the tea':a fe
labour was particular!, inhr:iOus orionire,
tion. In the .'\' fit: J irl nof years ag,wa
wrote to lk'ou,, to sea that, seven their ugtod
1 Apr
factorp,„ie
ree,lee, who were then su
Nve,Ve DPW all engaged in the, fact, 110 in
ipg twelve hours a day. IL-eition in pig iris•
seemed to be in especial re?:- labour end
facturing districts, and Ina worriern of '0 el'
pporte`
quently displaced to emPIYY _ row- ,rese eeslif
The Noble Lord next entered into ri
it of the gelesird
de‘ails, to prove that the restuthe fotori_;xi
tem, which prevailed through" der':
iii flilif4nds tended in the strongest

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