The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-02 00:00:00

Per Cent.

Under 13 years 3 9-20 Males
1 Females
ales l3
13, and under 18 ...29 7-20 {F M lemales 16 1-10
18, and under 21 ...19 c Males .
1 Females 121
21, and under 40 —.40 S Males 18 3-5
/ Females 2l 2-5
40, and upwards 7 3_5 Males -10
Females 1 7-10
251 Males Married
Females 9l
From the returns it appears that '10,721 married
females are employed in the 412 factories, and, as it has
been said that such employment tends to reverse the
condition of the sexes, care was taken to ascertain the
employment of the husbands of these women. It was
found that 5,314 were employed in factories, 3,927 were
engaged in other trades, 821 had no regular employment,
and 659 are unaccounted for, in consequence of the
limited time given for the preparation of the returns.
Out of the 412 millowners, 167 have reported the fol-
lowing accidents occurring within an average period of
20i years ; viz.:-72 occasioning death-168 loss of
limb, and 13 not specified-196 have reported that no
accidents involving loss of life or limb have occurred in
their factories, in an average period of 131 years. The
proportion of accidents, therefore. appears to be about 1
death per annum in 104 mills, and 1 loss of limb in 41
mills. From 49 of the mills no returns have been made
with respect to accidents. It appears, then, that 412
mills employ 116,281 persons, averaging 282 in each
mill. In 104 mills, employing 29,328 persons, only one
fatal accident in a year occurs. In 41 mills, employing
11,562 persons, only one accident occasioning loss of
limb occurs in a year. So favourable a result as to ac-
cidents probably cannot be found in any other industrial
occupation in this country.
From the return of accidents (by coroners, &c.), sent
with this return, it appears that out of upwards of 858
accidents, occasioning loss of life, only 29 (or 3 2-5 per
cent.) have been occasioned by Factory Machinery,
while 79 have been caused by carts, &c., and 85 in
coalpits.
The above return shows that no less than 82 per cent.
of the whole number of factory operatives can read,
while it appears from the registrars' returns for England
that 'about one-half of the whole population of the
country do not know how to write their names.
Some of the millowners have neglected to make a re-
turn of the amount of wages paid by them ; but returns
have been made by millowners employing 112,796 ope-
ratives, and the total amount of net weekly wages paid
by them, is 57,8811. 18s. ld., or the average weekly
wages to each operative of 10s. 31d. net, being a re-
duction of 2d. per week in the average wages of each
operative since 1833, as shown by a similar statement
then published of 151 mills employing 48,645 persons.
• In all the manufacturing districts there are several
trades, such as those of colliers, engineers, iron-founders,
machine-makers, builders, tailors, shoemakers, &0.,
which do not employ female labour; and to the wives
and daughters of the persons engaged in such trades the
spinning and weaving mills afford the means of contri-
buting by their labour to the support of their families.
From inquiries made in Bolton in 1836, it was found that
there were more than 3,000 operatives engaged in those
trades from which women were excluded, and conse-
quently a very large number of families would have been
stinted in their comforts, if not deprived of some of the
necessaries of life, had the resources which they derived
from the labour of their female relatives been inter-
rupted. It is perfectly well known that, where employ-
ment for females cannot be obtained in mills, it is sought
for in mines, collieries, and other branches of industry,
involving occupations far more injurious to health and
dangerous to morals than those of mills and cotton fac-
tories. This is felt by the females themselves; they pre-
fer mills to most other occupations, and even to do •
mestic service.

The per centage of persons above forty engaged in
mills is 'only 7 2.5 per cent.; this does not arise so
much from superannuation, as from the number of
mill-hands who are enabled, by their savings, to
enter into superior occupations. Of these 197
have been traced in the town and vicinity of Ashton-
under-Lyne—the short space of time allowed, and
the obvious delicacy and difficulty of such inquiries
having necessarily limited the field of observation. Of
these 197 we find that 14 have become master-spinners
and manufacturers, 61 shopkeepers, 42 publicans and
beer-retailers, 11 grocers and tea-dealers, and the rest
have found other respectable means of obtaining a livli-
hood. We submit that there are very few industrial oc-
cupations which would afford similar evidence of advance-
ment in a single locality.
It has, indeed, been stated that in the year 1841 seve-
ral distressed spinners were found in mean and degrad-
ing occupations ; but it must be remembered that the
greater part of that year was a season of depression,
when mills were working short time. And, even if the
returns were perfectly accurate, they would only prove
that a compulsory working of short time, which depressed
markets can enforce more strongly than any legislative
enactment, deteriorates the condition of the operative,
and subjects him to want and degradation.

EFFECT OF A TEN HOURS' BILL.

We hare estimated the loss on a Ten Hours' Bill from

the returns of the standing charges, wages, and other
expenditure of mills, which have been supplied to us by
large manufacturers. Taking 100,000 L as the sum em-
barked in an individual concern, the following are the
results :

The fixed charges, taken upon the
usual and admitted authority of
practical men, amount to £17,150 per annum.
This charge now falls upon a pro-
ductive power of 69 hours per
week.
By reducing the hours of working
to 59 per week, the effective pro-
ductive power will be in the pro-
portion of 14,700

Mill-owner's loss will be £2,450 per an.
The Wages:-
69 hours' wages ....... £25,613
59 hours' wages ...,... 28,913