The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-08 00:00:00

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'en than 11 hoers, more frequently 12.-.
and in some districts
13 be
tali: utt4 In D • h'r th • worked 17 hours out of the "24,
eroy, i e they
nag the time of their leaving home in the morning to their
evteerzieinim,the evening. In the east of Scotland there was
c
evidence to prove that that the labour is often
tl:T.tilaued 15, 16, or 17 hours of the 24. Ihe evidence showed
e..taltithis system operated roost iejurionsly on the physical as
• .as moral condition of the work-peeplc. There was no
tittle set apart fur meals, and the poor child; en took their
law
.e tea best they might. With respect to the physical Effects
le-a".its of the country there leas most abundant eyi-
isence. • Tire evidence of the children themselves was distres-
-120-lentleman who had been professionally employed for
An Years 1 the iron works, said that there were many cases of
-raw . •
In .he,i a of different kinds brought on by this system of work.
the orth Durham sod Northumberland the people stated that
wereY woohl willingly suffer a diminution of wages if the hours
i i shortened. In the east of Scotland the people suffered
Years the m ass extreme. Agnes Ker, a young girl. la
;ears of
Dar& n tgea"aid, " It is sair crushing work bringing up these.
Thees•s• ;Another said, "It is sair fatiguing work.
'•
.4ttlt }another
kind of labour might be classed asfollows :
e "'es d roWth,'crif I I it irritation of the head and feet, a
reeoail:l'see, tY Of diselse. ,pgream'ature old age arid death. Dr.
of the "aralsim reported that:several became cripples ; diseases
gals' sic'oet were very common ; numbers of women and
wer lEeejegiitlie,istto; tied in the spine and hip ; diseases of the, heartf
t'evereaXertie e many of them were ruptured, even lads,from
nee -, an.
ayeman were ruptured on both sides. A 1
des's:is/LT al• witnesses geed in these statements. The most
aeeet°l'a, ive disease which affected them was asthma; they were
th --%.,aa early as seven years of age, and at the age of thirty,
fore:: •"a' '/eary one amongst them that was not asthmatic:
heal.e;"ll:pearscel at first, the patient did not suffer ingenerai
e'
was • their health soon gave way, however, and the disease
PsisessreelY ever ended. The cause of this was, the want of
eeral
r,
!4 'entilation. " The men," said an old miner of great
a vele,cl," die off like rotten sheep." The next disease was
taieeia9at-raortlinaty one, and of which the House perhaps
Liao, - t',°'t have heard, it was the melenosis, or, the
02yeeel),114e, which arose from there not being sufficient
most •„ Hi the air. The medical officers said it was the
laid tfileriOils and faial disease of all; Dr. Harrison
f bre esqvaPtores were lassitude of the whole body, shortnessi
hie e,P9s- frequent stitches in the side, quick pulse—excede( -
elpioVa strokes a minute—severe coughs night and day,
hardly
bea
wotheereeepectoration of black spittle. It could _
lesult ,q",,t, then and remature old age and death
onewer the
vere'eals'tae labour, that long before death cam
.they
lieeeCairiyed, through disease, of the means of obteminga
RteaLterd. Another witness stated, that. at the age of 40 thed
sl olt,..Paq of the colliers might be consulered.as disabled an
*oou V.". Six months' labour in the mines, it was said, was
u'ittil, es'4effect a visible change in the parties employed. A
,I,llW,Pid that the foul lir in the mines seriously affected the
Lhecthe children, and' contributed to shorten their lives.
thsteeTtnissioners in their summary of the Report stated
each' elsearea were very often engendered in the mines, and that
tieetileberation of that class of labourers were commonly ex-
LI, aalel"°4 after SC. The moral effects of the system were
few gte,l)tolatinent, and equally pernicious. He would maked.aa
"ithe„`etnents open that head, which would show thecon condition
tlesis'e7 Peoale, and how necessary. it was they should, if possible,.
n
'tailed jar,etnedy for the_ evil.—( Hear, hear.) A clergyman
dust ~,,•i4. his evidence that children of humble temper and ce..-
ael,tert returned after a season in the collieries greatly
lits.oe. and, as an old teacher said, " with the mnst ltelsh
gaabit;',l9,es'!'. The effect of the system was to superinduce
'tie ee-nu feelings of ferocity that were perfectly tremendous.
sAttettleY, hid, that being unable to do what was beyond his
qaoteer 'T as thrown down and two of his ribs kicked out.
trate 1 'avitness said that a boy was beaten with a stick, and
that toeed.on till he could scarcely stand. Another witness said
elrouOcia's•Were frequently beaten till the blood flowed from their
tite'lif, ' Another person stated that he saw the uncle of a boyi
10re.,ar.917 the ears, and knock his head against the wall. a
alaa."°,..e.he was hap' py to say the accounts were more favourd- •
ll' bOe's 9 Halifax it is stated that they treat girls as
boy
eill-gin the face, and making inquiry as to the cause, he hadd
tepee need that the lad had been knocked down and ,tamped
Li 0,.Y e•collier, and in another case he had seen a boy with
dosOlie.kn'oeked out, and otherwise maimed. There were no
Rene:4ll4°Y exceptions to this ; but he was sorry to say that,
atid•fe' Y:si)eaking, colliers showed themselves a most. unfeeling
eals4°,elons race. The moral effect of these things was bad
They an the male, but it operated much worse in the female.
, were
brought' up in ignorance of everything they ought
tseetZ,and from the statements he had before him it appeared
that eeefernales employed in mines were worse than men, and
tontreetT_Once their morals were corrupted their language and
gobies uweanse frightful in the extreme. The Rev. Richard
was ' stated that the practice of working females in the mines
la 44.°1. the greatest evils, 'physical, intellectual, and moral.
Nee lencluence of the degraded condition of the persons, en-
ught the coal mines, the peasants refused to marry f thei
lowed ers of colliers. The men drank, and the women o -
epit'ir their example. Dr. Thornwall gave it as his decided
4104,°42, that'Women brought up in this way scarcely knew what
'Lea fia-Y. I,las, except by name • and he trusted that before he
446, ' Monk' have the satisfaction of seeing the system done
Bossetiottew•itb.. He'(Lerd A,) knew that the Commissioners
.had
asset.4l3' roma-told the worst of the story. But it required
, nt.7.,ehimagination for those who heard the pre-
At vri,:ternent t4l' conceive what the extent of the evil was.
tespela,lletil which required the vigorous and immediate in.
for eedawn of the law to remedy it. Its suppression was called
she La the public virtue, public honour, public character, and
be 'l49tee.d to say b the public sympathy. Never had there
eta el. 3
try „nee the first disclosures of the atrocities of the slave
tare 40 'universal a feeling of horror as was now spread
ssee hoot the country on this matter. The well-intentioned
i
ei.o . neat proprietors who were anxious for an amelioration
116,4 be gratified to learn of the introduction of the present
la '1 ' Re should propose in his Bill to cut off the principal evil.
ellaillotilil propose the tal exclusion of all females fom the
se_4a and collieries ie the kinedern. But there were parties
' avisre interested in maintaining the system, and he would
aa 'ale t the House the motives which induced these parties to
ph ~., , ,
tPose an alteration. The work people themselves said the
...ttrs arid women never got coals, they only remained drawers,
Cii woman at best was only considered as half a man. The
alateloolser said that one reason why the women were
i:Ployed, or frequently in the coal-pits, was that a girl of
k.e 9 t't years of age would work for 2s, a day, or less, while a
se r that woulddemand 3s. 6d. Imade little differ
44 .0 age
leeet eou'd spend Is. or Is. Gd. per day more at the ale-
k, 9. But let them look at the mischief of the system. Was
4,e-et°°d arrangement for the women ? Quite the reverse.
sleeerteon of Barnsley said the female character was totally
thsAaieYed ; that females so employed could neither discharge
Itreer,l'. of wives nor mothers, and that he could see the
tiaileesj difference in the homes of those colliers whose wives
satetakp into the pits. The Sub-Commissioner, Mr. Wood,
°I%"
I,`lo by saying,. that, after taking a very extensive view
I:ll°latiee--7:°::ease; the result of his inquiries was, that the (sm•
th f.ett'll t Young parsons in such labours shut them out from
aeaairili4Zowlettge ; that the wives could do little to render
'beet-ill'ari.eleonifortable, and that the husbands were con-
Ifele toee'm to the ale-house. But in this matter they were
It ~felli ere speculation; they had the benefit of experience.
''Clis. ' es Wright, who was manager to . the Duke of
4as -, °elf ise
assel4o ' -.Jed, that four years ago he superintended some
Sealtheeem Which females and young children were excluded,
tsettle -Zasequence of their exclusion was a vast improvement
thilesesw., *ins and general condition of the colliers. Some
selii•fee'ef:e, being desirous to avail themselves of the labour of
etlie-'4'es, and went to other pits, many of whom returned,
,Ilkotlldtleoedrlltihearst
Ineyearneymuch more regular than heretofore. Mr.
lat' kite Maxwell, who first issued those orders, as mana.
families left, but they returned because
e4lli went'ld the roads were improved, and many fe-
seLdease •into service and preferred it. Mr. Wright pro-
-laf't'h a'." he begged to call the attention of the House to
efforemee ' stated—he said he felt confident that the exclusion
aseView, 3 eras advantageous to the colliers in a physical point
ite•Oateee'end why ? The cause was perfectly disgusting—it
1t;%9 the' tuan anything he (Lord Ashley) ever heard of, be.
draw, 4, Males would not work on bad roads—the females
Ifoew oe"ght only when no men could be induced to
1.1,,,_,,-,0 work. They were mere beasts of the
.earth
ataibe:s• they to remove this system and intro-
lisiia'4l, bi,`te."? By the exclusion •of females the owners
ah4;e'amis -trpolled to alter their system; the pits would be
Isietlittlie ated, and better roads would be made, and so to
stoa- uaii;, system as to enable men who new worked only
al, 'sferee.to the fortnight to discover their own interests in
helLai9l-iee°e•, This was 'confirnsed by the
.statement of Mr.
114 !tee-40 'never suffered females or children under ten
tatiti- -I', t° go into pits, the consequence of which was
aeoftgOlsulation there was in a state of great comparative
Nil.,ltUtal.'”l'ality. This was corroborated by Mr.. Hunter,
'ii f9tte e-` n 1 consequence of new ventilation and improved
9llba'sevoltaii'es,,ttd two boys got as much money as when the
9otatelltiei,
.aenaales were employed, and many of the respect-
Nit7o-4 w, eta into service.—(Cheers.) Women had been
teaof e'cittded, and no boys were employed under twelve
Nt4tNtefi'‘e:: Thesewere the- rules, and the results had been
la„staaete eml to the state of the colliers. Before these rules
`set-i!'!atise;' The colliers were in the habit of migrating in the
lltfeitigli.ef °ne-fourth, but since only in the proportion of
ee'er''''"'-iy,„,,He might very easily accumulate facts,
aistittise'''" not detain the House ; be might, how-
tled'is ha' that the manager of the Duke of Bee-
taillieje,7 ta,4l that since women min children had been ex.
14111,16 e• 7". his Griee's mines, they had never bad occasion to
%e tad ii-tre'9e of coal.—( Hear, hear.) The next point of his
Nesilroese.e;eluSion of boys under the age of thirteen years,
tliatelha ,'''asta.te why he took this for the limit. In the first
Ntatte ToLry Act- prohibits the labour of children under
tkioasjivs'eaeiliVo,e employeis in the cotton and woollen districts
0 7,,,ti-woh, an undue advantage was given to the mines
1 •••S ' ''''s ' hwished to dace them on an equality, that
:4/Leeitlaba ; e
Iv
~ tit os able to procure a sufficient _
hater ni' "Iteen. to meet the demands of the cotton and
lirst,Steio:;9laeture. The evidence went to show that fourteen
state/' beesafat,her to liethe age, and that he shouldhimselfbefore
,a'ht.4„•L'Ot teaeY-*ent down into the pit there they must remain,
eltesiiaireten-°-.llg as those who set them ts., work. chose. As to
ittle Pass's, trisl that was impossible at present, and
'44,14,t- 0.-etiet..i would not be safe. He would net like to be
Ito, seetaseeti 9RO down into a mine to do anything that should
+t ea ,iiao te; t° the miners. Mr. Mitchell said that all who went
the as the.
must work what time the miners chose.
hOilles 7.,191" to have any thing like a system of police in
%-q we,: r ersons guilty of offences against the law, but
b":etlie: not heinousnthe eyes of the miners, found a re-
kills.,‘ llnflae, 4 fact, few persons ventured to go down. There
Slaseee"': evidence to show that the children employed in
tele seterer.dared to complain of ill usage. Punishment had
hillier& leefs,!eted by the owners in many instances,. but the
tisOilieTaell alone below the -round. and had full liberty of
Nee 4oreut!'ignuent on whoever they pleased. If the colliers
kits enee, .ego habits, there would be no necessity for
4tie seZepastl,7gtewornen and children in the mines, but the
'gee oi days oe men would not werk rent than eight. days.
N 44 ate fineee in a fortnight, and sp the remainder of
ide up re m'unkeness and debauchery and then, in order to
tlis "reit into this lest time, they took 'd
,wn their wives and
,tilt)Pit4 :e tile pits. If the labour of women and children in
isoa to de !? etitirely.prohibited, then the men would find.
it ,!wetta,!oeir duty in a proper manner. The next provi-
gilogieeerLgi introduce was that no persons should be emloyed
It ts 9 attae ,a, but males turned twenty-one years of age; hew as
ti,,oey,l,itthriat the matter was one which should be looked into,
lesitttleee9lltrye.4 t 9 breserve man valuable lives for the service. of
1")' 7ef r Richards stated that in the mining
slth e rain" Devonshire, accidents were very numerous. Is
s'igi atket the miners were let down and drawn up
ae,ati
die attached to ropes worked by a steam-engine : that
it Cu, 4quently teft in the charge of 'children of twelve'
Nrthass very ell five years of age. -The Sub-Inspector said
Nee ee euminon in Derb shire to employ very young
lof s out
Purpose ; he htal known children of only ten
Nest eiceige Performing that duty; the let down
it as t sae, and he h. . men were. e 04,
the
r had frequently seen the children to car!..
itItI4T, Orb
le, . ()Pe get off the pulley. The miners seld
4 At,
,c thing that happened to them was she employing
*ll*th l4lO 44, engineers, and he added, th.at she
a man
ast9 th e "Mae ssr
-14„,. e roan . a man's life, la, was net fit to be twested
hriPl," ehiirt gement .of engines• Accidents were innumerable
td,,,,-74en wer the engine;s, in consequence of drawing
Mr. Wild spoke of this, by
1(1,401; at! ItTtttihe:ltte
Ire the
wheel gear.
n in the basket were frequeetly precipitated
Nelletie;e' of the pit and crushed to atoms. One little boy
taekltse'lleti toss to have had his attention attracted by
the floor• he neglected, in consequence to
a mouse
ark:;',' 6 break; the 'burden turned over the wheel Rear,
f
%,)ttinate people were dastiast to the bottom
'reeeek7t thee'. lives. Such accidents were of frequentn and, of
With respect o the fourth and last point he in-

F+, .