Star.
London, England, 1824-05-15 00:00:00

THE sruntmer.Ds ACTS•

The Eat! of LAUDERDALE now movel the Order
of the day, upon which then Lordships wete summoned
for the second reading of the Spitalfields Acts Repeal
Bill. It was the object of the present Bill (Ms Lordship
sa,id) to repeal the Acts of George 11. and George 111.
and par ticulaily those with regard to Ireland. The ob-
ject of the Act passed in the 13th year of his late Ma-
jesty was to regulate the wagesof journeymen wearers,
and also to make the master weavers all subject to pe-
nalties, if those embarked in the business of Sr italfields
should venture to employ their capital in another place.
Tire Acts passed in the 13th and ;;Ist of George 111.
ere of some moment, as by the latter the Magistrates
ALITe Authorised to fix the wages of the journe)men silk
*ravers, tint no penalty was attached CO the m. cots
as in the oilier case. Now, there was also an Act passed
by the Parliament t.f Ireland, quite of an •they kind,
tot which placed the regulationof the silk trade in Ise-
land in the hands of a certain number of Ladies and

Gentlemen; so that in effect,- the Dublin Society had
perhaps as much operative influence in Leland as
Parliament bad here. In this age, howeier, when the
power of opinion was cemfessedly so great, he could
not anticipate the least "opposition to the present
Bill. When he looked to his own side of the House,
and reflected on the sound opinions which were en-
tertained by his Noble Friends upon the subject of
trade in general, it was impossible for opponents to start
up ; and, happy was he to say, that as little did he ex-
pect from Ministers, since his Majesty's Government
had carried into practice those theories they formerly
were so reluctant to admit, and had proved, by their
conduct, that they were not saying ore thing whilst
meaning quite another thing: He could not believe,
for a moment, that their Lordships would now refuse
their sanction to the second reading of a Bill, in which
stage they assented fait year; since such a prevarica-
tion, with no seasons set forth, was unusual in Parlia-
mentary proceedings, and more especially when their
Lordships were asked to decide the point, whether the
Master Silk Manufacturers were to be hampered till
this country came into a disadvantageous competition
with foreign markets. What view—what feeling, he
would here ask, had the master manufacturer to im-
prove this important trade, if he were not permitted to
benefit by the embarkment of capital in return ? If the
master manufattuser could derive no advantage by the
employment of his capital, it was impossible for their
Lordships to expect that he would embark it. Ilis
opinion was, and this.was formed from an exanfination
of documents then upon the table of the house, that if
the silk manufacturers of this country were properly.
encouraged, we should, after being the importers of
raw silks, soon become the exporters of manufactured
sinks. Nor was this, he observe..!, a mere crude notion ;
for it was founded on our manufacture of cottons and
muslins, which had arrived at a perfection that chal-
lenged and defied all competition; and, therefore, hi.
saw no reason why this country should not presently
be enabled to export silks as she already did cottons.
For these reasons, he wculd not have gone further in
support of the present Bill,bad not it so happened that
the journeymen silk weavers were petitioning their
Lordships against it ; and he must say that he stood
before their Lordships as much advocating the true in-
terests of the journey men as the masters. Suppose the
weavers to go before the district Magistrates to regulate'
the prices of labour, what were the latter to do? The
dispute must depend on the price of the quartern loaf,
be it at Bd. or he it at 10d. for such was the regulating
discretion of the Magistrate. Then, again, were to be
considered the fluctuations of fashion, which enhanced
the price of manufactured silks without any benefit to the
men? What, then, was the effect of a free trade ?
He always laid it down as a maxim in manufactures,
that the greater the consumption the greater the em-
ploy. Were it otherwise, as might happen in this case,
supposing the Bill were negatived, the master-manu-
facturer must be compelled to withdraw his capital al-
together, and the journeymen must consequently be
thrown out of employment.
The Earl of WESTMORLAND was of opinion that
so numerous a branch of persons in any trade should
not remain without some regulations, and, therefore,
he wished not to disturb those provisions which, it was
not denied, had long preserved the peace of the Yeti-
tioners, and reconciled them to their station in human life.
—He must deny the assumption that all parties were
friendly to the Bill; for there was as much alarm in the
industrious classes in Spitalfields, if not even more than
ever. As the Noble Lord (Lauderdale) had failed to
establish his premises, he would move that the Bill be
read a second time this day months. six

Lard ELLENBOROUGH 'spoke decidedly in favour of the
Bill, as consecutive of that which had lately passed.
Strangers were ordered to withdraw, when their Lordships came
to a division that the Bill be now read a second time, as follows :

Content .
Non-contents

blajority for the second reading

-15

On returning to the bar, the Loan Cwattexxxoa bad left the
Woolsack, and was urging fresh considerations to induce their
Lordships to pause. He reminded the House that, whosoever
else changed their opinions, there were upwards of 24,000 persons
whose opinions remained the same.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE explained.
The Bill was afterwards read a second time, and then ordered to
be committed for Tuesday next ; for which day their Lordships
were summoned to attend the service of the House.

At Seven o'Clock their Lordships adjourned to Monday morn-
ing at teu.