The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-01-15 00:00:00

THE LONDON ZEES.

TILE FACTORY BILL.
We have already published some extracts from the
evidence produced before the committee of the. House of
Commons in support of the Factories' Labour Regula-
tion Bill. What a picture of suffering and cruelty ! If
here be such a personage as a misanthrope in England,
or in the civilized world, now is the time for him to. tri,
ninph. Let him appeal to this evidence, to this state-.
ment of facts—of nothing but simple, unadorned, unco-
lOured, unexaggerated facts—and, if? he do not find his
theory acknowledged, it must be from some fundamental
defect in the theory itself. The proof of human wicked-
ness is perfect; let the misanthrope exult and triumph,
therefore. He is now in possession of a case against
human nature, surpassing every thing that has gone before
it. ,The treatment of the poor, helpless, defenceless
children in our factories, is a disgrace to the whole species.
'We can scarcely believe our eyes while we read, or trust
our senses while we consider, the statements of the dif-
ferent witnesses. No passion but that of avarice could.
have perpetrated such enormities. Herod commanded the
slaughter of babes, but nothing short of avarice could
have snatched them from the breast, to put them to the
torture—the slow consuming fire—of thefactory system.
The idea of setting infants of seven or eight years of age
to work at all is dreadful ; but to set them to hard work,
tinder hard task-masters, without any allowance, of time
for recreation, for instruction, and scarcely fur repose—to
exact from their tender limbs and unformed sinews the
greatest possible quantity of labour within a giventirne,
no regard being had to the physical and moral effects of
such a slavery on the future lives of the unfortunate vic-
tims, is to perform the office of a demon, and that demon
is avarice! If Mr. Sadler had never done any thing for
society but the bringing to light this monstrous and in-
human system, society would be largely his debtor. The
evil cannot long outlive its exposure. 'Every
.heart capa-
ble of a throb of sympathy must feel for the infants who
are sacrificed by hundreds to the political economy of the
factories: What a picture is that which represents child-
hood in chains—childhood under lock and key, not in-
duLainto; its sportive gambols in the presence of tenderness
and affection, but drudging for a brute, and trembling at
a tyrant ! And yet that picture is not one of fancy.—eut
the meeting of Parliament will be the signal for putting
an end to such an abomination- It must stop—it cannot
go -on—for the common instincts of mankind rise up in
judgment against it.—Morning Herald.

The voluminous evidence taken in the Committee of
the. House of Commons, on the Factories Labour Re-
gilation Bill, is of a nature to make a man almost loathe
his species. We could hardly have believed that such
systematic cruelty is practised in this country. We now
understand why the labouring people of the manufac-
turino• towns are jealous of the middle classes, and hos-
tile to the Ballot, from a belief that they can only pro-
tect themselves from oppression by obtaining, indirectly,
a share in the franchise, through the intimidation of the
small dealers.
There are in the Island of Britain a greater number
of individuals, perhaps, compared with the whole popu-
lation, who enjoy good food, shelter, and raiment, than
in any other country. But we suspect it will be found,
that there is in no country in Europe, perhaps any where
so large a proportion of the population existing in a state
of suflering. • The life of the West Indian negro is hap-
piness itself compared with that of the poor inmate of
our spinning-mills, who never knew the joys of infancy
and youth, and to whom life is one unvaried disease.
The perusal of the evidence makes one almost wish that
machinery never had been known, and that such places
as Leeds, Manchester, and Dundee, never had existed.
In the last Session, when Mr. Sadler first agitated the
subject of Infant Labour in factories, there were, we re-
member, two Scotch Members, Mr. Robert Ferguson,
and. Mr. Morison, who contened strenuously that Scot-
land should be excepted; as none of the abuses in Eng-
lish factories were known in Scotland. It appears, that
the most barbarous of the Yorkshiremen are outdone in
barbarity by the Scotch. But we hardly ever knew a
testimony given in the House of Commons, in similar
eases, which did not turn out to be like Old Bailey evi--
deuce.
'Alexander Dean, an overlooker at Dundee, age going
on to 27, who had:been about 14 years in the flax busi-
ness, gives a history of the systems of the various mills
in. which he had been employed. In the first mill, Dun-
truin mill, four miles from Dundee, they worked not
less than 17 hours a day, exclusive of meals. The mas-
ter's name was Braid. , Four or five orphans, all that
were left alive of about sixteen, supplied by some poor
Institution in Edinburgh, were there employed.
"Usually for how long a time did they stop ?—I could not say
,fc;r how long a time ; there were always. some of them deserting
and being brought back.
" Speaking of those long hours, how were the children kept
itithe estabhsbment, they having to labour to such an extent as
you have described ? -They were kept in a constantly standing
posture ; no leave was allowed for sitting.
" Were they confined to than of work ?—Yes ; the doors
were all locked, both with check and turnkey.
" They were locked up while at their labour ?—Yes.
" Did they sleep upon the premises ?—Yes ; it was upon the
very same premises that they slept ; the houses were all
Wane cte d.
" Were those who were immediately under the control of the
Manager gnarded all night ?—Yes ; there were iron-stanched
windows, and the master himself, or his son, attended to locking
them' up at night, whenever they got their suppers ; so that they
had no chance of escaping till the morning, when he released
them for their next day's employment.
" How were they taken care of on the Sundays then ?—lt was
always one of the sons that staid at home and guarded them on
Sunday; he would not suffer them to go to church.

. . . . . . .
" Were the children and young persons kept down to that
work by chastisement ?—Yes.
" Were they severely chastised ?—Frequently they were ; for
the least fault they were struck and abused.

. . . .
. .
" You were speaking about children being prevented from
deserting by being locked up, was it often that children made
an attempt to escape ?—Yes, if they got the least opportunity.

. . . . . . . .
" Where were the hands, that did not sleep in the mill sent at
night ?—The houses which the hands slept in were about fifty
yards from the mill.
" What were they called ?—Bothies."ln any of those Bothies were the boys and girls mixed up
indiscriminately at night ?—Yes; I myself, with six boys, was
in one apartment with oldish girls.
"What were. the ages of those boys so locked up ?—From 14
$o 16.
" And what were the agei of the females ?—From i'2 to 14.
"And you state that they were turned, indiscriminately into
the same Bothy ?—Yes.
"And locked up there all night?—Yes."
___

lie next got into employment at Birdevy mill, about
four miles from Dundee, where he was card-winder, and
where he was more humanely treated. The hours were
about fourteen, excluding meals.
The next mill he went to was Trollick mill, three
miles from Dundee, where the hours of working were
also fourteen, excluding meal; amounting altogether
to about fifteen hours' confinement.

_
:The next place was Maryfield-mill, about four miles
and a•half from Dundee, where he was a spinner; his
treatment there was harsh—sometimes the hours were
sixteen.

What effect upon the children—the female children more
especially—has this long standing to their labour?-It has a
great effet.l.-1 have observed it at the mill; the feet of the girls
have sweat' so, that they have been ready to take off their
shot s.
_ _

"Does it occasion positive deformity sometimes ?—Yes, very
idea; the girls.becorue knock-k.nee'd and bow=legg'd.