The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-24 00:00:00

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...use. He whited to be understood
so °piston at pretest ea the tendency of the Bill.
Mr. PEEL.—" Of this Bill, like many others, it
is exasedingly dificalt to form a cored judgment
till the blacks are filled up. The propriety of it
will chiefly depend on the minimum of age, the
quantum of hours, and other regulations accurately
expressed. I am surprised to bear any Gentleman'
complain of precipitancy, after the promise of the
Mover to let it lie over till after Easter,. and I trust
all further discussion will be postponed till then ; in
the interim, the country may form an opinion on the
nature and object of it. The Noble Lord who pro-
voked the discussion this night is friendly to one
provision of it ; but . I am aware that some Gentle.':
men reject it in all its ports. With respect, to the
' objection that it interfered with free laboarers, it did
not apply. The labour of children could not he
'called free, panic-shirty • when, one considered the
nature of Cotton Factories. In these ell the young
labourers most work during the same time--young
sad old are obliged to go on together. Where the
gestural employment is thirteen boon, if a child were
to !Impose working for nine he would be reforedl
Ift is sot for well-regulated- mills, of which Gentle-
' membeve spokes someehObet, we want to lesislairt.
rT ing Noble Lord 'wiped' strongly that the Bill is
receded not on the Report, but partial evidence kept
in our pockets: If to, these would be just ground fee
his objections. But iliere is no reason for conceal..
sent of the evidence; I hold It in my hands, I am
ready to give a copy of it to any Gentleman that rharl
sires it ;. it contains more recent enquiries, since the
Committee sot; of persons well competent to form a
judgmeiit on these subjects. The first statement is
from Mr. Symonds, a surgeon ;be affirms positively,
that his former opinion was not gri.onsied on in-
dividual cases; that he is still lrmly convinced
the hours of labour are too long for children, and
that he shudders to think of the consequences likely
to follow from a continuance of the system. The
two next are from two persons, inspectors of Sunday
Schools. Ido not think it fair to omit to the feel-
ings of the House, or to refer to individual cases,
but I shall declare the sum of their opinion: they do
not hesitate to say, that the lengthened employment
and the great time of labourlire materially injurious
to the children in general. There are other state-
ments to the same effect from Clergymen of the
Church of E land and Surgeons. I cannot bet ad-
vert to the le ith which the Petitions, supposed
to furnish a g for the measure, have been treated.
I cannot bring If to think thil: 'any Gentleman
imagines undue meal have been used by friends of it
to obtain them. in one reipect these Petitions %ter,
entitlkl to material consideretion. They'catue frons
the parents of the children employed, and inlayed
for legislative interferience to rescue .thfir 49dt%
from the miseries ofmacessive labour, they beitg Awn
bound IS continsit at work for a period equal twilit!
required of thentselles.* -: ‘
Mr.PHILLIPS said, the Right lien. tentlemes,
Mrpoled auk% :retiree* on ohs opinion of Simone •
he world pay a greater regard to ,bat of Plutskiad.
Mr. PEEL explained. I-
Mr. FINLAY- said? "thatibts sill would Intpertl.:
ticularly injurious to Scotland, wherethere *lsms,
legal provision for the poor. He'otever sew the (mi.-
donee on which the Bill was Growled; It must be iej
great part .correct. An Act of Parliament would
not remedy tbeebeses of ill•resulated factories, and.
Could be injurious to the well.regelated. Formerly
the greatest abuses were found to Wit in a factiwy
under the regulations of an Act of Parliement. Cote
.ton was an extremely important article of out trade,
considered not only in the employment it afforded 10-
the poor itself, but also in the encouragement it lent
to, other trades; for instance, the iron. Government
ought to look with great attention to every alter..
tion suggested in the mode of conducting it. This
country had no natural advantages for carrying 1t oe
above others. He was appreheasive the limitation
of the time of labour would convey this trade to
foreign cations. In this respect there was so nicrt i
balance between them and us, that the smallest ale.
teration might turn the scale in their favour. 110,
was no advocate for the employment if children ats
tender years in factories; but he recollected very'
well, when on a Committee on the State of the Jails,
beanie children ender sentence of death so yowl; as.
11 or 12 years of ego ; he was sure if thenkinktith
had been employed in factories, they would not hue
locarred this penalty, and would have been in a dd.
forint condition of life. Ile was folly persuaded
that the children employed in esanufsetories would-
no generally found in a better condition than dome
of the use age in other employments.. This Dille
was grounded on the state of. Cotton Factorieser,
Ware not linen manufactories in the habit of elewg.
ploying children ?—were not woollen?—why w!is
not the state of employment in these branches atiftt
illeded to ? The Ilan. Member coicloiled by read.
ins an extract from the speech of au Hon. Gentler
man, when the Report of the Committee of 180 ff
Was coder consideroiuri. In this speech the prat?
tics of employing children Is she factories at night was
pointedly alluded to.
Mr. CURWEN would oot object to this sobject
being fully disclosed in a Committee. . , !
Sir F. uußzurr was glad that some- step bad'
been takes for the full consideration of the state of
children employed in manufactories. Thu nature of
this employment to children of tender year" wits pre-
judicial 'in more views than one—it was destrec-
tire to their health and happiness. The children
who worked at night were, it appeared, on the
whole less unhealthy than those employed by day,
and for this reason, that they bad play-time allowed
them, which the others had not. It was satisfactory
that a measure was in progress to consider the subject

well.
'['be Bill was then read a second time, committed,
the Report received, and ordered to be taken into
farther consideration this day sit weeks.
Mr., BENNETT protested a Petition from. the
Tanners of Shrewsbery, for the repeal of the Leather
Tat.
Mr. BENNETT *sensed a Petition from a par-
ses of lb. ewe el George Oradbery, who had been