The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1876-01-15


charter r. cf monopoly granted t. the guilds,
80 that on the whole there WAS pretty
intolerablv amount of combination brought
To bear on labor. Apprenticeship WAS one
uf the children Of monopoly Seven years
Of unpaid labor, under a qualified master,
was formerly the sole condition under
which a man Ia a corporate town could get
permission t. trade therein and III order
-tIil further u restrict the trrednln 81
labor, by LAWS we're passed hN the CORPORA
tious restricting the number IF apprentices
each master might take.
The attention u both these regulations ~ss
manifestlN To restrain the competition 10
smaller number than might cther~Is, feel
disposed to enter into the trade cutters. IA
sheffield. wcry forbidden ~ have more than
one apprentice a tune wvAVers, in N"r-
folk. L. have uu more than two apprentices
under a peuAlty Of i've pounds ,S35l month
NJ he paid n tht king. aud hAttrrS. whether
IA ENGLAND ~ III The Colonies, rcTe. by rule
uf the trade. forbidden TO have more than
two apprentices under the like penalty. half
N which va, q M paid 90 the kirC and half
N TIE iainrmer The corporation ~ silk
wc.vers IA london had also Us Law restrict
ing the number Of apprentices For every
trade there was -utld. ur corporation, Siii
III thg Kim hviu. Oh, usual consideration Tor
.he grant NJ IA. charter The urE mutations
remain T. this de> tot certain purposes, beng
represented bv the various comlanic, ~ city
guilds. hi winch cue hrA5s trum tune :" time,
iof AZ the controllers II trade, INT = the az.
rliti4trators ~ ald trusts committed "a them
and A. tine dispensc of clvic hospitality
Their power over trade has happily gene.
Tie, can no longer say 70 the sAllliul work
man from whatever place he comes, you
shall not ret Your living here OF say :" the
sAIlliul OF, It may Ice, indifferent workman,
brought MP under their supervision. because
Nou Mere born here and bound an apprentice
fl th, city. ynu shall ~ at liberty 20 buy and
>vll q get gain here only see that you do
not employ any unapprenticed person, and
that Won do not exceed the number Of Ap-
prentc-s allowed you These ~ laws ~
Corp lrauuls wcIe 80 oppressive. not only IN
the direction Of restraining competition, but
e. the personal hberty of apprentices, that
often these turbulent spirits rose "a force and
threatened the authorities, TIL the rvins o.
discipline We lposened English history,
particularly London history, Is full ~ the
accounts Of contests between masters and
their unpaid servants. The rules - corpora
tous which established the apprenticeship
system received parliamentary sanction IA
the nth wear Il Elizabeth. The statute Oi
amenities passed IN that year, enacted that
10 person should in future exercise any trade.
craft or mystery at that time exercised ia
England. unless he had served to 1t an Ap-
prenticeship Of seven year, at least me
statute was interpreted strictly, AMI eonnhed
to those trades which were established IA
England before the fifth year Of Elizabeth.
and as a natural consequence number oi IN
congruities flowed out VI II. Thus. coach.
maker could, neither By himself nor by hired
journeymen. make his own coach wheels, but
he must buy them Of master ~heelright
the latter trade having been exercised ia Eng
land before the fifth year oi Elizabeth But
4 weeeluright, though he had neses served
apprenticeship to cUacEuIAkeT. might,
either BY himself OF hired Iourney uier. build
cnaches-the trade Di aohD0IldsT not be-
lgp within the statute. because not eAercl~ed
in England when It Was passed The prInci-
pies which regulate the periods u APpreh
tIcrship IN trades were applied 10 scIsnc- and
the liberal arts Seven Years u Instruction
anL bringing up AZ tile iret " the respective
tsamahels az the universities were required
bef lre the degree VI Mater 81 DN'ctSs eouid
be.c.nferred The same service required
At the Inns III Court aud tnr Inns - jhAnyvry
IL would De curious, - we'll A. 70 'iitAi'ir. dld
tune allow 81 it, to set down herr some 81 the
many curOslties oi the trade, and the fvea-
lations which governed II, that Ars ~ -
found "a the records u the public COMPANIES
u England but few -StrAcis must saTiee
Ii at,t1.ar,. from the .'Siber Aipu-, the Noi
um- containing a collection 81 rules NlE-r-
tanning Ia ar rient tra.tr Ia London. tnAt IA
the time II Edward the fIrst Carpenter.
tiler.. tnasons. plAsterers and dAubers -
J. La H. ftfi-
lowing s.ale. Between NJ .ciiAelnIs, anu Ma
tium.4s lIth Now theA hsi rourprnee -
a day. u else three hAlir-uc ~ ana
their table, at the option Of the employs
between Nartinmas and the PuuitcatiJG I'd
Feb. threepence, "r one penny ~ And
their Keen. between the fuuncatI"iI and
Eaater fuurpence, or three ha!fprDer ami their
kee.: and between Easter and MIcha-ln'as
ivepence. or twopenes and then Keep. sat
urlays and vigl- were PAID tor a. whole tays'
though the mel worked TIL four o clock only,
and on sundays and feast days they were 70
take nothing CnierWorkm-n IN these
crafts had tWu,.-nee = dag between Michael
MAS aud Easter. IA discharge n al demands.
A bv.law 81 London declared that II any per
sou pard a workman NOR. thau these prices
he should pay a fin~ Of forty shillIngs !" the
city. and the workman ifrr receiving NOR
should be liable to forty days Imprisonment.
When the pestllence knn- u rs the Black
Death. IN 134S 81, hat made labor scarce,
and should therefore have RAISED the plice o.
il, law was passed N the city tLondoD)
that every wor kman and lsborer shall do
his work as he used, /. {, on the same terms
as =. before the pestileuee;' and that . labor
ers and Workmen who will not work shall be
arrested and imprisoned Proclamations Of
Edward the Third directed that . saddlers
sklnners and tanners shall be chastised tor
charging excessively. and that fishmongers,
poulterers and other Iourneynen shall take
no more than they used I" take.
Twas then directed that ''Tailors shall
henceforth take for = rote gsrnished with
silk. eiphteenpence, for mans robe, gar
nished with thread and Duckskin fourteen
pence; also for a coat and hood, tenpence;
also Tor lady's long dress, garnished with
silk and cendale IA sort of thin silk, thirty
pence also for a pan Of sleeves Tor changing,
tourpence II Is strange u find 90 recently
as the reign Of George the Third. restrict
i've statute on the wages OF tailors. A re-
striction, perhaps, imposed III anticipation of
the demands which 1.-THE man Of many waist
cuats. " the friend Of Brummell and Nash,
would make upon their exertIons. In that
year. however, All act was passed, prohibit
ing, under heavy penalties, all master tailors
ia London aud i've miles round it, from CIV
ing, aud their workmen from accepting, more
than two shlllings and sevenpence halfpenny
a day t63c) except IN the case OF general
mourning. The hours liked by this statute
As the complement Of working day were
from a. m. till p. IN, one hour belng al
lowed for dinner. Contraveners If tbSlaW /;
whether master 90 servant, were to Ne liable
b. imprisonment, without the option Of a
hne. This Law was passed as an improve
ment on one passed in a more barbarous era;
viz, in the seventh year Of George the First,
At which time it war enacted that journey
men tailors in London and Westminster
and within the bills Of mortality, were to
work fr,.m q. m till 5 p. m, having one
hour for dinner, and being allowed by their
master three halfpence for breakfast. Their
paw was fixed At two shillings day between
the 18th OF March and the Path OF June, and
..l,kx. tOF h..