Year: 1872

pllfy our position. We Will suppose there |
are two thousand miners in the county OF
Fife, working eight hours per day, produc-
inr two tons Of coal each man this would
amount to four thousand tons each day and
the average working days in the fortnight
to be ten thus producing each fortnight,
on an average, forty thousand tons of coal.
Now, we will take the liberty Of saying,
that this quantity is sufficient to supply the
demand, and for which the miner receives
1--we shillings each day for his eight hours
work But to show sufficiently the result
of an over-production of labor, or the ben
etits to be derived from short time, suppose
the miners of Fife commence to work ten
hours day instead Of eight, producing
one-fourth Of coal more than was neces-
sary to supply the demand, the result of this
would be 900 tons each day more than the
demand required tons each fortnight;
and at the years end the miners, Ivy their
own handiwork, give to their employers
stock Of coal amounting to l30, 900 tons-a
magnificent engine Of power to be used
against us whenever our employers thought
fit to put on the steam, and past expert
ence has taught the miners that our en-
plovers have never been slow to take adj
vantage Of our position. Whenever 1t was
in their power to do 50, reduction after re-
duction took place, until we were reduced
to the verge Of starvation, powerless to cry
aloud to any one for assistance, and, by our
own foolishness, totally unable to do any
thing for ourselves.


But, fellow workmen, | hope the day
lias dawned when every miner within the
confines Of Great Britain will assert his in
dependence, declare for the short time
movement, and that the benefits resulting
from such a system may shortly be enjoyed
by us all Such, fellow workmen, is my
opinion regarding the law Of supply and
demand ; and, not until We as a class in the
great industrial body of the community
see it to be our duty to regulate that law
will We ever be able to command fair
day. wages for fair day 5 work, enabling
us at the same time, to take our places
alongside the other branches Of industry.


We will next proceed to show the benefit
To be derived by the miner through the
short time movement, looking at his posi-
ton from a constitutional point Of view. 1t
has long since been proved, and that beyond
a doubt, that the air the miner has to
breathe while at work is full Of impurities ;
and. through the effects Of those impuri-
ties. many thousands have been consigned
at All early stage Of their existence to pre-
mature grave Now, IL must be admitted
that the longer any party remains where
impurities exist that is, bad air, as we term
IT'D. tho more nf chat impure air will be in
hailed into his system. II does not matter
how small quantity If anything YOU take
II it i, damaging to the constitution 1t will
lust take the longer time to effect its pur-
pose The longer the miner remains where
impure air exists the sooner he Will become
an imbecIle a paupcr upon the cunmu-
nitv. drawing upon his banker at the rate
of Is 6j per week-a retired dignitary. hv-
ING on the fruits of his industry All my
fellow men, begin and take cugnizance
If your position. Resolve from hence
forth Ia work but eight hours a day instead
of twelve and fourteen. as has been the
custom. By reducing the number of work
hours t. eight We will breathe more ot the
fresh air uf htaytn-that which helps to
invignrate and gives health and beauty t.
the whole creation. But shortening the
number II working hours i'll the mine will
confer another great benefit on the miners
al general The great benefit that ! refer
e. Is social enjoyment. Man. from the first.
has been constituted social being. The
v'Ice If his Maker proclaimed him 80. when.
III the Garden If Eden. the language Was
1T i n"t good for man t. BE- alone
therefore his Maker provided for him an
helpmate in the person uf woman. Not
only Is social intercourse To be enjoyed and
lICIlcatcd between a man and his own fam
by, mt II Is positive command gwen by
tIc Author VI the Universe, running
tl,,.,,,,y,, ~. yrL.l. Y yl,,,.,a 80 IpSvirati.p
That social Intercourse is to be practised
and lnculcated between man and man, the
Great Author of Christianity. when send
iug forth the seventy, sends them by twos
showing the beauty Of social intercourse
crmbined with the principle Of union. in
carTying ont the great object He had in
view. Now, t. rob man Of social inter
course, either with his family CT with his
follow man, IS to rob him Of something that
Is 4 constituent part Of his nature rob him
II something that lis Maker has endowed
him with, and which il beneficial to himself
and t. the interests and we'll being Of So
ci-ty Now, | know Of no more ctfectual
way Of robbing the miner Of that blessing
than shutting him up in cold, damp, un-
healthy mine for the long period Of twelve
and fourteen hours out of the four-and-
twenty. His physical man is completely
exhausted, his nentalfaculties are impaired.
ms whole system is paralyzed to its very
centre, and he is unable to enjoy social in
tercourse either with his own family or with
his fellow men


No, fellow-workmen, 50 long as VIC con
tlnue to work the long and degrading num-
Der Of hours in the mine that we have been
been accustomed to do i'll the past, and are
still practising in the present, we cannot
hope for any better results flowing to us
from the carrying out of the old principle
but let us adopt for such system the short
time substitute for twelve and
fourteen hours per day the shorter number
Of eight and if from a short times practi-
cal experience we do not find all that We
are pleading for to be the result Of the
adoption Of that system, it will be an easy
matter to fall back again to the old system
that We had abandoned but am quite
satisfied that, once a trial is made. it will
be impossible AGAIN to revive a system the
evil results Of which have been SO apparent
among the tOiling millions Of Britain's
sons. There Is only one other benefit that
We will notice IN this essay-a benefit we
are inclined To- think would result from the
short-time movement-that is, higher
standing Of morality. Not that we would
admit for one moment that our class. as a
body, are void Of this principle. No; for
there are plenty of men amongst us who
stand very high in that respect. But as
there are exceptions tc every general rule,
50 in this case, and miners in general have
been set down as very immoral class of