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manufacturing districts (a jealousy of which we ourselves largely partook), and from the previous favour testified to the Ten Hours Labour Bill of Lord Ashley, that, at least, the substituted government measure would be rigidly canvassed in all its stages, and would be generally known and appreciated after its enactment This, we say, was the very least of the results which might have been expected from the pre-vious collision; but we are sorry to add, that from ! the lateness of the period at which the new bill was i introduced, and the multiplicity of other business ■ before Parliament at the time, its provisions 1 were very inadequately explained or discussed in the legislature; and never, perhaps, was there effected so important a change in the commercialor manufacturing policy of a great nation neverwas there passed so powerful a measure for regulating the industry and promoting the education of the manufacturing population of anv state, with so striking an indifference on the part of the public, and so imperfect a knowledge of its details after it has been placed on the statute book. On this account, we may be excused, as in the case of the East India Bill, for giving' an outline of its chief provisions, and describing its probable results.1. In the first place, the Factory Act provides that for the protection of the health and interests of the rising generation, no persous under eighteen years of age shall be allowed to work in a mill or factory in the night at all, and the night' is defined to be the time that intervenes between | half-past eight o’clock in the evening and halfpast five in the morning. Lord Ashley’s bill extended the same protection to young persons till they reached their twenty-first year, and described the night to be the time intervening be-1 tween seven o’clock in the evening and six in the i morning. We need hardly repeat here what we have said on so many former occasions, that we prefer Lord Ashley’s limitation, and that we wish it had been adhered to in the Act.2. In the second place, the Act provides that no child under nine years of age shall be admitted to work in a factory at all at any time of the day, or under any conditions. This is almost a transcript of a similar clause in Lord Ashley’s bill. In looking at the report of the com- ! missioners, how different do we find the present \ practice! 44 It appears in evidence/’ say these j gentlemen, 44 that in some rare instances children begin to work in factories at Jive years of age ; it is not uncommon to find them there at six ; many are under seven, ‘still more under eight; but the greater number are nine.”3. In the third place, we find it provided that children between nine and thirteen years of age are only to be allowed to work eight hours a-day, or forty-eight hours a-week. This, we think, is an improvement on Lord Ashley’s bill, which made no distinction between children of nine years of age and young persons of eighteen, fixing the hours of working at ten for all. We shall afterwards see how much more nobly and profitably these two hours, thus rescued from the toils of the mill, are to be employed in the exercises of the school—in that mental culture for which the noble lord’s bill made no provision.
Newspaper Details
True Sun
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, Sep 21, 1833
Page 4
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USA 21 Aug 2023
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