HC Deb 07 February 1860 vol 156 cc629-31
MR. CROOK

said, he rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to place the employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children in Bleaching and Dyeing Works under the regulations of the Factories Acts. He thought every hon. Member must admit that the Factories Actw as an unmixed benefit to every class connected with it, and the employment of women and children in bleaching and dyeing works was of very much the same character as in factories. He would not go into the question further than by stating that the evidence which had been collected by the Commission and also by Committees of that House, completely established the justice of the measure. The Committee had recommended that there should be a voluntary arrangement, but that recommendation had not been acted upon, and the evils were still in so unmitigated a form that he must ask leave to introduce the Bill.

SIR GEORGE LEWIS

observed, that if he were to take the same course upon this Bill as he had taken on the measure of the noble Lord opposite, he would not have consented to this Motion, because a Bill certainly similar in its object had been condemned by a Committee of that House. But this measure concerned a very large body of persons, and there were, he understood, some of the provisions in the proposed measure, new. For these reasons he would not oppose the introduction of the Bill, it being distinctly understood that he reserved to himself full power of dissenting to an extension of the Act to bleaching and dyeing works.

LORD JOHN MANNERS

said, it was not correct to say that the Select Committee referred to by the right hon. Gentleman, and of which he (Lord J. Manners) had been a Member, had condemned this or any other Bill having a similar object. What the Committee did was this: they recommended that time should be given to the masters to see whether they could not themselves do something to arrange the disputes between themselves and the employed. Two years had elapsed since that recommendation was given. He had not heard that the masters had during that period done anything in the matter; and under these circumstances he was glad to find that the Bill before the House would be allowed to come on for a second reading in order that the House might have an opportunity of learning how things stood.

MR. TURNER

said, he was of opinion that the hon. Gentleman the Member for Bolton had shown rather more pertinacity than sound judgment in now asking leave to introduce the Bill. Several attempts had been made at this sort of legislation, which had proved ineffectual, and had been negatived in that House by large majorities. The subject indeed bad been before them for the last ten or twelve years, and the only Bill that reached a second reading was negatived by 169 to 65. The Committee appointed in 1857 reported that it was not a fit subject for legislation; and the introduction of the last Bill on the question was negatived by 138 to 30. He would not object to the first reading, but would give every subsequent stage his most decided opposition. Masters, in their own interests and in the interests of their workpeople, had endeavoured to carry out every possible improvement in this trade.

Leave given. Bill to place the employment of Women, Young Persons, and Children in Bleaching and Dyeing Works under the regulations of the Factories Acts, ordered to be brought in by Mr. CROOK and Lord ASHLET.

Bill presented, and read 1°. To be read 2° on Tuesday, 6th March, and to be printed.