§ MR. C. DALRYMPLEasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, looking to the fact that in many parts of the country, such as the nailing districts, the Workshop Act is at present a dead letter, owing to the insufficiency of inspection, it is his intention to take any steps to give effect to the Act by adding to the number of Inspectors in such districts, or otherwise?
MR. BRUCE, in reply, said, he could not admit that the Workshop Regulation Act (1871) was a dead letter in many 1852 parts of the country, for since the Act was passed last Session there had been a great number of prosecutions instituted under it. In Mr. Baker's district alone no fewer than 70 such prosecutions had been instituted. Great difficulty was experienced owing to the fact that the Act applied to a much more ignorant class than the Factory Acts dealt with, and a knowledge of its provisions had to be brought home to that class. That was being done with the greatest possible speed, and an addition of eight sub-Inspectors had recently been made to the force whose duty it was to carry the Act into operation. He was informed that quite as much progress had been made in carrying out the Act as under the circumstances was possible. It was many years before the Factory Acts could be fully enforced, and therefore the hon. Member should not be surprised at some difficulty having been experienced in bringing the Act into working order, because the difficulty was far greater in dealing with men carrying on the petty trades to which the Workshop Act applied.