§ LORD JOHN MANNERSasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Which are the Government Manufacturing Establishments and Workshops that are exempt from the operation of the Factory and Workshop Regulation Acts, and which those wherein the Government claims to exercise a dispensing power; and, if he will state the section or sections of the Act or Acts under which the exemption or dispensing power is conferred?
MR. BRUCE, said, in reply, all manufacturing establishments and workshops connected with the Government were exempt from the operation of these and any Acts unless specifically mentioned in them, and it was clear that there was not the same reason for subjecting them to the Factory Acts that there was in the case of private establishments, which had a practical interest in urging to the utmost the labour of women and children for the purpose of gain, on account of the competition to which they were exposed. No such motive existed in the case of Government establishments; at the same time he must repeat the assurance he gave the other day that, as a general rule, they were conducted in uniformity with the Acts. It was only in cases of extraordinary emergency 770 they were not observed; but it must be remembered that children under 13 were not employed in Government establishments, and any unusual pressure on those employed was made as slight as was compatible with the exigencies of the moment.
§ LORD JOHN MANNERSasked what were the exempting sections?
MR. BRUCEsaid, there were none; but the Crown was not included in any Act unless specifically named, and it could not come under definitions applicable to places carried on for the purposes of gain.
§ LORD JOHN MANNERSgave notice of his intention to propose the insertion of a clause on this subject in the Bill before Parliament.
§ MR. MUNDELLAasked, whether the definitions extended to the Postal and Telegraph Departments, in which women and children were employed?
MR. BRUCEsaid, it would be necessary, before answering that question, to communicate with the Postmaster General.
§ MR. CAWLEYasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he can give any information as to the number of Workshops which will come under the operation of the "Factories and Workshops Regulation Acts Amendment Bill" now before the House, if it become Law, and how many additional Assistant or Sub-assistant Inspectors it will be necessary to appoint in order efficiently to carry out the Act; and what he estimates will be the cost of the inspection?
MR. BRUCEsaid, in reply, that he had for some time directed the attention of the inspectors of factories to this subject, and they estimated that the number of workshops which must be included under this Act was about 100,000, but the greater number of them, employed only about one-fifth of the women and children who were employed in factories properly so-called. The question of the number of inspectors to be employed, irrespective of the transfer of the Workshops Regulations Act to the factory inspectors, had been for some time under consideration. He thought that it would be admitted that no two public officers could have performed their important duties with greater zeal and discretion than Mr. Redgrave and Mr. Baker; and both of these officers were of opinion 771 that under the then state of the law a very considerable reduction indeed in the number of factory inspectors and sub-inspectors might be safely made. In 1833, vast numbers of children were employed in these factories, and the great object was to guard against the employment of children illegally; and a very large proportion of the time of the inspectors was taken up in examining registers and certificates of age. At present the public feeling as to these statutes had entirely changed; both masters and men thoroughly supported the Acts, and therefore such supervision as was formerly necessary was now no longer required. The opinion, therefore, was that less strict regulations might be made, and that there might be a large reduction in the number of sub-inspectors. The opinion of Mr. Redgrave and Mr. Baker was that under the new Act, by adding three sub-inspectors to each of their districts, an efficient inspection of workshops and factories might be made, and that these appointments might be created without any additional cost to the country. This would come about in this way. The greater number of accidents returned under the statute were of a trivial character, and the result of a plan for limiting these Returns would be that there would be a saving of £2,500 at least, and this sum would be sufficient to provide the additional sub-inspectors required under the new Act. It was not intended to alter the general character of the duties of sub-inspectors; but it was under consideration that they should begin their employment at an earlier age, and at a lower rate of payment than that at present received.