82 Primary Source: The Life of the Industrial Worker in Ninteenth-Century Englan
82 Primary Source: The Life of the Industrial Worker in Ninteenth-Century England — Evidence Given Before the Sadler Committee (1831-1832)
“In 1832 Michael Sadler secured a Parliamentary investigation of conditions in the textile factories and he sat as chairman on the committee. The evidence printed here is taken from the large body published in the committee’s report and is representative rather than exceptional. It will be observed that the questions are frequently leading; this reflects Sadler’s knowledge of the sort of information that the committee were to hear and his purpose of bringing it out. This report stands out as one of three great reports on the life of the industrial class — the two others being that of the Ashley Commission on the mines and report on sanitary problems. The immediate effect of the investigation and the report was the passage of the Act of 1833 limiting hours of employment for women and children in textile work.” — Scott and Baltzly
Contents
- Evidence Given Before the Sadler Committee
- Mr. Cobbett’s Discovery
- The Physical Deterioration of the Textile Workers
- A Cotton Manufacturer on Hours of Labor
- Opposition to the Chimney Sweepers’ Regulation Bill
- The Benefit of the Factory Legislation
- Testimony Gathered by Ashley’s Mines Commission
- Chadwick’s Report on Sanitary Conditions
Joshua Drake, called in; and Examined.
You say you would prefer moderate labour and lower wages; are you pretty comfortable upon your present wages? –I have no wages, but two days a week at present; but when I am working at some jobs we can make a little, and at others we do very poorly.When a child gets 3s. a week, does that go much towards its subsistence? –No, it will not keep it as it should do.
When they got 6s. or 7s. when they were pieceners, if they reduced the hours of labor, would they not get less? — They would get a halfpenny a day less, but I would rather have less wages and less work.
Do you receive any parish assistance? — No.
Why do you allow your children to go to work at those places where they are ill-treated or over-worked? — Necessity compels a man that has children to let them work.
Then you would not allow your children to go to those factories under the present system, if it was not from necessity? — No.
Supposing there was a law passed to limit the hours of labour to eight hours a day, or something of that sort, of course you are aware that a manufacturer could not afford to pay them the same wages? — No, I do not suppose that they would, but at the same time I would rather have it, and I believe that it would bring me into employ; and if I lost 5d. a day from my children’s work, and I got half-a-crown myself, it would be better.
How would it get you into employ? — By finding more employment at the machines, and work being more regularly spread abroad, and divided amongst the people at large. One man is now regularly turned off into the street, whilst another man is running day and night.
You mean to say,