The Industrial Revolution

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1027928145

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-159926

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Cunningham, William http://d-nb.info/gnd/128907487

Title:: The Industrial Revolution

Place of publication:: Cambridge

Publisher:: The University Press

Year of publication:: 1922

Scope:: xxii S., S. 404-886

Digitisation:: 2021

Collection:: Economics Books

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;38 LAISSEZ FAIRE A.D. 1776 —1850. with the result of throwing the cotton. weavers on the rates in Lanca- hare. nfluenced by the exponents of the principles of Political Economy, who overvalued the reliability of the laussez faire doctrines on which they laid such stress; and the wage clauses of the Statute of Artificers were repealed in 1813: The manufacturing population had always been liable to come on the rates in periods of bad trade? and the determination of the legislature had the effect of habituating the cotton- weavers to allowances in addition to wages? It is im- portant to observe, that in this agitation the weavers were maintaining a strictly conservative attitude; they asked to have the law of the land put in execution, and they could not but be deeply incensed at the line taken, both by the legislature and by the magistrates who were charged with the administration of the law. The Scotch The cotton weavers in Scotland fared even worse. They weavers, . . cg. . . phen Were anxious to obtain an authoritative list of prices, and at attempiing Yast, after long and very costly proceedings in the Court of fetes . . vo Ll. os Session, they did procure the authoritative recognition of certain rates as legal. So soon, however, as they endeavoured to enforce it, they found that the magistrates would not L 53 Geo. III. c. 40. ? See above, pp. 50, 562 n. 4, 571, 577, and 656 below. 5 Mr Henderson's report in 1833 is very instructive, and shows that the moral sffects were not so disastrous as in the agricultural districts. “The depression of wages, and the difficulty of finding employment, especially for the older weavers, whose habits were fixed, has led to a general practice in the weaving district of naking an allowance to able-bodied weavers, with more than two children under L0 years of age. There is no fixed scale for this allowance, but the practice is to make up the earnings of the family to 2s., or in some places, to 1s. 6d. a head. This course certainly is an approximation to the payment of wages out of the poor rate; but there are some material distinctions between the case of the weaver and the case of the agricultural labourer. The agricultural roundsman has no spur to exertion, nor interest to please the farmer, who is his master only for the day, consequently his habit of industry is relaxed and destroyed ; on the other hand, as she weaver always works by the piece, and the current rate of wages is well- snown, it is easy to calculate what he might earn if industrious, and the parish allowance is apportioned accordingly; so that, if he is indolent, he suffers for it ; if he is industrious, he reaps the benefit of his exertions; and the fact unquestion- ably is, that the weavers are stimulated beyond their powers under the allowance system.” Reports, 1834, xxvim. 913. The progress of the power-loom compelled ‘nereasing numbers to rely on the allowance system. It had been unknown in Oldham in 1824 (Reports, 1824, v1. 405), but in 1833, the members of the select vestry, who were very careful in administering relief, found that * after providing ‘or the aged, sick, widows with families and other usual dependents on parochial aid, the hand-loom weavers require the principal attention.” No permanent relief was afforded to any able-bodied men except weavers. Reports, 1834, xxvir. 921.

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