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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CONDITIONS OF CHILDREN'S WORK 781 the over-fatigue of children were prevalent in the well- A aan managed, as well as in the badly-managed mills. For after all there were mills and mills; and though there was room for improvement in all of them, the crying avils were much more pronounced in some cases than in others. In every respect the small mills were decidedly the al 4 worst’, they were carried on by men who had but comparatively ad a little capital, and who had to compete against the better Top machinery and better power of their neighbours? These ‘om smaller mills were in much greater need of supervision than the others. The cases where children were severely punished by the workmen they assisted were not so common as was popularly supposed, but it was clearly established that this practice was carried on by some of the slubbers?®, though on the whole the evil was abating in 18334 It does not seem that the connivance of the masters in such cruelties was proved, and in some cases they endeavoured to prevent them®, In fact this abuse appears to have been chiefly due to a few of the more dissipated workmen. In regard to matters of morality, too, the smaller mills had a bad reputation. They were carried on by men of a specially coarse type, who were particularly inclined to tyrannise over a class but slightly beneath them, yet completely in their power®; there had been some improvement, but in all respects the small factories were unfavourably distinguished’. In fact, it is obvious that the worst evils occurred, not where the capi- talist was so powerful that he could do as he liked, but in cases where the capitalist was struggling for his very existence, and was forced to carry on the trade in any way he sould. Similarly. the small factories were the worst places in regard to length of hours, as it was most difficult to enforce any limitations®. The old-fashioned mills were dependent on ' Reports, 1833, xx. 25, 63. 3 Ib. xx. 20, 24, 1840; xx1IT. 248, * Ib. 1883, xx. 23, 28, 49. 4 Ib. 26. 8 Ib. 28. 6 1b. 20. i F. Engels, Condition of the Working Classes, p. 148. Reports, 1833. xx. 24. 136, 145. 8 An illustration of this difficulty occurs in the case of the girls who worked as Iressers in the manufacture of Brussels carpets at Kidderminster; the conditions of employment are thus described: ¢ The working honrs are extremely irregular.

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