THE SHEARMEN AND THE FRAMEWORK KNITTERS 665 
as “cut-up work,” was beginning to come into the market A.D. 1776 
ly . —1850. 
at this time®; and seven years later the disastrous effect 
on the regular manufacturers of flooding the market with 
inferior qualities was fully apparent in the neighbouring 
districts of Leicestershire?, which seems to have enjoyed 
considerable prosperity even at the time of the Luddite 
riots Parliament had no success either in putting down which 
the low-class work, or regulating the abuse of frame-rents, pelle the 
or dealing with the owners of independent frames®. Bad 
as the state of affairs had been in 1811, at the time when 
Byron made his celebrated speech in the House of Lords®, 
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former Report, that the Workmen suffer considerable inconveniences and are 
liable to deductions in various ways, in the payment for their work ; but they have 
found it very difficult to suggest measures that can meet or obviate all those 
abuses, being of opinion that legislative enactments alone will not have thgt effect, 
and that trade of every kind should be left as much as possible to find its own 
level.” They propose the “removal from the Bill of certain Clauses relative to the 
Hosiery business and also to recommend the enactment of certain Regulations for 
the Lace Trade which they confidently hope will tend to remove much dissatis. 
faction between Masters and Workmen in that Trade, and to encourage the mors 
general use of that article by ensuring its more serviceable and perfect quality.” * * 
They consider it (the Bill) in some degree as a Bill of experiment and therefore 
recommend it to be passed only for a limited time.” Second Report of the 
Oommittee upon the Petitions of the Framework Knitters, 1812, m. 268. 
1 The cut-work was made in one large piece and afterwards cut out to 
the shape of the leg, the seams by which they are joined being often very ill done. 
This was much cheaper and depressed the regular woven trade. “The hosiers who 
lo not make the cut-up work are continually lowering the wages to nweet them in 
the market. ®* * * It has caused men’s ribbed hose, which were in 1814 and 1815 at 
12s. a dozen when they were wrought with a selvage...to be reduced so that they 
are now brought into the market at 5s. a dozen making.” Reports, 1819, v. 416. 
Cut-work ‘ has a tendency to increase the quantity of stockings in the market and 
by that means it always keeps the market overstocked with goods, thereby 
obliging the manufacturers to dismiss a large quantity of hands” (ib. 417). The 
men had to work extra hours and so there was an increased quantity. 
2 Report of the Committee upon the Petitions of the Framework Knitters, 
1812, m. 207. 
8 “The direct effect of the cut-up work is to throw an additional quantity of 
goods into an already overstocked market which effects a reduction of price in all 
the articles, not of the cui-up articles only, but also of the better fabric. In the 
home market it has had the effect of inducing a substitute to be adopted in many 
families who have been in the habit of wearing our worsted articles.” The 
foreigners have either purchased through the medium of their agents, or in many 
>ases have come personally into the market to sell out their own articles.” Reports, 
1819, v. 430, printed pagination 30. 
$ Report of the Select Committee on the Framework Knitters’ Petition (1819), 
vy. 407. 
8 Report of the Commission appointed to inguire into the Condition of the 
Frame- Work Knitters, in Reports, 1845, xv. 68, 8 Parl. Debates, XXI1. 966.