352 LAISSEZ FAIRE 
A-D17%6 and of any required length!” With all its advantages, how- 
ever, it did not immediately become remunerative to the 
inventor, but its success was sufficient to arouse the antagonism 
of the hand wool-combers; especially as a machine on a some- 
what different principle was invented in 1793% by William 
Toplis® of Mansfield. As nearly fifty thousand men were 
employed in this trade in different places, the excitement 
became considerable in many parts of the kingdom, and 
when a Bill was brought into the House of Commons for 
suppressing the machine, upwards of forty petitions were 
presented in its favour. But the eighteenth century legis- 
lators favoured a policy of non-interference. The Bill was 
thrown out, and the only relief which was given to the wool- 
combers was that of relaxing 5 Elizabeth c. 4 in their favour, 
and allowing them to apply themselves to any trade in any 
part of the kingdom® without new apprenticeship. One 
reason, which undoubtedly weighed with the Commons, was 
the allegation that the wool-combers were wastrels, who 
would not work more than half their time. Greater security 
against frauds by the workmen®, and an increased prospect of 
1 Burnley, Wool and Wool-combing, 115, quoting Cartwright, 129. 
3 There were similar inventions by Popple, 1792 (Bischoff, 1. 316), and by 
Wright and Hawksley. Burnley, op. cit. 136. 
3 He had a power mill for spinning wool at work in 1788, and advertised for 
woolcombers at 3s. and 3s. 6d. a day to prepare material. Annalsof 4 gricture, x.281. 
4 A considerable amount of organisation existed among the wool-combers 
before these events gave it fresh importance. They had Clubs—the nature of 
which was thus explained. It is a Contribution levied upon every ‘Woolcomber 
(who is willing to be Member of any Club) according to the Exigencies of their 
affairs. “The one End of it is to enable the Woolcomber to travel from Place to 
Place to seek for employment, when Work is scarce where he resides; and the 
other End is to have Relief when he is sick, wherever he may be; and if he 
should die to be buried by the Club; and it is necessary for him, to enable himself 
to be relieved by these Clubs, to have a Certificate from the Club to which he 
belongs, that he has behaved well, in and to the Woolcombing Trade, and that he 
is an honest Man: but if he defrauds any body, be loses his claim to that 
Certificate, and to the Advantages belonging to it.” Commons Journals, XLIX. 824. 
§ Bischoff, 1. 316. As a matter of fact the machine only managed to compete 
in certain classes of work; the real contest between hand and machine combing 
vas delayed till some time after the great strike in 1825. 
6 Mr Edward Sheppard said that “in some Instances but not generally the 
Clothier gladiy gives up the Trouble of Superintendence and the Expences of 
srecting Buildings when he can get the Work done well otherwise; the principal 
Motive of those Clothiers who have weaving at Home is to guard themselves from 
these Fmbezzlements. but he believes they have offered a Reward to those whe 
roused 
great 
antagonism 
among the 
wool- 
combers.