trary, "the average death-rate is exceedingly high in the silk districts, and amongst the female part of the population is higher even than it is in the cotton districts of Lancashire."[1] Despite the protests of the Factory Inspector, renewed every 6 months, the mischief continues to this hour.[2]
The Act of 1850 changed the 15 hours' time from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., into the 12 hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for "young persons and women" only. It did not, therefore, affect children who could always be employed for half an hour before and 2½ hours after this period, provided the whole of their labour did not exceed 6½ hours. "Whilst the bill was under discussion, the Factory Inspectors laid before Parliament statistics of the infamous abuses due to this anomaly. To no purpose. In the background lurked the intention of screwing up, during prosperous years, the working day of adult males
- ↑ l. c., p. 27. On the whole the working population, subject to the Factory Act, has greatly improved physically. All medical testimony agrees on this point, and personal observation at different times has convinced me of it. Nevertheless, and exclusive of the terrible death-rate of children in the first years of their life, the official reports of Dr. Greenhow show the unfavourable health condition of the manufacturing districts as compared with "agricultural districts of normal health." As evidence, take the following table from his 1861 report:—
Percentage of Adult Males engaged in manufactures. Death-rate from Pulmonary Affections per 100,000 Males. Name of District. Death-rate from Pulmonary Affections per 100,000 Females. Percentage of Adult Females engaged in manufactures. Kind of Female Occupation. 14.9 598 Wigan 644 18.0 Cotton 42.6 708 Blackburn 734 34.9 Do. 37.3 547 Halifax 564 20.4 Worsted 41.9 611 Bradford 603 30.0 Do. 31.0 691 Macclesfield 804 26.0 Silk 14.9 588 Leek 705 17.2 Do. 36.6 721 Stoke-upon-Trent 665 19.3 Earthenware 30.4 726 Woolstanton 727 13.9 Do. 305 Eight healthy agrictultural districts 340 - ↑ It is well-known with what reluctance the English "free traders" gave up the protective duty on the silk manufacture. Instead of the protection against French importation, the absence of protection to English factory children now serves their turn.
