delighted to hear the hon. Member for Droitwich (Mr. Pakington) add his authority to the condemnation of the acrimonious language used in the debate, but in blaming parties on both sides of the House, the hon. Gentleman made a most remarkable exception; the only person he excepted being the hon. Member for Knaresborough, who, he should have thought, was not exactly the person meant to be complimented for his abstinence from acrimony. It appeared, however, that the hon. Member for Droitwich excepted him solely on the ground of his being peculiar; and if the word was used in the conversational sense, he thought, on the whole, that it was a very sound plea for that Gentleman. He would not attempt to introduce any novelty into the discussion, but he would call the attention of the House to the principal arguments which he thought of importance in considering the effect of the Corn-law. The chief objection urged against the existing Corn-law appeared to him to apply to the present bill-the effect it had in restricting foreign trade. As he could not see how the present bill, embodying as it did the principle of the sliding scale, could insure a regular trade with countries that produced corn, he thought that it would do nothing to remove one of the essential objections to the principle of the sliding scale. Another argument was one which had, if he recollected aright, been first mentioned in that House by a Gentleman, an enlightened advocate of free-trade, and whose absence from these discussions he deeply lamented-he alluded to Mr. Grote, late Member for London; and in expressing his regret for that absence, he thought he might rely on the sense which even political opponents must entertain of the great integrity, the great courtesy, the great industry, and the great knowledge always displayed by Mr. Grote. In 1839 that Gentleman, availing himself of the great alarm created by the monetary crisis which had very recently occurred, pointed out the effect of the Corn-law in connection with that crisis. He showed, that under the present law, the demand for corn would always be uncertain and sudden and that for want of a regular trade in corn with foreign nations, this country, when a necessity for having corn arrived, was obliged to pay for it in gold -that at the time alluded to the Bank of had thus been suddenly drained of gold to the amount of between 2,000,000l. and 3,000,000l. in order to pay for corn, and only been saved from bankruptcy by having recourse to the bank of France. This, in his opinion, was a great objection to the sliding scale. The derangement of the monetary system affected all classes-all who either gave or received credit; and no class suffered more than the farmers, because they were a very borrowing class; and a contraction of the currency of the Bank of England was followed by a contraction in the circulation of the country banks, whose customers the farmers usually were. He wished to know how the present bill could remedy this evil. He wished now to direct the attention of the House more particularly to an evil arising from the present system, the magnitude of which had been impressed on his mind by a document which had been recently laid before the Househe alluded to the effect of the Corn-law as a tax on the employment of human labour. The document he referred to was the report of the inspectors of factories, more especially the report of Mr. Horner, inspector in Lancashire. He believed that document had not been referred to in the course of the debate, except once by the right hon. Baronet, the Member for Dorchester, who had quoted from it before it was published. He thought the publication would show that the right hon. Baronet was by no means correct in his deductions from it. Great credit was due to Mr. Horner for the trouble he had taken in inquiring into the condition of the people employed in the factories of this country, and he must say, that the conclusions to be drawn from that document were perfectly appalling when considered in reference to the condition of the people of England. Mr. Horner had carried his inquiries through the different factories in his district; he had calculated the amount of power existing in each; he had calculated the number of persons which the manufactories would employ if they were in full work; he had given the results in a table; in which he had also specified the amount of power actually in operation, and the number of human beings actually employed at the period of his report. Bad as he had thought the condition of the people employed in the factories, he never believed that the amount of destitution was so great as that which actually it was. Mr. Horner stated that his remarks did not apply to | in his report, pointed out the nature of the cotton trade merely, but more or less the causes which prevented persons findto the silk trade, and to the woollen and ing employment, and given a fair ground flax trade even more than to the cotton for inferring that these fearful results were trade. It appeared, then, that if the mills connected with the operation of the sliding generally had been at work, and all their scale; and he dwelt on this part of the subavailable power in operation, about 29,800 ject, not in order to harrow the feelings of persons would be actually employed more the House by picturing the distress, but in than the number now employed. The the hope that by doing so he might be number of persons employed on short able to make them comprehend the effect time, and consequently receiving dimi- of the Corn-law on the condition of the peonished wages, was no less than 32,000; so ple, and induce them to apply a remedy. that there were 61,000 persons partially Mr. Horner stated the mode in which the employed, or not employed at all; and even distress in the manufacturing districts was deducting 14,516 for the 3,350 new horse bringing about the substitution of machipower added since 1839, there would nery for human labour-how it was that still remain 15,300 unemployed, and the more the manufacturer became dis32,000 partially employed, out of those tressed, the greater was the difficulty he who appeared once to have been em- experienced in competing with the foreign ployed-making together nearly 50,000 manufacturer; and the greater the ingepeople out of 223,000, or about two- nuity he exercised in the invention of maninths of the population in distress for chinery that he might as much as possible want of employment. He was aware dispense with human labour. The disthat it might be said that additional power tress was not merely temporary when they had been created without ever having thus threw human beings out of employgiven employment; but it struck him, ment, unless some new and great stimulus from the general character of the report, was given to trade. Every improvement that the whole number of people had in machinery, in the long run, with freebeen employed. The right hon. Ba- trade and with full opportunity for human ronet, the Member for Dorchester, stated labour to develope itself, must increase the other night, that since 1839, no the amount of human labour employed; fewer than ninety-one new cotton mills but the application of improved machinery had been established, and he was sure the which was occasioned not by prosperity, right hon. Baronet, in alluding to a docu- but by the efforts of distress, merely ment not before the public, did not intend substituted machinery for a certain amount to deal unfairly with the House when he of human labour, without leading to any stated the addition which had been made further demand for the latter. Under the to the productive power of the country; present system, there might be human but in using that as an argument against labour thrown out of the market and for any distress in the manufacturing dis- ever kept out of it by the introduction. tricts, he ought to have stated that of machinery. In every manufacture, during that time the addition was in said Mr. Horner, ingenuity had been this way far more than counterbalanced stimulated to manufacture the articles at by the enormous quantity of power thrown less cost, by making machinery more out of employment. The right hon. Ba- productive and by substituting mechanical ronet mentioned that ninety-one new ad- for manual labour; and, when manual ditional mills had been established, having labour was still necessary, by substituting a power of 3,350 horses; but it appeared children for adults. In every department that at the very same time mills having a of a cotton mill the object had been carpower of 6,778 horses were out of em- ried more or less into effect by these ployment, so that there still remained means, but in no department so conspicumills having a power of 3,438 horses un- ously as in one of the last processes, the employed, and as Mr. Horner showed, spinning of the yarn on mules, which was this power would give employment to performed by the most skilled, and thereabout 16,000 persons. It appeared, then, fore the highest-paid class of workers in that nearly 60,000 persons were either the mill. Those persons who were fordestitute of employment, or working on merly paid the highest wages now earned short time. He would not have dwelt on least, and were called by their brother this appalling fact if Mr. Horner had not workmen cyphers. He would invite the attention of the House to the specific means by which, according to Mr. Horner, human labour was dispensed with. That gentleman stated, with regard to Manchester, doubled in length, and carried 648 spindles, worked two of 300 each. The mule of 300 was thirty-four feet long-that of 864 was ninety-four feet. At a mill in Bolton (G.H.), spinning low numbers, I found a man who had formerly worked two mules of 336 spindles each, working four double-decked mules of seventy-two feet in length, and carrying each 672 spindles, so that he was working 2,688 spindles. He was spinning No. 40. The owner of a mill in Bolton (J.K.) writes to me: By increasing the length of our mules, we now employ only twenty-six spinners to do the same work which required thirty-five spinners in 1837.'" was, that the number of persons out of employment was fearfully large. The account of the effect upon the wages of those still employed was not quite so unsatisfactory. In the case of "In a mill in Manchester (A. B.), where some classes of workmen wages had inthey spin the finest numbers of yarn, a room creased; but as a counter-balance, one was shown to me where, in 1829, there were out of every two workmen in those classes eight mules of 324 spindles each, worked by had been thrown out of employment. It four spinners. The mules were afterwards appeared to him that there was a fatal and I found them worked by two spinners' change taking place in our manufactures; These lengthened mules were immediately to not fatal under some circumstances and be double-decked, as similar ones in the mill under a proper system of trade, but fatal had already been, and then one man would unless the people could get employment. work the whole. Thus one man now works What was the operation of this substituthe 2,592 spindles, which in 1829 were worked tion of machinery for human labour? by four men. In another mill (L.L.), also Capital was expended on machinery and spinners of fine yarn, I found a man working two mules of 864 spindles each, who formerly mechanical improvements, and the workmen were thrown out of employment. But that was not all: a tendency was given to over production. For when human labour was employed, if from overproduction or other causes prices were not remunerative, the balance was restored by not employing so many labourers, and thus diminishing the amount of production; but when mechanical labour was used, and the machine was made, as Mr. Horner explained, and as hon. Gentlemen who were at all acquainted with these things must well know, the manufacturer found it advisable to go on working and producing even at a loss, rather than permit the machinery to stand still. Now what was the effect, and what was the natural and obvious remedy for over production? A cessation of production in order to allow the stock on hand to become exhausted, until the supply and demand again become in due proportion to each other. But in Lancashire it appeared that the manufacturers were working their mills at a loss rather than not at all: and Mr. Horner said that in consequence of the decreased price, the manufacturers could only pay themselves by increasing the quantity produced and sent into the market, and thus still more overstocking the world with goods: so that instead of their having reason to hope that, from the exhaustion of the stocks in hand, demand would gradually revive, and employment increase, there seemed reason to apprehend that what had occurred during the two last years of distress had only augmented the stock of manufactured goods, and deferred the period of renewed demand and renewed employment. But it might be said, what had this to Again, Mr. Horner said: "In a mill in Manchester, spinning fine numbers (M. N.), thirty-three spinners do the work on which sixty were formerly employed. In another of the same description (II. G.), two years ago they had nine spinners, but, by double-decking the mules, only three are required. In a third (F. E.), spinning low numbers, they had in 1834, forty-six spinners and eighty piecers; they have now twenty-five spinners and seventy-five piecers to do the same work. The proprietors of a large mill in Manchester parish (U. T.), engaged in spinning only, state, that by recent improvements in their machinery, they had reduced the number of persons employed from 338 to 258, thus saving the wages of seventy-two persons, without diminishing the quantity of work turned off."" He admitted the general principle, that in a system of free trade the saving of human labour was advantageous; but in the present state of things, and under the present system of Legislation, it appeared to him that the immediate saving of human labour, by the introduction of new machinery into any particular process, was not compensated by a general increase of the demand for labour: and that the fact do with the Corn-laws? He did not | tation upon the measure as that which he say that those laws were chargeable was attributing to the right hon. Baronet. with all these evils, but the operation He had stated some of the grounds of his of those laws must tend to produce such objections to the old Corn-law, which were results. There were, no doubt, other not, in his opinion, removed by the meacauses which contributed to produce those sure now before the House; and there evils. The competition of capital would was also this great objection, which necessarily, he was aware, reduce profits; applied to this as it did to every other law but was that any reason why, by their having a sliding-scale for its principlelegislation, they should reduce profits viz., its monstrous and palpable injustice,still more? It was no excuse to say that the injustice that they should frame laws distress would have existed without legis- not to compensate for particular burdens lation, when it was obvious that the ope- falling upon particular classes-not to ration of the Corn-laws, by diminishing guard against temporary evils, but to the supply of corn, necessarily increased secure to the farmer that which no Legisthe value of human labour. Now, he, lature had ever attempted to secure to for one, doubted that the plan of the right any other tradesman or manufacturerhon. Baronet would tend to diminish the viz., a certain and high price for his existing evils. Throughout the whole of produce in every season, and under every his speech, the right hon. Baronet had variety of circumstance. The uncertainty not said that his object was to diminish of seasons was a disadvantage that applied the price of food. The right hon. Baronet, not to corn only, but equally to all agrihad taken some offence at an hon. Member cultural operations; sugar, cotton, coffee, saying that his intention was to fix the and in fact every article that was raised price of corn. The right hon. Baronet from the earth, depended on the seasons. said he would not pretend to regulate But then there were advantages in prices by legislation; but the only defence agriculture which compensated this dishe made for his bill was, that prices would advantage to a great extent. Agribe kept under it to a certain amount; culture ought not to have these adthat prices had averaged at 56s. or 58s., vantages over other trades without the and that under the bill they would range counterbalancing evil that nature had at 54s. or 56s., which he considered a assigned them all. So long as they had very good price to be maintained. [Sir a law upon the principle of the one before R. Peel: The hon. and learned Gentle- them, so long as they had a class interest man is mis-stating what I said.] Perhaps keeping up the price of agricultural prothe right hon. Baronet would explain what duce by legislative enactment, so long he had really said. He was not quoting would they hold out to the world an infrom a book or from a newspaper, but he stance of a Legislature endeavouring by had understood the right hon. Baronet to its legislation, to promote the interests of say that the price had been 56s. or 57s. its members against those of the people under the old law, and that no one could at large. He had never indulged in imfairly complain of the price at 56s. to putations against the agriculturists, and 58s., and that his bill would tend to bring he was not now going to attribute to them about that average of prices. He ad- any sordid or improper motives, but this mitted that the right hon. Baronet had he might say, that they were, in this not said that his bill would do this, but matter, following that bias of judgment he did the best he could in the bill to which, even in the highest-minded people, bring about that effect. But what in fact would operate with them in favour of was the avowed object of a sliding-scale their own interests. Hon. Gentlemen except to keep the price at a particular were giving way to that bias without amount? If not, why did they put on u feeling its force; but, as long as legislation high duty when the price of corn was low, was carried on under its influence, they and a low duty when the price of corn would give grounds for discontent, and was high? Why to make the price of corn teach the people to complain. One arsomething between the two extremes. gument in favour of the present Corn[Cheers from the Ministerial Benches.] law, which had been advanced during the A noble Lord, a Member of the Govern- discussions upon the subject last year, ment, cheered. He assumed, therefore, struck him as having some weight with that the noble Lord put the same interpre- many hon. Members, and he was desirous on the same quantities had the plan of the late Ministry been adopted by Parliament, and the 8s. duty become law about the beginning of August. Had that been the case, I may assume that in the first would have commenced. The average price then was 68s. 3d., and I may therefore, at least, assume that the price would not have risen above that amount, but continued thereat from that time to the 10th of September, when the great importation actually took place. But, surely, I may assume more. When the importation actually took place the price immediately fell to 64s. 8d.; and, unless not only all the notions of Gentlemen opposite, but also all the calculations of practical men respecting the price at which wheat might be imported from abroad are utterly erroneous, I may surely assume that in August last wheat might, with a profit, have been landed in England at 56s. 8d.., and might, consequently with an 8s. duty, have been sold for 64s. 8d., and I think I shall, therefore, be quite within the mark when I assume that the operation of a fixed duty of 8s., taking effect at the beginning of August last, would have been immediately to bring down prices to 64s. 8d., and keep them at any rate as low as that. Now, I find from the returns, and from the London Gazette, that during the period of six weeks from the 30th of July to the 10th September : to reply to it by specific statistical statements, instead of by general argument. The hon. Member for Dorsetshire (Mr. Bankes) had repeated the argument, and he believed it had even been advocated by some of those who were favourable to free-week of August a considerable importation trade principles. It was said, that there was at least this good in the Corn-laws, that when the price was high in this country, the duty on foreign corn was low, and thus a supply was obtained. The only argument in favour of a sliding-scale, as against a fixed duty, which had any semblance of force, was that derived from the fact, that the varying duty is when prices are very high below the amount of 8s. proposed for the fixed duty. Those who used this argument confined the attention of their hearers to the mere item of duty, and dwelt on the diminution of duty as if that were of any importance to the public, while that diminution denoted an increase of price. "What right have you to complain," they said, "when the duty is only a shilling?" The fair answer to this would be-"We have a right to complain when the price of wheat is 73s. a quarter." This argument was more particularly used in the debates of August and September last, and as the price was then high, and corn was coming in at a Is. duty, it was frequently said, in the course of those debates, that it would at that very time be worse for the public to have the fixed duty proposed by the late Government than the existing sliding-scale. "I am always rejoiced, continued the hon. and learned Member, to be able to get a fallacy committed to specific facts, and reduceable to actual figures, and as I think it is most useful that the country should know exactly what was the result of having the existing sliding-scale instead of the proposed fixed duty, during the months of August and September last, I think I may as well trouble the House with an esti mate of the exact amount, which I have drawn up from the returns that we have. From the returns made by the corn inspectors, and given in page 50 of the last papers on this subject which have been sent round, we get the actual amount of Now, on the supposition of the price sales in the markets in which the averages having under a fixed duty continued all this are taken. We know also the average time at 68s. 3d., the enhancement of price, price; and can, therefore, exactly calculate and consequent loss to the consumer, by the amount paid for the whole quantity of the sliding-scale, would have been in the corn sold in these markets. Now, I have first week, 2s. 2d. a quarter; in the secompared these amounts with what I esti-cond, 4s. 2d.; in the third, 6s. 4d.; in the mate as those which would have been paid fourth, 7s. 10d.; in the fifth, 5s. 10d.; In the 1st week there are returned as sold 110,076 quarters, at an average price of 70s, 5d. per quarter. 111,346 quarters, at an average price of 725. 5d. per quarter. In the 2nd week there are returned as sold In the 3rd week there are returned as sold 108,383 quarters, at an average price of 74s. 7d. per quarter. In the 4th week there are returned as sold 91,219 quarters, at an average price of 76s. 1d. per quarter. In the 5th week there are returned as sold 69,898 quarters, at an average price of 74s. id. per quarter. In the 6th week there are returned as sold 72,915 quarters, at an average price of 71s. 2d. per quarter. |