1 8 2 7 .] Th ird Report of th e Em igration Comm ittae . ,163 



demand for human labour every day. And to make this prospect still worse, 

 the Emigration of Irish labourers, of every class, into Scotland and the 

 northern districts of England, has, by the course of the steam navigation, 

 become so easy and extensive, that every chance of maintaining a differ- 

 ent rate of wages [^materially different^ in the two countries is at an end; 

 either the condition of the Irish workman must be improved, .or the Eng- 

 lishman who meets him in the market for labour must be degraded to 

 his level. .The short details which we shall extract from the evidence'in 

 the Report will establish these facts beyond question. And of tho 

 necessity of adopting some remedy, as far as any course of remedy can 

 be devised especially to check the excess of the last-described evil, there 

 can hardly exist a doubt. 



The rlrt witnesses examined before the Committee [we are now] upon 

 the Condition of the Labouring Classes] are 



Joseph Foster, and James Little, working " hand-loom weavers," of Glasgow, 

 and members of a society of artizans who are endeavouring to emigrate. These 

 persons give their evidence, which is of great length and interest, with the most 

 laudable temperance and good sense. They say that a hand loom weaver at Glas- 

 gow gets now, upon the average, from 4s. 6d. to 7s. a week wages : this is at 

 piece-ivork : and to earn so much, he must be employed eighteen or nineteen hours 

 a clay. (Q. 15).* That oatmeal and potatoes, with a little salt herring, form the 

 principal diet of the weavers ; and that numbers have not a sufficient quantity even 

 of this. (Q. 1G&). They attribute the want of demand for their labour, in a great 

 nieasure, to the introduction of the * power-loom," which is getting more 

 improved every day, and, which they believe, must very soon di p ace the hand- 

 loom weaving entirely. (Q. 58 to 61). They are tired of the apparent hopeless- 

 ness of their situation ; and great numbers wish, upon any terms, to emigrate. 



Mr. Archibald Campbell, Member for Glasgow, confirms the evidence of these 

 witnesses, as to the state of their trade; but adds, that he believes, if 1000 work- 

 men weavers) were removed from Glasgow or Paisley to-morrow, the vacuum 

 would be immediately filled up by importations from Ireland (Q. 219 . 



Mr. Home Drummond, member for Renfrew, concurs in the opinion of Mr. 

 Campbell. He states that he has presented a petition to the House of Commons, 

 for aid in emigration, from 155 hand-loom weavers, at Balfron, in Stirlingshire, 

 whose earnings, for some time past, have averaged only from 4s to 6s. a week. 

 He adds that the Irish, in great numbers, are now driving out the natives in the 

 west coast of Scotland, by working at a cheaper rate than the latter, from the 

 more decent habits to which they have been accustomed, can afford to do. (Q. 

 255). 



The Rev. Mathias Turner states, that, at Manchester, and in several of the large 

 townships in Lancashire, the wages of the manufacturers are regularly, in a very 

 great degree, paid out of the poor-rates. (Q. 531 to 537) The admitted calcula- 

 tion is, that a family cannot exist upon le>s than Half-a-crown a week per head; 

 and when that amount is not earned, the parish makes up the difference. Mr. 

 Turner sees no prospect of any fresh demand, which, looking to the force of the 

 power loom, can afford work for the hand-loom weavers. (Q. 438). 



The Bishop of Chester says, that there are in Bolton 8,000 hand-loom weavers, 

 the greater proportion of which, he believes, will never get employ again (Q 2262). 

 His lordship speaks in the highest terms of the patience and good order of the 

 people under their privations. 



Mr. Thomas Hunter, a master manufacturer at Carlisle, gives evidence to the 

 same effect. His facts happen to lie so condensed that we can make an intelligible 

 extract : 



" Q. 2833. What is the average rate of wages of an able-bodied hand-weaver, 

 by the week ? I have taken out fifteen of my men ; five of them are employed at 

 the best work, and pretty constantly employed ; and I find their average nett 



* The figures and letters refer to the number of the question in the evidence as 

 published by the Committee. 



4 C2 



