148 SEVENTH REPORT—1837. 
Abstract of a paper entitled “ Remarks upon the Importance of an 
Enquiry into the Amount and Appropriation of Wages by the Work- 
ing Classes.” By Wiii1Am Ferxin, Nottingham. 
The preliminary observations contain the writer's idea of the large 
amount of many skilful workmen’s wages, and their misappropriation. 
He considers his views of their want of providential care for themselves 
and their families corroborated by circumstances which occurred in 
Nottingham during the spring of 1837, which he proceeds to relate. 
The general commercial pressure bore so heavily upon Nottingham 
as to throw a large portion of the working people out of employ ; and 
in April, much suffering being apparent, the unemployed in the hosiery 
and lace trades of the neighbourhood, not paupers, were set to work 
in the construction of a new road, by a committee appointed to distri- 
bute £5000 raised by public subscription forthe purpose: £4322. 19s. 6d. 
of this sum was expended in this way in 18 weeks ; the remainder was 
paid for tools (reserved) and other necessary expenses. On the 19th 
June there were at work 49 single men; 76 men married, without 
children ; 182 having one child; 224 with two ; 179 with three ; 135 
with four ; 80 with five ; and 65 with six or more children; making a 
total of 990 men, having 941 wives, and 2576 children under 16 years 
of age; 4407 were dependent that day on the fund, which was the 
largest number that occurred. The road has been since completed, 
leading to 100 garden allotments which have been made to the poor of 
land before useless. The total number of applicants were, lace-makers 
839, stockingers'797, smiths 178, sundries 164, total 1978 men, having 
1401 wives and 3508 children; being 6887 persons destitute. 889 be- 
longed to Nottingham, 1024 to the county, 65 elsewhere: 1083 lived 
in Nottingham, 591 in the Radford Union, 304 in the parishes around. 
Being soon overpowered by the numbers of applicants, the Committee 
caused rigid inquiries to be made into the circumstances and charac- 
ter of each new one. Out of 1100 returns, 1043 are perfect, com- 
prising 452 stockingers and 4.98 lace-makers, and 93 smiths dependent 
on the other two trades. Their wives and children were almost en- 
tirely unemployed. Character, as “clean,” “comfortable,” “ indus- 
trious,” “sober,” “steady,” “very poor,” “very destitute,” “honest,” 
or the reverse, was given. 440 lace-makers have good and 39 bad 
characters; 360 stocking-makers good, 50 the reverse; 75 smiths favour- 
able, 13 not so; total, 875 goed, and 102 indifferent characters. On 
the whole, they were decent work-people. 
Eight only had been pauperised in any form. 
The length of time the stocking-makers had been partly unemployed — 
was an average of 17 weeks, 14 days; lace, 21 weeks, and half a day; — 
smiths, 20 weeks, 1} days; total average of partial employ, 19 weeks, — 
3 days. Totally unemployed, stocking makers, 5 weeks, 1 day; lace, 
8 weeks, one day; smiths, 8 weeks, 2 days; total average of entire — 
want of employ, 6 weeks, 5 days. Not one of the 1043 stated himself 
to be a depositor in the Savings’ Bank. 104 stocking-makers were in 
sick clubs, odd fellows’ societies, &c.; 141 lace and 18 smiths, total 263 — 
