3?G Evidence before the Commillee 



Are you able to state what the rale 

 of w.nijes was twenty or Iwinly-five 

 yoars ago, ami what the rise siueo lliat 

 time has bceii for tiie same kind of 

 work ?— I can say, as to forty years ago, 

 the same kind of work, men's iiats, tiie 

 sqnare or taper crowns, were then 8s. 

 |>er dozen ; and now, according to our 

 price, are 10s. a dozen. 



Can you state the qnantity of work 

 whicii those bats tooli forty years ago, 

 and what they take now? — Yes ; they 

 rffjuire rather more work now, because 

 the hats are not made of so good mate- 

 rial as they used to be, on account of ihe 

 price of stuff being liigher, therefore 

 they require more care over them. 



Can you state what the diflcrencc of 

 wages of the trade generally, within the 

 last fifteen years, may be! — I think, 

 myself, very trilling. 



Is it an increase or a decrease? — I 

 do not think it is an advance. 



How much can a good workman earn 

 now in a week ? — Between two and 

 three pounds. 



Is two guineas about the average ol 

 your wages? — It is more than the 

 average that I get, but otljers do more 

 perhaps. 



■ Will your wages, throughout the 

 year, average that? — No. 



What do you consider the average of 

 your wages all tiie year round ? — I have 

 not taken notice; some weeks I am 

 getting 32s. some weeks less, some 

 weeks 21. 



Are there any weeks that you are 

 unemployed? — Some weeks I inive 

 been part of the time walking about. 



Does that depend on your master or 

 ycnrself ? — Upon our masters. 



Have the wages risen or fallen in 

 proportion to the price of provisions? — 

 I think they have not ; that must appear, 

 I think, when there has been but 2s. 

 advance per dozen within forty years, 

 on tlie same kind of work. 



Does not the belief, on the part of the 

 men, that the Combination Laws are 

 hard upon them, induce the men to 

 form clubs and combinations to defend 

 themselves? — It docs. 



Do you think, that if there were no 

 law more favourable to the masters 

 than to the men, that would tend to do 

 away the combinations which exist? — I 

 do; it is my opinion, and I believe it is 

 the opinion of a great part of the trade, 

 that if there were none of those laws, 

 t'lc masters and men could settle their 

 diSerenccs better Uy themselves, be- 

 cnisc I am couvinced of it from the iui- 



on Arlizans and Machinery. [May 1 , 



|)roveniCQt in the trade, and the men 

 being more steady in the trade than 

 they were formerly. 



Have you observed, that the convic- 

 tions at Kingston have produced any 

 effect upon the minds of the people 

 generally? — Yes. 



In what way ?— They have esta- 

 hiishcd a sort of dread about Ihcni, a 

 fear of the law. 



How much per week did they wisli 

 to increase that rate of wages? — It was^ 

 not to increase what they could get, but 

 to be puid for what they considered 

 extra labour. 



Do many of your workmen travel 

 from home? — Yes; they leave when 

 they want employment. 



Until they get work, thov are entitled 

 to a travelling ticket? — Wc call them 

 blanks. 



Do you not conceive that those tick- 

 ets are serviceable to the person.s who 

 are the bearers of them ? — Of course, 

 liicause, according to some of their 

 rules, wherein a One is slated to be 

 levied U|>on a man, if he robs his mas- 

 ter ; a man would not have this ticket to 

 travel with, if he had done so, without 

 having the line stated on his blank. 



Could these people go about ia 

 search of work but lor such an institu- 

 tion as that? — No; it is a kind of 

 passport and certificate of good cha- 

 racter. 



They would be liable to be taken uf> 

 ns vagrants, would they not, if it were 

 not for these tickets? — I apprehend they 

 would; tliey get relief at the towns 

 through « hich they go. 



Does th.it tend to prevent any consi- 

 derable dis'rcss in jour trade in any 

 parls of the country ? — I apprehend it 

 tends to keep them from the parishes; 

 on the road t!iey receive at each place, 

 perhaps threepence, or sixpence, or iii 

 |)roportiou to the number of nn'u in Ihe 

 town; and a drink of beer, and a piece 

 of bread and cheese, and a night's 

 lodging. 



These tickets are a testimony to the 

 morals and good conduct of the men? 

 —Yes. 



Are the men very desirous that the 

 laws should be repealed? — Yes,they are. 



Do you thing it would have any effect 

 in putting them and their masters on 

 belter terms? — I think so myself. 



Do you think the men would bo 

 better able, if those laws were re- 

 pealed, to compel their masters to 

 increase their wages? — I do not think 

 they would. 



ORIGINAL 



