1824.] 



iiiiiieJ its altinlion to s me Acts 

 Parliament Um: v>erc (Lsunvcini, t',.i- 

 powciitif? the justices of the pejioe to 

 hITix rales ol' \v;i<res, with a view to 

 raising tlie uHp:es; tho fact was, fliiitiin- 

 lion WHS a gicaTer e\il, perlmps, than 

 tlie lowjicss of tiie rate : i.rcvioiis to tli:it 

 period, flucliialioiis, tu the extent of 

 thirty per cent, took piace in tlie course 

 of a month in tlie price of labour. An 

 atte.iijjt was masic it) ffci an extra judi- 

 cial arraiig<'rnent witii liie niaslers: tiie 

 masters were (tixided io opinion upon 

 the p<iinl; some of ihem were lor a le- 

 gnlation. others o|)^jOsed it. After several 

 inenbetual aftempis to come to an 

 arrangement with lual pari of liie mas- 

 ters who opposed it, pari of the masters 

 l)t'iii'? iu the interest of the operalives, 

 at last a process WdS entered before the 

 (juarter sestions. 



Will yon state how the process 

 proceeded ? — The justices of the peace 

 f'oiinit llie f^t<: demanded reasonahle: 

 it was amended in son)e instances, 

 and the masters immediately refused to 

 pay the rate. 



Were the masters, dnring the whole 

 of this piocess, aetino^ togitlier airainst 

 yon? — For the purpose of making a 

 specimen, tlicre were only forty masters 

 of the leading iionses made parties to 

 the aciion, includiu;r a sptciiTien of ail 

 the hranehes in the trade; al)o«t sixteen 

 to ei<;hteen linndied of the workmen of 

 llinso houses Were made the pursuers in 

 those cases. 



Yon determined to strike?— We then 

 dele! mined to try the effect of a moral 

 effort, and it was tlie most extensive 

 ever made in tiiis country. We struck, 

 llic whole kin^<loni : we struck nearly 

 forty tlioiisan<l looms. It continued for 

 six weeks, without any steps whatever 

 Iicin^ taken hy the masters to accom- 

 modate. 



W hat was the orijaiiization yon had? 

 — it extended through the whole trade 

 in the three kiiif^doms: Lancashire, 

 Cumberland, and Lanark, Renfrew, and 

 A'jr shires, Perth, Siirlinf;:, &,(;. and the 

 north of Jrehmd. 1 may state gene- 

 rally, that, in all matters which depended 

 upon the workmen, for the twenty years 

 I have known the trade, the Srots have 

 decidedly taken the lead in the matleis 

 of general iiitellifrence, and the woik- 

 men have heen ahle always to take the 

 lead, in preference to the po)>ulatioh of 

 jMi^Iand connected with the eott(>n ma- 

 nufacture: lieiK'e, in this instance, Ghis- 

 govv was the focus of the liiisiness. 



What wa^ the result of this strike ? — 

 4 



on Artizans and Machinery. 425 



of About three weeks after the effort com- 



.1- nicjued, there was u direct interference 



on the jjarl ol g.vcrijii.eni io .Mi|jpie;..» 



it, liy tiie apprehension of all the parties- 



coricrrned. 



What do yon mean hy tlie apprehen- 

 sion of ^11 the piiities coiiec-ined? — 

 There was a coinmillee of li\e, who had 

 comlucted the pioci ss during the whole 

 period; anil we weie ail appreliendiil 

 and committed to gaol. 



Are you able to slate on what law? — 

 There is no statute law in Scotland : tho 

 iniliotment went on the common law. 

 Tlie Court of Justiciary possesses bot!» 

 a legislative and a judicial power; for 

 in llial court the case was completely 

 new: there was never any one of the 

 same description, and they made it take 

 a retrospective effect, 



ir the government had not interfered, 

 as they did, in arresting the committee, 

 what do you think would have heen tho 

 effect between the masteis and the men ? 

 — I ha^e not the most distant doubt, an 

 arrana:emeiit would have taken place. 



Do not you tliink, the j!;real deside- 

 ratnm with regard to the laboiiringf 

 classes, at present, is the restiiction of 

 their iinm'iers, so as to afford them gfeat 

 wap;rs? — Oti the tlieory Mr. Malthiis 

 has laid down, the general |)ro|iosition 

 is coneet: ijilt the actual operation of 

 the iluiig is in an inverse ratio, 'i'ho 

 demoralization ot the people is keepirvjj 

 pace exactly wit!i the reduction of tho 

 prire of labour ; it has iiiiivcisally. 



What is now paitt for lital for whiclr 

 fifteen pence was |iaid in 1BI2? — About 

 five pence is now paid; from five p«'nco 

 to six pence: those articles are perhaps 

 rather below the average ; there is a 

 greater reduction upon those articles 

 than sonte others, perhaps. 



What is the reduction in the avcrap;e 

 rate of waj^es for the same manual la- 

 bour now that was in 1812, on the table 

 proven before the court liy yon, stated 

 twelve shillings?— The reduction from 

 1809 to the |)resent time, 1 estimate at 

 about sixty per cent.: it has flu<^tuated, 

 during the course of that time, a little. 



What is the averajie dill'erence in tho 

 amount paid for wag;es for the samo 

 articles now, and in 1812? — There was 

 a considerable reduction took place be- 

 tween 180y and 1812, jicrhaps there 

 might be twejity per ci nt. betwcer* 

 1809 and 1812; and the remainder the 

 other forty per cent, from 1812to 18'6: 

 it was pot complete till the close of the 

 year 18i() ; that was the lowest state «>f 

 reduction. 



Are 



