ON WOMEN S LABOUR. 



289 



winter between 7 a.m. and 7 p.ji., at the option of the employers. By au 

 unfortunate oversight children were not brought under this statute, so in 

 some few cases male adults and children were set to work outside the 

 legal hours. This was stopped by the Act 16 cfc 17 Vict., c. 104, which 

 limited the work of children to the legal day. These Acts were not 

 followed by any displacement of women. On the contrary, in the period 

 1847-70 the number of women and female young persons employed in 

 cotton factories increased faster than the number of adult males. The 

 centesimal proportions of different classes of labour employed in cotton 

 factories were as follows in 1850 and 1875 : — ' 



The effect of this legislation in cutting down the working day for all 

 hands alike was due in large part to the fact that the male operatives 

 wanted shorter hours for themselves, and wanted them because they 

 believed that thereby the demand for labour would be increased. We 

 cannot enter into their views here ; but they certainly fought a battle for 

 short-time for themselves ' behind the women's petticoats.' If an employer 

 tried to dispense with protected persons for certain hours of the day he 

 very soon found that the Act for women and children was intended by 

 the men to be an Act for themselves also. When Leonard Horner, in 

 1848, questioned 1,153 operatives, male and female, as to their views, 

 61| per cent, declared in favour of the ten hours' day ; out of the 502 

 women examined only 54 j per cent, showed themselves to be on the same 

 side.^ 



The next important Act regulating women's labour was that of 1874, 

 the 'Factories (Health of Women, &c.) Bill,' by which a 56| hours' 

 week was enforced. Though not applicable to male adults, it curtailed 

 their labour also for the reasons given above ; in fact it was openly 

 advocated by the male operatives in their own interests. Again, in 

 consequence, no displacement of women followed ; in the period 1870-78 

 the number of women and female young persons employed in cotton 

 factories increased faster than the number of adult males. 



So far we have been concerned with the question as to whether the 

 Factory Acts affected women prejudicially in any special manner ; now 

 we may pass on to consider whether any of the cotton operatives, male or 

 female, suffered at all, and if so whether the advantages offset the dis- 

 advantages. I can find no proof that the product or wages fell appreciably 

 as a result of any of the Acts ; in fact, I cannot but incline to the view 

 that by the Acts on the whole both the product and wages were increased 

 in the long run. Leonard Horner carefully watched for the effects of the 

 Act of 1847, and in 1850 he reported that the daily output under shorter 

 hours was about the same as before, in some cases even with machinery 

 going at the old speeds. It was found, he said, that the operatives were 

 fresher, more careful, and fuller of vitality, and that they could tend 



190- 



' See Redgrave's Report for April 1875, 

 - Ilorner's Report for December 1848. 



U 



