The case of the journeymen bakers : being a lecture on the 'evils of nightwork and long hours of labour,' delivered July 6, 1848 / by William A. Guy.

  • Guy, William A. (William Augustus), 1810-1885.
Date:
1865
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The case of the journeymen bakers : being a lecture on the 'evils of nightwork and long hours of labour,' delivered July 6, 1848 / by William A. Guy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    2 ) T;,K case of TiIE .TOniXEYr^FF.X RAKEriS. nnd tlie disastrous eflect of your present system n])on your Iiealtli. Jiut Sir George Grey, Avlio was the mouth-piece of the Government on the 30th of May, though he thought inquiry unnecessary, and your hard case “beyond the reach of any legislative remedy,” re- commended Lord Eobert Grosveuor to prosecute tlie inquiry into your case before the Sanitary Commission, and conjured him not to hold out to you any hopes of a legislative remedy, “ unless be Avas prepared to lay on the table of the House a Bill of Avhich he thought he could carry out the proA'isions.” Such a Bill, I understand, tlie noble lord is preparing to bring forward; and with the warm support of our noble Chairman of this evening, whose presence is almost an augury of success in any work of humanity and justice, and of other friends of the working man, there is fair ground to expect a favour- able result. The ma;]ority against the motion for a committee was only twelve, and that is not very difficult to turn into a majority the other way. Now, I am sanguine enough to think that I may contribute, in some slight degree, to the success of your movement, by laying before you and the public such considerations as have occurred to my mind in the course of my inquiry into the influence of your occiipation upon your health. I have, of course, come into contact Avith many joui’ueymen and some master bakers, and have not failed to enter into conversation with them as to the possibility of abolishing nightwoi’k, and of shortening the hours of labour; and I think that I may, without any great presumption, claim to be at least as well prepared to discuss this question as those members of the legislature Avho took a part in the debate upon the proposed committee. Perhaps the most useful course Avhich I can adopt is to refer to the debate, to see what were the arguments employed by the opponents of the motion, and, Avith all proper respect for the great council of the nation, see Avhat I can do to refute them. The objections which I shall have to advance AA'ill not, I think, lose anything of their force (indeed, I believe they Avill receive additional Aveight) irom the consideration, that in many respects, and to a very great extent, my oAvn sentiments are in harmony Avith thpse of the parties from aa-Iioiu you may expect the most determined opposition—I allude, I need not tell you, to the advocates of free trade. Now, I am myself a free trader; I am convinced that it is not just to protect one body of Englishmen at the expense of another; I am convinced that it is not expedient to protect Englishmen as