Mr Bradlaugh and Eight Hours.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3633, 8 October 1890, Page 2

Mr Bradlaugh and Eight Hours.

'flie Leeds Meroflty, in its report of tlje deb.ate between Mr Hyndraan amVJilr "Brajllimgn. on the pgbt hojirs' system,' qoiifains'tlie'rfollowing in W figliting moaq,.and qp at once ctyirgecl' his'qppof\ent wiiti not laying gqrio iufp ll|o aiibjcot at s|i|Qipnti end \yjtl( (laying most Carefully a^iv'Be

agreed that in Borne trades there m '; ■ '.muoh overwork in every occupation. ' •'■ Mr Hyndman had omitted to men- ■-> jtion the fact that tho object of the | miners at Southport in demanding'": an eight hours day was to limit the output. In how many trades are the stoppages of output to apply ? With a Parliamentary limitation to - eight hoars, textiblo industries of this country would be ruined at once. The miners of Northumberland liad declared that a compulsory Eight Hours' Bill applied to their ; country might make thousands work ' a longer time, aud certainly throw thousands out of employment. It . .rested with Mr Hyndman toshow that where they decreased the hours of work it would be possible to oouduct industry in such .a way as- to find J& money each week to. pay the worker's wages, When he (Mr Bradlaugh) said . that a business should be conducted for profit, he meant that aftor recouping the cost of the raw material, feed plant, etc., there should bo ens'Mg life to the worker (Ironical-cries of •Life?') He definedjlife as a reason- A able subsistence for the man and' his family with time for recreation and education, This life at any. ' rate would have sunshine in it, while revolutionary social democraoy would only offer brimstone and burning. • Was it alleged there was more poverty to-day? Statistics disproved it. Was it alleged that there was ..'■ mora disease? Vital statistics ; " : disproved it. Was there :tnore crime? No. The Truck Act did not interfere between employer and employed farther than to punish fraud-ami he was in favor of .compulsory cultivation of' land, for the land ought to'pay its fair- • share of taxation. Mr Hyndman • • had said nothing to show what the ' • result of a legislative limitation of , hours would be. In many oases in , collieries and chemical works it had' , been disastrous. One of its effeats ' , would bo that a man who is laid ' , down with illness for thrco orfour weeks would.be debarred from i making up for the lost timo,' The' , returns from America were d»ad , against Mr Hyndmau's vag'ueU|d *&■ general contentions. The , hours movement had, they \ ere ■ -' , informed, "fizzled out" fee. Vast i » f money, some of it invested :, by working men in tho cotton mills of Lancashire, had over a series of , years not realised more than 8 per .cent. limitation to eight hours per , day would in his opinion be fatal to , some of our largest industries. On the other hand, he alleged that man and man were more likely to make . to contracts with each other when they did so voluntarily thah when ■ 'hey were aided by the law. ■' ' '