صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

The main law now in force is contained in the Act of Parliament 41 Vic., c. 16, "The Factory and Workshop Act, 1878." Copies can be obtained from Eyre and Spottiswoode, and elsewhere, price 2/6. An edition with notes, by Mr. A. Redgrave, C. B. is published by Shaw and Sons, price 5/-. Sufficient abstract of its provisions can be obtained at the same publishers in sheet form, price 6d. (textile and non-textile industries being distinct and 3d. each).

66

[ocr errors]

The law relating to labour in coal mines will be found in the Act 50 and 51 Vic., c. 58, "The Coal Mines Regulation Act," 1887; and that relating to other mines in the Act 35 and 36 Vic., c. 77, The Metalliferous Mines Regulation Act," 1872. The Agricultural Gangs Act," 1867; “The Canal Boats Act," 1884; and "The Merchant Shipping Acts," also minutely regulate the employment of labour. The labour of persons under eighteen in shops is regulated by the Act 49 and 50 Vic., c. 55, "The Shop Hours Regulation Act. 1886." The other Acts in force, such as 46 and 47 Vic., c. 53 (Factories); 38 and 39 Vic., c. 39; 44 and 45 Vic., c. 26; and 45 and 46 Vic., c. 3 (Mines) effect only minor alterations.

The chief Parliamentary Reports are the Select Committee's Report of 1816, and those of the Royal Commissions of 1834, 1840-3, 1862-6, and 1876. All but the last two are summarized in Engels' “Condition of the Working Class in England" (Reeves) and Karl Marx's "Capital" (Sonnenschein). More recent information will be found in the Report of the House of Lords Committee on the Sweating System (H.L. 62, 1890).

66

The laws of foreign States are given (imperfectly) in Foreign Office Report, "Commercial No. 25," C-5866, price 5d. Other particulars are given in the Report of the Berlin Labour Conference (May, 1890). The first Annual Report of the Federal Commissioner of Labour (Washington, 1886) gives a valuable summary of American labour laws. The History of English factory legislation is best found in E. E. von Plener's English Factory Legislation" (Chapman and Hall, 1873). Alfred's "History of the Factory Movement" is a practically contemporary chronicle of the movement down to 1847. Lord Shaftesbury's work is described in his "Life and Work," by E. Hodder (Cassell, 1886), and "Speeches" (Chapman and Hall, 1868). Besides Lord Shaftesbury's speeches, those of Sir Robert Peel (Routledge, 1853), John Bright (Macmillan), Fawcett (Macmillan, 1873), and Lord Macaulay (Longmans, 1851) are historically interesting, and the great speech of the latter on the Ten Hours Bill rebuts the arguments against regulation of adult labour with great oratorical force. Colonial precedents are described in Sir C. W. Dilke's “Problems of Greater Britain " (Macmillan 1890).

"Life of

The arguments in favour of factory legislation are well given in W. S. Jevons' "The State in Relation to Labour," ch. iii. (Macmillan, 1882); John Morley's Cobden," vol., ch. xviii., pp. 298, 303; H. LI. Smith's "Economic Aspects of State Socialism," ch. iv., sec. ii. (Simpkin, 1887); J. S. Mill's "Principles of Political Economy," bk. v., ch. xi., 9 and 12, and essay "On Liberty," ch. v.; Duke of Argyle's “Reign of Law," ch. vii. (Strahan, 1867); and especially in Gunton's "Wealth and Progress" (Macmillan, 1888).

The latter work gives the best summary of the case for an Eight Hours Bill, but Tom Mann's pamphlet, "The Eight Hours Movement (Modern Press, 13, Paternoster Row, 1889, price 1d.) presents it in a form more popularly accessible. See also "The Eight Hours Work Day" by A. K. Donald (Labour Press, 57, Chancery Lane, E.C., 1d.). The difficulties of a universal compulsory eight hours day are stated by Mr. Bradlaugh, M.P., in his article republished from the New Review, "The Eight Hours Movement" (Freethought Publishing Company, 63, Fleet Street, 1889, price 2d.). The best discussion of the subject is, however, to be found in recent magazine articles, not reprinted, such as the following:

[ocr errors]

George Gunton, "The Eight Hours Law: shall it be adopted?" (Forum, 1886, p. 136).
Harold Cox, "The Eight Hours Bill" (Nineteenth Century, July, 1889).

Anonymous, "Some Economic Aspects of the Eight Hours Movement" (Westminster Review, July 1889).

H. M. Hyndman, "Eight Hours the Maximum Working Day" (New Review, Aug., 1889).
H. H. Champion, "The Eight Hours Movement" (Nineteenth Century, September, 1889).
Sidney Webb, "The Limitation of the Hours of Labour" (Contemporary Review, December, 1889).

R. B. Haldane, M P., "The Eight Hours Question" (Contemporary Review, February, 1890).

C. Bradlaugh, M.P., "The Eight Hours Question" (Fortnightly Review, March, 1890).

J. Murray Macdonald, "The Case for an Eight Hours Day" (Nineteenth Century, April, 1890).
John A. Hobson, The Cost of a Shorter Day" (National Review, April, 1890).

[Since the preceding, the most important contributions to the discussion are the Report of the Trades Union Congress" at Liverpool, in September, 1890 (Co-operative Printing Society, Manchester), and John Burns' "Speech on the Liverpool Congress (Green, McAllan, & Co., 3, Ludgate Circus, E.C., 1d.).—December, 1890.]

Figures for Londoners.

1.-LONDON'S POVERTY.

LONDON now contains over 4,300,000 persons. Three hundred thousand (300,000) of these earn less than 18s. per week per family, and live in a state of chronic

want.

One in every eight of those now living will die in the workhouse or workhouse infirmary: one in every sixteen is a pauper this year.

Over forty-three thousand (43,000) children in the Board Schools alone go to school without sufficient food. Over thirty thousand persons have no home but the fourpenny "doss-house" or the casual ward.

2.-LONDON'S RENTAL.

The annual rental of London is at least £40,000,000, The tenant pays, in addition, over £7,500,000 in Rates. besides the National Taxes.

Of the rental, about £16,000,000 is paid each year for mere permission to occupy London's 119 square miles of hill and swamp, without any payment for the use of the buildings on them. How much was this land worth before London grew there?

3.-LONDON'S UNEARNED INCREMENT.

The saleable value of the ground on which London stands increases year by year. During the last twenty years, it has, on an average, grown every year by about £4,000,000, after deducting the value of any new buildings or alterations. This is the annual "New Year's Gift," in addition to the annual rental, which we make to those persons who do us the favor to "own" London for us.

4. LONDON'S WATER TAX.

It costs under £700,000 a year to supply London with water; but London has to pay more than £1,700,000

a year for the water so supplied. The surplus serves to pay, on an average, over seven per cent. on the nominal capital of the eight water companies (some shareholders receive over twelve per cent.).

As the rental value of London rises our water tax goes up, but there is a steady decrease in the average amount of water supplied. The County Council could give us an improved supply at the cost of less than half our present tribute.

5.-LONDON'S GAS BILL.

London's annual gas supply costs less than £3,900,000, but in order to earn twelve or thirteen per cent. for the Shareholders of the three gas companies, London is charged over £4,700,000 for it. One hundred and seventy different towns in England already own their own gas works, and save the cost of shareholders.

6. LONDON'S TRAMWAYS.

Londoners pay in tram fares £1,000,000 a year, but it only costs £780,000 to work the trams. The balance provides an average dividend of nearly 6 per cent. to the shareholders. Thirty-one towns own their own trams, and one (Huddersfield) works them without any contracThis tramway is the only one where the "Eight Hours Day" is yet in force. Why should not London copy Huddersfield?

tor.

7.-LONDON'S HOSPITALS.

Over 7,000 Londoners die each year in London's hospitals; yet Londoners have no voice in the management of the 238 separate competing hospitals and other medical charities, owning over £4,000,000 of public property. No public superintendence controls their jobbery;. no public audit checks their waste.

8. THE CITY GUILDS.

Seventy-four "City Companies," with about 7,500"liverymen," are controlling a property clearly belonging to the people of London, worth at least fifteen millions

sterling, with an income of at least £750,000 a year. Two-thirds of this is devoted to various charitable pur poses, but at least a quarter of a million sterling annually is being wasted, jobbed and misappropriated by the City Companies.

9.-LONDON'S POLICE.

London's 15,000 police cost over £1,700,000 annually, for which Londoners have to pay a ninepenny rate. Yet Londoners are not consulted as to how the money should be spent, and have no control whatsoever over the force which they maintain. Every provincial city and county has this power, denied to London alone. Remember Trafalgar Square!

10.-LONDON'S FINANCIAL BUDGET.

Over ten millions sterling are annually collected and spent by London's public authorities, and yet we pay, in addition, ten millions more every year to those who "own" our gas works, water works, tramways and docks, for what costs them annually only six millions and a half.

[ocr errors]

If London, like the great provincial cities, itself owned these public services (after paying the shareholders the full cost of the undertakings), it might saveat least £1,500,000 every year-enough to cover half the expenditure on the relief of London's poor.

The mere annual "unearned increment" of London. would, if appropriated to public purposes, enable thewhole of London's million poor to be decently housed,. with only the delay necessary for the building operations; and the net annual income from only "fair rents" on this. public property would more than suffice to educate all London's children free of charge.

One week's income of the owners of London's ground values would provide a free dinner every day in the yearfor the 43,000 children now at school without sufficient food.

A fuller statement of these facts, with precise references to official statistics proving them, and many others relating to London's. size, growth, poverty, taxation, administration, finance, &c., will be. found in

"FACTS FOR LONDONERS" Fabian Tract No. 8. Price 6d., 4s. 6d. per dozen, 32s. per 100.

Pp. 55.

HE FABIAN SOCIETY consists of Socialists.

THE

A statement of its Principles, Rules, Conditions of Membership, etc., a list of lecturers, with their lectures and terms, and the following publications, can be obtained from

The Secretary, at the Fabian Office, 276 Strand, London, W.C. "FABIAN ESSAYS IN SOCIALISM."

(26th Thousand.)

A full exposition of modern English Socialism in its latest and maturest phase. Library Edition, 6s.; or, direct from the Secretary for Cash, 4/6 (postage 4§d.) . Cheap Edition, Paper cover, 1s.; ditto, plain cloth, 28. At all booksellers or post free from the Secretary for 1s. and 28. respectively.

FABIAN TRACTS.

No. 1.-Why are the Many Poor? Price 6 for id.; Is. per 100. No. 5.-Facts for Socialists. A survey of the distribution of income and the condition of classes in England. 40th thousand. 16 pp., Id.; or 9d. per doz. No. 7.-Capital and Land. A similar survey of the distribution of property, with a criticism of the distinction sometimes set up between Land and Capital as instruments of production. 3rd edn.; 15th thousand. 16 PP., Id.; or 9d. per doz. No. 8.-Facts for Londoners. 56 pp., 6d. ; or 4/6 per doz.

No. 9.-An Eight Hours Bill. Full notes explain the Trade Option clause and precedents on which the Bill is founded. A list of literature dealing with the hours of labor is appended. 20th thousand. 16 pp., Id.; or 9d. per doz.

# No. 10.-Figures for Londoners. 40th thous. 4 pp., 6 for id.; Is. per 100. No. 11.-The Workers' Political Programme fully explains the politics of to-day from the working class point of view. 20th thousand. 20 pp., Id.; or 9d. doz. No. 12.-Practicable Land Nationalization. 4 pp., 6 for Id.; or Is. 100. No. 13.-What Socialism Is. 8oth thousand. 4 pp.,6 for Id.; or Is. per 100. No. 14.-The New Reform Bill. A draft Act of Parliament providing for Adult Suffrage, Payment of Members and their election expenses, Second Ballot, and a thorough system of Registration. 15th thousand. 20 pp. Id.; or 9d. per doz.

No. 15.-English Progress towards Social Democracy. id.; 9d. doz.
No. 16.-A Plea for an Eight Hours Bill. 4 pp., 6 for Id.; Is. per 100.
No. 17.-Reform of the Poor Law. 20 pp., Id.; 9d. per doz.
No. 18.-Facts for Bristol. 16 pp., id. each; or 9d. per doz.

No. 19.-What the Farm Laborer wants. 4 pp., 6 for Id.; or 1/- per 100. No. 20.-Questions for Poor Law Guardians. 4 pp., 6 for id.; or 1/- per 100.

No. 21.-Questions for London Vestrymen. 4 pp., 6 for Id.; or Is. per 100. No. 22.-The Truth about Leasehold Enfranchisement. Why Socialists and Radicals oppose it. 4 pp., 6 for Id.; or Is. per 100.

No. 23.-The Case for an Eight Hours Bill. 16 pp., 1d. each; 9d. a dozen,
No. 24.-Questions for Parliamentary Candidates. 6 for id. ; Is. per 100.
No. 25.-Questions for School Board Candidates.
No. 26.-Questions for London County Councillors.
No. 27.-Questions for Town Councillors.

No. 28.-Questions for County Councillors.

99

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

No. 29.-What to Read. A List of Books for Social Reformers.

99

"

Includes

all the best books on Economics, Socialism, Labor Movements, Poverty, &c.,

with suggested courses of reading._ 32 pp., 3d. each, or 2/3 per doz.

No. 30.-The Unearned Increment.

No. 31-London's Heritage in the City Guilds.

No. 32.-Municipalisation of the Gas Supply.

No. 33.-Municipalisation of Tramways.

No. 34.-London's Water Tribute.

No. 35.-Municipalisation of the Docks.

No. 36.-The Scandal of London's Markets.

No. 37.-A Labor Policy for Public Authorities.

Nos. 30 to 37 form the Fabian Municipal Program. The 8 for 1d., or 1s. per 100 No. 38.-A Welsh Translation of Tract 1. 4 pp., 6 for Id.; Is. per 100 No. 39.-A Democratic Budget. 16 pp., Id.; or 9d. per dozen.

No. 40.-The Fabian Manifesto for the General Election of 1892.

16 pp., Id. each, or 9d. per dozen.

No. 41.-The History and Present Attitude of the Fabian Society. 3d. each, or 2s. 3d. per dozen.- (In the press.)

The set post free for two shillings.

« السابقةمتابعة »