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PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.

I. DOMESTIC.

Extract from REPORT of a SELECT COMMITTEE of the House of COMMONS on the STATE of the MANUFACTURING POPULATION.

"Your committee now proceed to state an outline of the plan they have considered, which they think may be gradually introduced, so as to lessen the evils arising from the fluctuation of employment in manufacturing districts, viz. :"That societies should be formed in manufacturing districts, called Employment Fund Societies, of which workmen of any trades or employments might become members.

"That the management of the society and its funds should be directed, according to the rules, by such a committee or such persons as the members should elect.

"That each member, whilst in work, should contribute weekly or monthly a certain amount to the society.

"That if a member discontinue his payments for two months, he shall be allowed, on paying a forfeit, to take his place again without loss; and so with an increased amount of forfeit for suspensions of payments for three, four, or five months. That six months' suspension forfeits to the society his share of its fund.

"That illness, with a certificate satisfactory to the committee, shall be a good excuse for suspension of payments; and such a person will incur no forfeit on resuming them.

"That the amount of contributions of each person shall stand in his name, and shall not be drawn out, except during his want of employment.

That, during want of work, each member shall have a right to such weekly (or daily) allowance as may be fixed by the rules, and which will continue till his share of the fund is exhausted.

"That no such payment shall take place when it can be proved to the committee that he can then earn one third (or any other proportion agreed upon) more than the fixed allowance.

"That, when the share standing in any member's name, shall amount to (say two) years' contributions, he may be at liberty to suspend his contributions, and be a free member; but should it be brought below that amount, he is to resume them.

"That when a member's share at the annual meeting amounts to

(say three) years' contributions, he may, on notice, withdraw one half, and resume his contributions; and so in the following years, a cautionary balance of a year and a half's contribution, at least, always remaining as a fund for his use.

"That on the death of any member, his share shall be paid to his family or representatives, except a certain proportion to be deducted for the general fund of the society.

"That a member changing his place of residence, shall be permitted to transmit his share of the fund to any similar society established in or near the place he is going to.

"That the funds of the society shall be vested in government securities through the medium of a savings' bank.

"That once or twice a year a meeting or audit of accounts shall take place, when the amount arising from forfeits, deaths, interest, &c. shall be cast up, and the whole divided in proportion to the share then standing in each member's name, and such dividend shall be added to his share.

"That any member may pay his contributions in a lump beforehand.

"That any member may have a single, double, or treble share, contributing in like proportion, being entitled to receive on each accordingly, and having one, two, or three votes, as the case may

be.

"That the society shall have all the legal facilities and privileges (applicable to their case) which are given to benefit societies and savings' banks, conferred upon them by act of parliament.

"The general advantages of such a society appear to be the following :—

"1. A secure fund will be provided from good times against want of work in bad times.

"2. The amount and continuation of assistance to any member would be proportioned to his own previous industry and forethought; and no idle or improvident man would draw upon the means of others.

"3. As the liabilities of the society would never exceed the amount in their hands, each member's claim would be secure at all times.

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4. A very considerable part of each member's share would be at his complete disposal, under the circumstances stated, and at his death devolve to his family.

"5. His payments would be received little by little, to provide against a severe practical evil, and could not be diverted or withdrawn for any other purpose.

"6. A considerable addition to each member's share would accrue from his dividend of interest, forfeits, deductions on deaths, &c.

"7. That hereby a member once entering the society would have a strong inducement to continue in it.

8. That the feeling of cooperation and fellowship among workmen would be likely to aid such societies, and the contingent interest every member had in the increase of the dividend would prevent imposition or abuse.

"Your committee beg to state, that from information they have received from various quarters, there appears a great disposition on the part of workmen in many places to avail themselves

of any safe mode of insuring a provision for a season of slack employment.

"As it is the earnest desire of your committee that the plan which they have ventured to suggest should be fairly discussed, and any fault in it exposed, they proceed to consider the objections which may be urged against it; some of which have been stated in answer to queries circulated for information.

"Your committee may remark, that these objections are of two different kinds, arising from different classes of persons, and appear opposed to each other.

"One set of persons assert, that the plan suggested will be inoperative, inasmuch as the working classes will never embrace it; the other suppose it will be extensively entered into, and be wrested to evil purposes of combination, for fixing a standard of wages, and opposing subordination to masters. "It is urged on the one side, that the plan of the committee is nothing but a savings' bank, with the disadvantage of a depositor not having the control of his own deposits, and losing part of his share at his death; and that no man would join it! That if the principle of mutual assurance and dependence, as in benefit societies, was introduced, then, indeed, workmen would enter it.'

"In the first place it may be remarked, this objection is rather to the probability of the plan being popular, than to its advantage should it become so; and it might be sufficient to answer, it can do no harm, and it is worthy of trial.' "Your committee, however, believe the objection is in a great measure unfounded. VOL. LXXII.

"If the working classes were all persons of great forethought, firm economy, and steady self-control, who, without any continual incitement to regular deposits, would lay by, at the end of each week, their spare earnings, to provide against a contingent, and, perhaps, distant evil, then indeed savings' banks would be all they could want! Even then, however, these deposits might be frequently broken in upon, or withdrawn, from caprice or temporary pressure (which a little fortitude would have sustained); or the depositors may be induced to lend or hazard their hard-won savings, and find them unavailable when most wanted.

"It is found, however, by experience, that the humbler classes are by no means endowed with the restrictive virtues (rare in any condition of life) which have been described.

"On the contrary, they seem to stand in need of every artificial aid to assist that forethought and industry, on which at last they must mainly rely; and they are themselves (in their moments of reflection) frequently conscious of this fact, and anxious to put it out of their own power to waste or lose that which, duly preserved, may sustain their independence, or increase their comforts. The plan suggested by the committee would give a perfectly safe invest-ment for the small deposits of workmen, to provide against a severe calamity, and for this important object the fund would be preserved inviolate. The regularity of payments would be enforced by a strong motive, and one found efficient in benefit clubs; at the same time, the feeling of co-operation and love of belonging to a 2 A

society of their fellows (shown to be so strong in all classes) would be brought to operate upon the minds of the workmen.

"The right of managing their own money, electing their own committee, and meeting occasionally together as members of the same body, is justly prized by the working classes; these they would have assured to them by the plan in question, which would in this respect be, it is thought, much more popular than a savings' bank.

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In support of this observation, your committee may remark, that thousands belong to benefit societies who never think of making deposits in savings' banks.

"The annual dividend would also create an interest in the meeting of members, and whilst it in creased the fund of each, would give a slight premium for industry and frugality.

"After much deliberation, your committee have thought it best to reject the general principle of mutual assurance, as applicable to the object in view. It has been thought that, on the whole, the working classes will prefer a society in which each man shall be insured his own with some increase, rather than one where he may be called upon to contribute to the assistance of others, and reap little for himself.

"On the other side, it has been objected to the plan suggested, that it would be wrested to the purposes of combination to raise wages, and be injurious to master manufacturers.

"Your committee will not here enter into a calculation of what the amount of workmen's wages should be, but content themselves with observing, that the remuner

ation of workmen ought to be sufficient for their maintenance, and that when made up out of the poor's rate, it is much better, a manufacture so upheld should be lessened, rather than extend itself by a practice utterly unjust, as regards the rate-payers, and ruinous to the comfort and independence of the working classes. It seems unlikely, that a plan which only gives facilities and inducements to individual provision against want of work, can ever operate to raise wages by means of combination.

"Your committee would remark also, that among the rules suggested, there is one, that no member shall receive from the fund, when it can be shown he can earn wages one-third (or some other proportion) higher than the allowance; and although, by his rate of deposit, he may insure himself a proportionate rate of allowance, yet this will be only commensurate with his former frugality, industry, and self-control; and, from the exercise of these invaluable qualities, he ought to reap great advantage. On consideration, however, it will appear that, as each man will depend chiefly on his own fund, it is probable that the amount in the name of each member would be different, according to his forethought, capacity, and skill. But if the fund each had to depend on was different, it is unlikely they would combine for a common purpose, the execution of which must press very unequally on the several members.

"They might, indeed, be driven to do so by so low a rate of wages as made it better for all parties that the supply of labour be slack

ened till the demand again rose to a remunerating price.

"At last, the power of each individual, or the aggregate number of members, to decline work (even without the rule cited) would be limited entirely by the amount of the funds; that is, by the fruit of their former diligence and care. It seems highly improbable, that a number of such persons, not having a common and equal fund to resort to, would ever, in an unreasonable cause, waste that which they had with so much labour acquired.

"On the other hand, the workmen would not be totally without resource in case of actual want of work, or ruinously low wages; but would be able to wait patiently and peaceably for a change; or, if absolutely necessary, have time to seek subsistence elsewhere, either at home or abroad.

"Your committee have little doubt, that a proposition to facilitate and legalize societies, where the unemployed were to be supported by those in work, might at first have been better received by workmen than the plan described; but, besides other objections, it appears that such societies not resting upon a fund, the amount and duration of which is accurately known, but in great part upon contributions, the continuance of which can never be cer

tain, would lead to miscalculation and exaggerated hopes and expectations, injurious to the men themselves.

"On the whole, your committee believe, that the plan suggested will not be found liable in practice to the objections urged against it. They are by no means sanguine that it would be immediately or extensively adopted, but think, as it becomes better known, that it would make its way: and they cannot but hope it would receive the concurrence and assistance of many master manufacturers, and other benevolent persons, anxious to improve the condition of the working classes.

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"The principal difficulty which any set of men, anxious to provide against want of employment, now meet with, is, to have an easy and safe investment for their fund. they trust it to a committee or an individual, they cannot enforce its due application to the purpose intended; if deposited in the name of one member in a savings' bank (besides the limitation in amount), it appears his absolute property, and on his death descends to his heirs.

"These difficulties would (with respect to the society described) be totally removed by law, and your committee believe many would, on this account alone, be anxious to join it."

Extract from an ORDER IN COUNCIL for Consolidating the SLAVELAWS in certain of the WEST-INDIA COLONIES, 2nd February, 1830.

"At the court at Windsor, the 2nd of February, 1830; present, the king's most excellent majesty in council:

"1. Whereas, on the 10th of March, 1824, an order was made by his Majesty, with the advice of his privy council, making provi

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