Living and Working Conditions

Living:

• Living in basements: 12-15 per basement room
• In Manchester, 63 of 2755 families had more than 5 people to one bed
• Layout meant lavitories and dung hills were close to water supply.

Working:

• 13 hour days
• No breaks
• Children worked from age 6 in some factories.

• Factory owners built houses - Cut costs=bigger profits
• Migration from countryside - Pressure of number=slums
• Surplus Workers (Pool of Labour): Don't Like it? Replaced with cheaper worker
• Laissez Faire: TP (voters) would not directly benefit- what gov. would penalise?
• Their own fault

Factory Acts:

• 1833: No U9s. 9-13yro 8 hour days. Inspectorate. No registration of Births. Only 1 inspect.
  
• 1844: Machinery fenced in. Expensive
• 1847: YP and Women 10hr days. Shift system. Upset parents.
• 1850: No shifts. Breaks.

Mines Act 1842:

• (only) 1 inspector employed, couldn't go underground.

Public Health:

• Boards of Health - 182 est., 72 planning, 13 completed.

Laissez Faire: didn't have to introduce any reform