Mr. Matthew Crabtree, called in; and Examined.
What age are you?
--Twenty-two.
What is your occupation?
--A blanket manufacturer.
Have you ever been employed in a factory?
--Yes.
At what age did you first go to work in one?
--Eight.
How long did you continue in that occupation?
--Four years.
Will you state the hours of labour at the period when you first went to the factory, in ordinary times?
--From 6 in the morning to 8 at night.
With what intervals for refreshment and rest?
--An hour at noon.
When trade was brisk what were your hours?
--From 5 in the morning to 9 in the evening.
With what intervals at dinner?
--An hour.
How far did you live from the mill?
--About two miles.
Was there any time allowed for you to get your breakfast in the mill?
--No.
Did you take it before you left your home?
--Generally.
During those long hours of labour could you be punctual; how did you awake?
--I seldom did awake spontaneously; I was most generally awoke or lifted out of bed, sometimes asleep, by my parents.
Were you always in time?
--No.
What was the consequence if you had been too late?
--I was most commonly beaten.
Severely?
--Very severely, I thought.
At the time when you were beaten for not keeping up with your work, were you anxious to have done it if you possibly could?
--Yes; the dread of being beaten if we could not keep up with our work was a sufficient impulse to keep us to it if we could.
