On Thursday Mr. Herbert Gladstone introduced the Coal Mines Eight
Hours Bill, under which no man is to be allowed to be underground for more than eight hours. In our opinion, this, the first attempt to limit adult labour, is most upnecessary and most dangerous. That the miners may be right in desiring to work less hours at so arduous a task as that of winning coal we are quite prepared to believe. They have, however, ample power to effect the change through their own action, and to represent them as so impotent as to need the paternal protection of the State is ridiculous. Unless—which we do not think likely—miners have hitherto been so slack in their work that they will be able in the restricted time to do as much as they have done in the longer hours, the total output of coal in the United Kingdom produced for the sum now paid in wages must be very much reduced, with a consequent rise in price damaging to all industries. That this would involve most serious injury to trade is obvious. That there are plenty of other evils, not seen now, but which will soon become apparent owing to legislative restriction, we do not doubt. The fact is, the Bill is a piece of pure Protection. Those who propose and those who vote for such a measure have in reality no right to call themselves Free-traders.
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