The later part of Wednesday's sitting was occupied by a
discussion of Mr. Will Crooks's motion that " the right of every family of the country to an income sufficient to enable it to maintain its members in decency and comfort should be recognised; and this House is therefore of opinion that a general minimum wage of 30s. per week for every adult worker should be established by law, and also declares that the Government should set an example by adopting this standard in its own workshops." Mr. Steel-Maitland pointed out that the cost of production must rise, and that there would consequently be an influx of foreign goods ; and though he thought Tariff Reform was wholly justified on many grounds, yet to put on a tariff simply to stop the effect of a rise in the cost of production was the most untenable ground on which a geed cause could possibly be supported. The discussion was continued till eleven o'clock, when, the closure having been refused, the motion was talked out.
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