ABSTRACT
The repeal of the corn laws is among the first signs in Victoria’s reign of the growing political power of the manufacturers and commercial interests. The other great example of the influence exerted by industrialisation over the countryside was the steady migration from the country areas to the towns in search of employment. In 1862 a second Children’s Employment Commission was appointed, and this resulted in a further condemnation of ganging, and the Agricultural Gangs Act, 1867, at last laid down regulations for the operation of public agricultural gangs. The Agricultural Children Act, 1873, sought to incorporate both points of view: it forbade all employment in agriculture under eight years of age, while between eight and twelve a certain number of school attendances was required. However, by the 1876 and 1880 education acts, school attendance between five and twelve became compulsory for all children.
