ABSTRACT
Practices prevail in our manufacturing system, which have been produced by circumstances not under the control of any individual, and for which, therefore, no individual can be justly blamed. Every master manufacturer is most anxious to have his work cheaply performed, and as he is exerting all his faculties to attain this object, he considers low wages to be essential to his success. It is therefore essentially the interest of the master manufacturer that the wages of the labourer should be high, and that he should be allowed the necessary time and instruction to enable him to expend them judiciously – which is not possible under the existence of our practices. The most substantial support to the trade, commerce, and manufacturers of every country, are the labouring classes of its population; and the real prosperity of any nation may be at all times ascertained by the amount of wages, which the productive classes can obtain in return for their labour.
