Thus the class of street-sweepers do not differ materially in the circumstances of their position from other bodies of workers skilled and unskilled.

Let me, however, give a practical illustration of the loss accruing to the working scavagers by the driving method of reducing wages.

A is a large contractor and a driver. He employs 16 men, and pays them the “regular wages” of the honourable trade; but, instead of limiting the hours of labour to 12, as is usual among the better class of employers, he compels each of his men to work at the least 16 hours per diem, which is one-third more, and for which the men should receive one-third more wages. Let us see, therefore, how much the men in his employ lose annually by these means.

Sum received per Annum.Sum they should receive.Difference.
£s.£s.£s.
4 Gangers, at 18s. a week, for 9 months in the year140821012704
12 Sweepers, at 16s. a week, for 9 months in the year3748499412416
Total wages per Ann.51416709161950

Here, then, we find the annual loss to these men through the system of “driving” to be 195l. per annum.

But A is not the only driver in the scavagers’ trade; out of the 19 masters having contracts for scavaging, as cited in the table given at pp. [213, 214], there are 4 who are regular drivers; and, making the same calculation as above, we have the following results:—

Sum received per Annum.Sum they should receive.Difference.
£s.£s.£s.
26 Gangers, at 18s. a week, for 9 months in the year912121216163044
80 Sweepers, at 16s. a week, for 9 months in the year24960332808320
33081245441611364

Thus we find that the gross sum of which the men employed by these drivers are deprived, is no less than 1136l. per annum.

2. The second or indirect mode of reducing the wages of the men in the scavaging trade is by Grinding; that is to say, by making the men do the same amount of work for less pay. It requires nothing but a practical illustration to render the injury of this particular mode of reduction apparent to the public.