Creative writing - Child labour report

Herd  Sir  Smith, my name is Samuel Scriven and I am a Government inspector. In this report is included all the information I have managed to gather about child labour. I have been investigating the working conditions of children in Potteries. In all I interview about 100 children and asked them to talk to me about their working day and conditions, I also interviewed several adults over a three- month period from May to July, 1844. Many interviews to the employed and to policemen are included to confirm and have proof of the information I have gathered. I am a reporter and with this example I would like to work for you; I usually investigate legal concerning events and others in which I try in my reports to induce the reader in helping the situation; so I guess my style of writing is also a little persuasive in some way. I would also like to know what you think about it. I occupy myself of reporting from four years to now, since 1840; for the moment I have investigated specific cases in Britain, but I would be interested in going to Europe when maybe I will be more professional. The information I collected as I already said concerns children from Stroke on Trent and the surrounding area factories. The Children working in the potteries are of ages from the range of five to twelve year old children. Those that are more requested and more common in factories are young and small children that can easily move anywhere freely, but older ones are useful too. The work that the children do is very hard. For example children are burnishes, runner of moulds, making of clay, paper cutters, making cockspurs. They could seem quite easy but children are obsessed by their masters and have to produce or work quickly to produce as much as they can. The money they are given is a very low quantity and it is not enough in proportion of the amount of work they do. Infact many work from nine to fifteen hours a day and receive one or a couple of shillings. They are affected for the rest of their life as Robert Glass confirms in his interview. They have terrible aches and respiratory problems. Also they will not be able to read or write because they don’t have time to go to “ Daily School” and only some are not too exhausted to attend Sunday School. Their rewards in some cases are only a compliment or a pad on the back; some do have money as reward; but punishments are not excluded. Police are trying to organise some changes although as reported by me from the interview to   inspector Ryles, they are quite confused on the ideas. He states: “ Sometimes they are sent on errands” this proved that not only they work hard but are forced to commit crime and they will pay for the consequences and they will have the fault. We also found out that masters  oblige children to work also during their meal times, also stated by Mr. Ryles, he also continues by saying:” Whenever their masters have neglected their work in the early part of the week then they have their boys at work at four, and I have known them begin at three.”. This is terrible because children continue respecting their masters; but their masters do not and own much of the little free time these poor kids have. “ I have known repeated instances where masters come to work under the effects of drunkenness”. Many times children are forced to be thieves and steal alimentary  at the market, Mr Ryles: “ to gratify their appetites”. As an example Inspector Ryles gives us an example of a nine- year old child that committed a theft and when, Mr. Ryles himself, discovered the boy had acted on his master’s order, nothing was done with him, but with the child!

Instead Mr. Robert Glass, a workman at Melior, Venables and Pinder  Earthenware Factory at Burslem gave evidence that the health of children was damaged by working in factories. I personally interview Mr. Glass and I found out from him that he himself has been employed in the potting trade for 26 years, his job was the one of the workman. “The conditions are very dangerous for example the mould runner has to run with heavy mould in both his hands near stoves. It is also very easy to trip” states Glass as another proof of the drastic conditions of these children’s work. He also says that in the dripping house, children are subject to injuries from the effects of the ingredients that are used in the glosses. Girls when they grow up will have bad aching to their necks because they are overburdened with the water they have to carry over their heads. “ I have known many cases where children are obliged to fetch liquor for the working men, and drink portions themselves. Before I became more reflective, I regret to say I revelled in the like sin”  Mr. Glass confesses. And not many men stop. Children are also commonly told to lie and steal. Because of the poor effort in the men s work the children are mistreated and beaten up if they will not do the work the men are supposed to do, but do not. “I believe the children in the potteries are below par in po9int of moral conduct, and I should say this is a result of ignorance of the adult population. To remedy this it is necessary to establish a good system of moral education for the rising generation, by establishing institutions in which rational and healthful amusements and industrial training is observed and carried out.”  He finally claimed that few men lived beyond the age of 45. This I think includes fully how the children are treated, the drastic consequences and how they should be treated. I hope to hear your opinions and what you might think of doing. Thank you for your attention

Samuel Scriven