The State and The Wage System

The wage to be paid seemed to them essentially a matter for the parties to decide between themselves without any interference from the State. The agricultural workers first secured a minimum wage under the Corn Production Act of 1917, which also gave the farmers a guaranteed price for wheat. The earliest Factory Act dates from 1819; and from that date there has been a long succession of Acts, either extending regulation to more trades or amending the provisions. The legislature was impelled to pass the earlier Factory Acts by the revelation of the horrible conditions prevailing in the textile factories in the period of rapid mechanisation which followed the introduction of steam-power. The earliest Factory Acts aimed chiefly at setting some limit to the length of the working day, and at securing that time should be allowed for meals.