Chapter 497: The Factory Act
Historically, after the initial destructive exploitation of workers during the early Industrial Revolution, European nations gradually recognized this problem and began attempting to implement measures.
As an industrial pioneer, Britain took the lead in enacting the Factory Act in 1802 to ensure the basic survival of its workers.
Among the more significant provisions were:
—Factories were prohibited from employing child laborers under the age of nine. Child laborers aged nine and above could work eight hours a day, while those over fourteen could work twelve hours a day.
—Workers were not allowed to start work before 6 AM, and their sleeping hours could not extend past 2 AM.
—Factories were required to provide workers with suitable clothing, and for the first four years of their employment, factories were obligated to ensure they received at least two hours of basic education daily.
—Factories had to guarantee minimum ventilation and install protective measures for dangerous machinery, among other things.
In the initial period of the Factory Act's implementation, British companies complained vociferously. However, before long, they discovered that worker efficiency had significantly improved, and production costs had even decreased compared to before the act.
In particular, the supply of quality labor became more abundant, and recruitment grew easier—this was because workers' basic living conditions were guaranteed, reducing injury rates, illness-related deaths, and starvation. Most workers could now successfully survive to become skilled laborers.
Today, after witnessing the workers' deplorable working conditions, Joseph decided to quickly advance legislation protecting workers' rights.
This would not only improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of workers across the nation, allowing them to lead at least a sustainable existence, but it would also boost France's industrial production efficiency. Moreover, labor protection laws could become a potent weapon in France's hands.
Historically, after enacting the Factory Act, Britain immediately became a benchmark for human rights in Europe, praised by workers across all nations.
Skilled workers from various countries, hearing the news, flocked to Britain, bringing with them a wealth of talent and technology, which further propelled the development of Britain's Industrial Revolution.
Afterward, other European nations, realizing something was amiss, were compelled to issue similar decrees but found themselves on the defensive. After all, once a standard is widely accepted, public perception is not easily swayed.
In this lifetime, Joseph intended to secure that benchmark's prestige for France!
Once he returned, he would convene Mirabeau, Breteuil, and others to discuss the framework of the regulations, aiming to submit it for review at the next cabinet meeting.
As he pondered this privately, he heard Perna remark from beside him:
"Your Highness, you just mentioned 'medical masks.' Do these also play a significant role in medicine?"
Joseph nodded.
"Indeed, they do. Masks can significantly reduce the chances of doctors being infected by patients during treatment. Oh, in fact, the bird-beak masks doctors often wear during surgery have a similar effect."
Perna, however, looked surprised.
"But some scholars believe bird-beak masks are merely ignorant superstition and actually increase the risk of infection. My father, for instance, never wears one."
Joseph, who had once watched documentaries on European medical history, immediately sighed.
"That's because they rarely clean the masks; those things become bacterial breeding grounds... But masks are absolutely effective."
Having said this, he quickly reminded Manager Delas:
"You also need to wash these masks frequently here, at least once every three days. And it's best if each worker uses a designated mask; avoid cross-contamination."
Hearing this, Perna's eyes gleamed as if she had already envisioned another medical innovation.
She greatly admired the Crown Prince's medical expertise, firmly believing that if he said something was useful, it was undoubtedly true. Earlier, she had written a paper based on the "double-blind experiment" knowledge His Highness had taught her, which earned her considerable renown in the medical community. Of course, the medical community generally believed it was something the Crown Prince and her father, Lamarck, had developed together...
She immediately pleaded:
"Your Highness, I would like to distribute some masks to the field hospitals, and later, we can promote them among doctors nationwide."
"Certainly, that's a good idea." Joseph nodded, then considered the high cost of custom-making masks individually. He simply stated, "Alternatively, we could build a factory to produce masks.
"In the future, medical and factory demands alone will consume tens of thousands of masks each month, so mass production by a factory will be necessary."
"Tens of thousands?" Perna questioned, a little surprised. "Your Highness, the distillery only has a little over two hundred workers, and even with all the doctors nationwide, surely that many wouldn't be needed?"
Joseph smiled faintly.
"It's not just the gas distillation plant. Textile mills, flour mills, chemical factories, and even construction workers will need these. I estimate we could definitely sell twenty to thirty thousand masks every month."
After discussing masks, Joseph, led by Delas, toured the coal crushing yard, conversing with Dupont and other investors along the way about establishing new gas distillation plants in Nancy and Tunisia.
When one investor heard that even Tunisia was to have gas streetlights installed, with an investment exceeding two million francs, he said with some uncertainty:
"Your Highness, might there be some financial risk in installing gas streetlights in North Africa? And actually, Nancy doesn't seem like a particularly prosperous area either..."
"You must consider the long-term benefits," Joseph stated. "Gas streetlights have a tremendous impact on increasing a city's attractiveness.
"Nancy's industrial development zone is the most mature; it will become a densely populated city in the future. And Tunisia has seen at least forty to fifty thousand immigrants in the past six months, so Tunis City is bound to become the center of North Africa."
The investor nodded slightly but still whispered:
"I mean, with such a large investment, perhaps we should be more cautious..."
This time, before Joseph could respond, Dupont smiled and interjected:
"Monsieur Roland, you are being overly cautious. The prospects for gas streetlights are excellent.
"To my knowledge, the British Parliament has already approved a grant of 300,000 pounds sterling for the installation of gas streetlights in London."
The merchant named Roland's eyes widened instantly. 300,000 pounds sterling was 7.5 million francs. The British were investing such a huge sum in gas streetlights! It seemed he had truly been overthinking things.
Joseph, upon hearing this, subtly furrowed his brow. Historically, there was good reason why the British became pioneers of the Industrial Revolution; their keen foresight far surpassed that of other nations in the same era.
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