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necessitated the meat-eating spinner, who was introduced fromEngland into Scotland . On the other hand, the large majorityof the workpeople were confined to> the minimum standard oflife. A weaver did not get more than 5 to 12 shillings per week,and the average wages of all, spinners included, was not higherthan 10 shillings. Against this, having regard to prices in 1839,and to the indispensable minimum of clothing and nourishment,a weekly sum of 34s. 0£d. was necessary for a family of man,wife, and three children. If we assume that man and wife v r ereemployed at average wages in the cotton industry, they wouldtogether have earned 20s. There would therefore be a deficiencyof 14s. to be covered by under-nourishment, debt, or both. “Nowonder that we at that time heard about Chartism, ” remarksthe best authority on the English cotton industry hereto (17).
That, indeed, both these means of aid were requisitioned isproved by the numerous instances contained in Blue-Books.During the last 25 years, related in 1834 a witness from Stock-port—a town which was inhabited solely by cotton workers—the number of pawnbrokers had increased fourfold; the turnoverof each threefold. A quarter of the population of the townregularly pawned their household goods, and almost all clothing,on the Monday, to fetch both back, as far as possible, on theSaturday, after receiving their wages. The same witness affirmedthat the working classes bought nearly everything on credit, and,on account of the uncertainty of their paying, had to pay 50 percent, more than buyers for ready cash (18).
It is not necessary here to give further details. On the otherhand, it is to be pointed out that at that time the extensivemass of cottage workers stood behind the factory operatives aswell ; that also in England the question of the distress of thecottage weavers appeared to mock all efforts at solution. Theseconditions were the cause of numerous and unwieldy inquiries.They are full of telling analogies to the conditions of Germancottage industry as they are depicted in numerous individualresearches, and critically put together lately by Sombart inBraun’s Archiv (19). That high-water mark in the development
17. Samuel Andrew: “Fifty Years’Cotton Trade”—paper read at themeeting of the British Association ” ("1887), p. 4. David Chadwick: “TheExpenditure of Wages, 1839 and 1887”—paper read at the same meeting,gives the reckoning mentioned in detail.
18. Committee on Manufactures (4833). 10,547-86.
19. Braun: “ Archiv fiir sociale Gesetzgehung ” (1891), part J,