AND ON THE CONTINENT.

35

Blue-Books, as well as by the works of Baines and Ure (1), weare in a position to obtain a clear picture of the position of theindustry at that time—a much more detailed one than of thefirst ten year's of its development. This is easy enough to ex-plain; as long as everything moves smoothly mankind doesnot ask why and wherefore. But, since, according to theproverb of Socrates , death is the “ museaget ” of philosophy, socrises in the economical field cause the multitude to stand stilland inquire into the conditions of their existence. Hence arose, inthe decade under notice, a series of minute inquiries—“ reliefinquiries.” Since they were undertaken according to themethods usual at that period in England —publicly, by means ofwitnesses from all interested parties, and with cross-examination—they form to this day, independently of their short-lived object, themost valuable, and still far from exhausted, mine of economicalknowledge yet discovered (2).

Let us glance first at spinning, in which the modern method of

production has the longest history

behind

it. Unsuspected

figures show a remarkable falling-off of its profit (3).

1784.

J1797.

1S12.

1822.

1832.

S. (1.

s. (1.

s. d.

s. d.

s. d.

Price of 1 lh. of yarn,)No. 40’s twist .. J

10 11

7 G

2 G

1 4J

0 llj

Price of the necessary!cotton for this (18 oz.)J

2 0

3 4

1 G

0 9

o 7i

Balance for expenses)and profits .. .. J

8 11

4 2

1 0

1 t '"

1 o

0 4

How is this result to be explained? The English cottonindustry was released earlier than other trades from the ruleof privilege and monopoly. Asaresultthe strivingaftercheapeningof the costs of production had called machinery into existence.But the lucky possessors of machines, which in England robbedthe cottage spinners of their curtailed and more or less protectedmarkets, were themselves, as against the rest of the world, in aposition of monopoly. One sign of this was the accumulation of

1. Baines: “ History of the Cotton Manufacture” (London , 1835); Ure:“ Philosophy of Manufactures” (London , 1835): Ure: “The Cotton Manu-facture,” 2 vols. (London , 183G). Further: The historical portion of Ellison,“ Cotton Trade of Great Britain ” (London , 1880), and J. C. Fielden, “ Sketchof the British Cotton Industry” (“ Co-operative Wholesale Annual,” 1887).

2. On these “Enquets” Friedrich Engels bases his “Position of theWorking Classes in England ” (Leipzig, 1848). Also Karl Marx : “ Kapital.”

3. Compare Ellison: “ Cotton Trade ” (London , 188G), p. Gl, in connectionwith Committee on Manufactures (9,089).