AND ON THE CONTINENT.
89
with the theoretical production. Before everything else, thenumber of breakages of the ends comes, in this respect, intoaccount. Upon the skill of the operative depends the time whichis taken up by the piecing of the broken threads, and the dottingof the full and putting on of the empty bobbins. But the qualityof the raw material, the perfection of the preparation and of thespinning machine itself, especially the roller arrangement, comealso into consideration. In the German “ Enquete ” a millownersays that whilst in England the spindles actually run during 95per cent, of the whole working time, in W'urttemberg, on the otherhand, they only run during 90 per cent., although the spindleswere arranged to run 10 per cent, slower (19). Another, fromAlsace, also confirms this, stating that in England 92 to 95 percent, was produced, in Alsace only 80 per cent., of the theoreticallypossible production.
Since the “thirties” the actual weekly production in England ,which at that time already exceeded the figures given by Kar-marscli for Germany in 1807, was enormously increased:-—•
in hanks.
Weekly
-
working
40’s
60’s
200’s
hours.
twist.
twist.
weft.
1812
.. 74 .
12
10-5
.. 4-5
1830
,, (13)..
.. 09-70 . ,
. lU’o .
15
.. 5*4
1890
,, (14)..
.. 564
. 28-30 .
.. 23-5
.. 17-18
i «r»7
( Germany (according to 1 7( .
21
18
< Notspuu
* * ( Karmarsch)
..j
Urc tells us of an average production, as early as 1834, of 20to 22.5 hanks of 40’s twist per week; but though the differencesat that time between good and bad machinery were far greaterthan at the present time, his statement refers only to the fewspinning-mills at that period which had already introducedI{oberts’ self-actors (15). In I860, 32’s Oldham twist had attaineda production of 224 hanks per spindle and week; in the middleof the “eighties,” 28 hanks (16).
The most remarkable fact in the above table is, that not onlyis the capacity of the spindle increased, but that it has increasedin spite of substantially diminished working hours.
12. “ Protokolle,” pp. 81,290.
13. Compare Baines, p. 353.
14. From my own observation in Bolton ami Oldham.
15. Ure: “ Cotton Manufacture,” II., pp. 201,31)9.
10. Andrew: “ Fifty Years’ Cotton Trade,” p. 4.