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spinning is the oldest and the operative the most skilled, whilstnewer spinning-mills towards the east (Bavaria , Saxony, andSilesia ) require an increasing number of operatives per 1,000spindles.
In order to prove the saving in labour in detail, I put togetherthe labour power utilised in a new spinning-mill at Oldham with70,000 spindles (Oldham medium counts), for which I examineall the necessary processes for spinning in their order. Thespinning-mill chosen is a suitable average instance, which we canvery well compare with the one given by Uro in his time, one justabout as large—rather smaller if anything.
The first process to which cotton is subjected is “ mixing.”There are for this, in the case in view, two grown-up men neces-sary, who manipulate 12,000 lb. of cotton daily. The next pro-cess is “ opening,” i.e., loosening the fibres, which have beenpressed together in the packing. For this purpose a machine isapplied which tears the cotton apart by means of revolving teeth,whereby tho heavy and coarse impurities fall out. In thespinning-mill described there were not more than two women en-gaged in opening. Then follows the “ scutching ” process, inorder to separate the single fibres one from another and to removothe finer impurities by means of a fan. The cotton leaves thismachine in the form of a wide, connected sheet (lap), in whichform it is brought to the “card.” The cotton is generally sub-jected twice to this latter process. Each time four—therefore,together, eight—machines were at work for this purpose. Theywere, together, tended by two grown-up men.
Next follows the important process of “ carding,” which, alongwith the further removing of impurities, serves the ob-ject of laying the fibres parallel. This is achieved bytwo cylindrical surfaces working against one another, and whichsurfaces are clothed with fine hook-shaped wire points. At themill in question there were 50 carding-engiues, each of whichmanipulated 800 lb. of cotton weekly. These engines wereattended to by seven men—an average of one man for sevenengines. This number is, however, even under the average; fre-quently, in Oldham, eight or nine engines are tended by oneoperative. The cotton leaves the cards like a small loose band(sliver), which is collected in revolving cans.
Tho “ drawing ” of the cotton next follows. The slivers pro-