93
duced by the cards are drawn out. under stretching rollers. Atthe mill under examination there were 7 drawing frames, eachwith 3 heads and 7 deliveries. Kadi of these frames was attendedto by a girl.
The cotton drawings produced are made by the next processinto “rovings,” by which they are further drawn out and thengiven a certain twist. The manipulation before finally spinningis subdivided into three operations (slubbing, intermediate, androving frame). In this particular spinning-mill 7 slubbing frames,13 intermediate frames, and 30 roving frames were brought intooperation. The first. 20 frames were tended by 10 young womenand 10 children. The children—so-called back-tenters—standbehind the machine and have to fill it with bobbins, to clean it,etc. The 30 roving frames are served by 15 young women, eachof whom minds 328 spindles. They have as helpers eight children.In Oldham the number of spindles in the slubbing frames fre-quently reaches up to 96, in the intermediate frames up to 150 :accordingly a. rover frequently looks after 360 spindles. I have,however, noticed even higher numbers : for instance, roving framesup to 200 spindles. The whole preparation work does not needmore than two overlookers.
Finally follows the fine spinning (“finishing” process). In thespinning-mill described by me there are, for 30 pairs of muleswith 70,000 spindles, 30 spinners and 60 piecers, as well as oneoverlooker. Therefore, one spinner and two piecers mind 2,330spindles. Besides these there are-a few young operatives engagedin oarrying bobbins. The yarn spun is packed by six packers.
If the instance given can be taken as the average for the largeand new “limited” concerns of Oldham, a, comparison with thespinning-mill of about a, similar size described by lire shows the
enormous advance inThere are: —
technical skill, ns well
According to I T re (22).
Men. Women. Children.
as in
At
Men.
labour capacity.
the present time.
Women. Children.
For preparation
26
—
27
13
2
„ roving
—
58
14
—
32 IS
,, spinning (includ-)ing overlookersJ y
105
403
32
— 65
Totals ^excepting"!packers) .. 1
131
58
444
45
34 83
653 operatives. 163 operatives.
22. Ure gives also, in addition, 90 grown-up women as engaged in cleaningand choosing cotton. But since this hand labour, according to him, was onlyemployed at that time for the production of a special quality, I have left themout of account in the above comparison.