TOO
the cost of labour in its train. For instance, according to theEnquete, the wages in Alsace rose about 50 per cent, from 1860to 1878; the amount of wages, however, falling annually perspindle, was lowered from 4'75 to 4 - G5 marks, whilst the yearlyproduction per spindle had remained at. least equal. It iscertain that wages have gone up tremendously in the German textile industry. The associations of Alsatian and Bavarian textileemployers give the following particulars as regards the averagewages paid : —
1887 1888 1889 1890
Alsace .. 589 m. 590 m. G02 m. GOG m.
Bavaria .. 505 ,, 593 „ G01 ,. 618 ,,
The hours of labour have also been reduced; whilst in 1868 thesewere 78 hours per week in Augsburg, in Chemnitz even 84, theyhave now been reduced by legislation to 65. A greater productionper - operative, as well as per spindle, has also 1 resulted
Grassmann, in his work on the Augsburg Cotton Industry,p. 95, gives the following figures.—
lb. Yarn.
Counts.
lb. Cotton
Operatives
per
Honrs
of
1855
37 '86
30-5
42-9
1,000 Spindles15-6
Labour
82
1869
42-89
29-84
59 75
11-7
78
1891
5414
26-47
53-5
8-4
GG
I860
25-3
34
31 -35
9-12
78
1875
32G
34
39-3
9‘7
72
1885
33-G
34
41
8
77
1891
35-9
34
42-4
7-8
GG
A cheapening of labour, corresponding to that in England, has,however, not been generally observed for Germany. This is dueto the circumstance that since the “sixties,” along with the increaseof wages, there has been a corresponding increase in the price offood (30a) In later periods, however, in which, as is well known,a beginning has taken place in the reduction of the duties in food,cases have been noticed which quite correspond to rlie English asregards German cotton spinning. Thus Grassmann relates, p.173, “An establishment has alongside of the shortening of hornsmado a considerable increase in the earnings, and chiefly here-by gained better and more capable operatives, the threatenedreduction in the production was warded off by the simplificationof working, whereby it was possible to reduce the working staff
30a. Compare Ctrassmann, pp. 1G3, 172.