AND ON THE CONTINENT.

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by 25 per cent.” Similar instances are given by the German Enquete in 1878 (31). Hut in spite of this the cost of labourin English spinning mills is still cheaper than in German .

In a similar direction there are also the following facts of alater date. The weekly earnings of the operatives engaged in thetextile industry, as far as these have a. centralised industrialcharacter, have increased slowly but surely, as proved by thereports of the accident assurance associations. Even in 1892,when the hours of labour were reduced by legislation to 65 hoursper week, the weekly earnings of the operatives remained at thesame level, in fact rather increased, without the reduction inpiecework prices (31a).

This is proved, indeed, by the tables attached, which containcases for the present time. They make clear at once the ad-vantage of the conditions of production in England, but at thesame time they prove also the fact, still to be more closelyexamined later on, that there, where the cost of labour is thelowest, the conditions of labour are the most favourable, the hoursof labour are the shortest, and the weekly earnings of the opera-tives are the highest.

We examine briefly the instances given on page 103. Cases 1and 2 contain comparisons of conditions of production between avalley of the Vosges and Mulhouse . We see how the lower weeklywages of the Vosges are counterbalanced by the greater numberand the less skill of the operatives, which latter brings in its train agreater loss compared with the theoretical capacity. Therefore ahigher sum is paid for labour in spinning a kilo, of yarn in theVosges than in Mulhouse .

Case No. 3 treats of 20’s twist, the counts which are probablymostly spun in Germany . A fair approximation is shown betweenthe relation of wages in Bavaria, Wurttemberg , and Saxony.The relatively high cost of labour in the spinning-mills of Wurttem-berg is explained by there being a larger number of operativesemployed (5 per 1,200 spindles). The difference in wages betweenthe spinning-mills of Saxony and Bavaria is, in comparison, very

81. Keport of the “ Enquetekommission, ” p. 31; “ Protokolle,” 175,397fail instance of the lowering of piece prices accompanied by the earning ofthe same weekly wages as before). Economically an interesting controversy,whether the rise in wages during the “ seventies” has resulted in a correspond-ing increase of labour capacity. Compare the introduction.

31a. Compare Grassmaun: “ Augsburger Industrie,” pp. 103, 104.