AND ON THE CONTINENT.

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tho factory system (centralised industry). But in a detachedenviron here and there we still hear—of course isolated—thesound of the hand-loom.

If we descend into one of these cellars, which, as mentioned, arevery well lighted and contain about four looms, wo are greeted bygrey-haired men and women. They seem to belong to anotherworld, especially if the visitor has just wandered through one oftho gigantic fine-spinning mills of Bolton. Here, as everywhereelse, the dying hand-weaving clings to a specialty for existence—counterpanes of peculiar patterns and with words woven in, mostlyBible verses. The patterns are formed by the weaver raising theweft, at the proper place, with a small hook to form a shed.Similar patterns could only be produced by the power-loom withcomplicated jacquard arrangements, and in large quantities. Buthero it is only a question of a limited supply for people who stillcling to the old fashions, perhaps mostly for customers who, inpoint of age, do not stand much behind the producers. For theirrequirements it would not pay to introduce costly machinery.

The weavers work with extremely coarse weft—about 90 yds. tothe lb.—which is spun from cotton waste. This enables a quickproduction, because there are no more than 12 picks per quarter-inch. The warp is 12’s twist. Similar counterpanes are alsowoven with coloured cotton—in every instance old-fashionedgoods with a very limited circle of buyers.

Wc see, therefore, how the cottage industry has at last with-drawn itself to a sphere specially suited for it, which also becomesmore and more contracted, but not more quickly than thehand-weavers die off. Therefore the position of these, the last oftheir race, is a better one than that of their parents in the“ twenties ” and “ thirties.” They have taken their share in thegeneral progress of the times; a 41b. loaf, pointed out one of theweavers, 40 years ago cost 10d., now only 4d. The hours oflabour are still 12 to 14, but with longer stoppages for meals.The rate of wages is also better than formerly. A weaver receivesIs. 7d. for one of the counterpanes described. Ho can weave 8in a w r eek, so that his earnings amount to 13s., of which, however,2s. to 3s. goes as rent for the loom, etc. As soon as goods comeinto question which are not specialties, the earnings sink far below—to 7s. per week and less. But the most astonishing fact in regardto the condition of wages is that the hand-weavers in late years