1 US
working hours, but timo is lost by breakages of ends and similardisturbances. Thus in England , with a theoretical speed of 2-10picks, not more than 200 picks are on the average effective—i.e.,tho loss amounts to 1G‘6 per cent. With lower speeds tho losssinks down to 8 per cent. In comparison, 20 to 30 per cent, hasbeen given me as the average loss for Alsaco in plain goods ; forSwitzerland even a little more. Karl Grad mentioned before the‘‘Enquetc-kommission” a not exceptional case, in which on plaingoods, and with a speed of 160 picks per minute, the loss amountedto 34 per cent. He founded this emphatically on the want ofhighly-skilled labour (10).
From the facts mentioned we find that English looms produceconsiderably more than those on the Continent in the same time.Unfortunately a comparison in figures, as in spinning, cannot begiven, because I have not succeeded in getting details for exactlythe same goods in England and Germany —by the way, an in-teresting instance of international division of labour. If, however,English looms run about 30 per cent, quicker than the German,and show at least 10 per cent, less loss, it follows that in spite of15 per cent, shorter hours of labour, the weekly production isnot less, but rather must be greater.
In spite of this increase of production per loom, the number ofoperatives, compared with the number of machines used, has, as inspinning, continually decreased. If we take the particulars givenby Ure as a basis for reckoning, there were still in 1820 moreoperatives than looms; in 1878, on the other hand, there were morethan two looms per operative, both including all the people em-ployed on the preparation machinery : —
10. “ Protokolle der Enquete,” p. 372.
11. Compare Birtwistle before the Labour Commission, 1891.
12. Compare “ Bombay and Manchester” (Manchester Chamber of Com-merce, 1888), p. 3. Report of the “ Reichsenquete,” p. 109. Whereby, how-ever, it must not be forgotten that on the average Alsace produces finer goodsthan England .
13. Brooks : “ Cotton Manufacturing,” p. 47.
In 1820 there was one operative per 0-9 loom., 1850 ,, .. ,, 1G looms
1 G looms
., 1878., 1893
0'22 loom (12)I'D looms(13)