AND ON TllK CONTINENT.
117
1 'ouiuiuiug phases also affords a plethora of pruol's. Where thestandard of living and the wages are the lowest, there the pro-duction is the dearest.
The Russian cotton industry has its seat in two centres—onein the centrally-situated provinces of Wladimir and Moscow , andthe other in the North, near St. Petersburg and m Esthland. Inthe latter district the standard of living of the operative is thehigher; but his greater intelligence and cleverness amply counter-balance tlm lower wages of the middle provinces, as the followingtable shows (1) : —
Yea in,v Pnoncenox ceii Oi’Eiiativk.
In spinning.
In weaving.
Daily hoursof labour.
.Roubles.
Roubles.
937
450
14 and over
St. Petersburg .
1,928
1,102 )
-
12
Usthland.
I ^ ij 1 i)
1,327 j
The tremendous waste in labour-power is the chain which, inspite of English machinery and English managers, keeps back theindustry of Russia —conditions which link themselves to the daysof serfdom and heathenism, when tho labourer cost just as littleas lu> accomplished.
An American Consular report speaks similarly respecting Italy :Power-looms in Italy produce far less than elsewhere because thefemale operatives are very slow in piecing ends, and therebylose almost 40 per cent, of the time worked. Certainly the wageshere are very low in comparison with the United States , but theproduction in the same time is lower in the same proportion. TheItalian spinners pay their operatives 6 to 8 lire per week ; butthey require 10, 15, and even 20 operatives per 1,000 spindles.The same applies to weaving. An English weaver minds 3 to 4looms, and has from every one (!) a larger production than theItalian, who seldom minds more than one loom (2).