132
Tlio bettor food of the operatives engaged in England ’s greatindustry at the present day, compared with that of English opera-tives in the “thirties” and the Continental operatives of thepresent, depends upon two circumstances ; one being the higherwages in money, and the other the greater Inlying power of thismoney.
We have seen above how the development of technical skill madepossible an enormously increased production per operative, andtherewith a permanent lowering of piece-wages. We have at thesame time given an array of figures to prove that the weekly in-come of the operatives has risen in the same proportion as piece-wages fell, because the progressive technical development de-manded more capable operatives.
The weekly income of the operative at the present time inEngland is higher than in the “thirties,” and also than at presenton the Continent. Since this high income depends upon lowerpiece-work prices, it is nothing but a source of strength to English industry.
Regarding the general increase of the' weekly earnings of theoperatives during the last half-century, R. Giffen , the well-knownstatistician , says : —“ In all cases where in consequence of repeti-tion labour it has been possible to set up a comparison, an extra-ordinary increase of wages of from 20 to 50 and 100 per cent., andeven more is shown. This statement rather underestimates thereal extent of the change ” (7V
In the Appendix to the First Report of the Royal Commissionon Textile Depression, the Secretary of the Manchester Chamber ofCommerce gives similar statistics. According to these, the incomeof the operatives from 1850 to 1883 has increased for: —
Cotton spinning and weaving, medium counts, by 74-72 per cent.
., „ fine ,. ’ 35-1G ,,
Bleaching and printing .. .. ,, 50-00 ., (8)
7. Compare E. Giffen: “ Progress of the Working Classes” (London , 1SS4),
p. 6.
8. Compare p. 99: further, the Appendix to the Second Report, pp. 37G-7.These statistics are. as a fact, not unchallenged: they are corrected bv theanthor himself in the Second Report, hut without materially givinsr otherresults. On the other hand. D. Chadwick (“The Expenditure of Wages.”paper read before the British Association. Manchester . 1887) declares that thepercentages given are too high. Since 1860 the earnings of cotton operativeshad, however, certainly increased by 10 per cent. (p. 8). R. Giffen , the leadingstatistician in England, accepts the figures of G. Lord. Compare R. Giffen :“ Recent Changes in Prices and Incomes ” (Royal Stat, Societv, 1888, p. 20).