Supposetheworking—dayconsistsof6hoursofnecessarylabour,and6hoursofsurplus—labour。Thenthefreelabourergivesthecapitalisteveryweek6x6or36hoursofsurplus—labour。Itisthesameasifheworked3daysintheweekforhimself,and3daysintheweekgratisforthecapitalist。Butthisisnotevidentonthesurface。Surplus—labourandnecessarylabourglideoneintotheother。Ican,therefore,expressthesamerelationshipbysaying,e。g。,thatthelabourerineveryminuteworks30secondsforhimself,and30forthecapitalist,etc。Itisotherwisewiththecorvée。ThenecessarylabourwhichtheWallachianpeasantdoesforhisownmaintenanceisdistinctlymarkedofffromhissurplus—labouronbehalfoftheBoyard。Theonehedoesonhisownfield,theotherontheseignorialestate。Bothpartsofthelabour—timeexist,therefore,independently,sidebysideonewiththeother。Inthecorvéethesurplus—labourisaccuratelymarkedofffromthenecessarylabour。This,however,canmakenodifferencewithregardtothequantitativerelationofsurplus—labourtonecessarylabour。Threedays’surplus—labourintheweekremainthreedaysthatyieldnoequivalenttothelabourerhimself,whetheritbecalledcorvéeorwage—labour。Butinthecapitalistthegreedforsurplus—labourappearsinthestrainingafteranunlimitedextensionoftheworking—day,intheBoyardmoresimplyinadirecthuntingafterdaysofcorvée。[10]
IntheDanubianPrincipalitiesthecorvéewasmixedupwithrentsinkindandotherappurtenancesofbondage,butitformedthemostimportanttributepaidtotherulingclass。Wherethiswasthecase,thecorvéerarelyarosefromserfdom;serfdommuchmorefrequentlyontheotherhandtookoriginfromthecorvée。[11]ThisiswhattookplaceintheRoumanianprovinces。
Theiroriginalmodeofproductionwasbasedoncommunityofthesoil,butnotintheSlavonicorIndianform。Partofthelandwascultivatedinseverallyasfreeholdbythemembersofthecommunity,anotherpart?agerpublicus?wascultivatedbythemincommon。Theproductsofthiscommonlabourservedpartlyasareservefundagainstbadharvestsandotheraccidents,partlyasapublicstoreforprovidingthecostsofwar,religion,andothercommonexpenses。Incourseoftimemilitaryandclericaldignitariesusurped,alongwiththecommonland,thelabourspentuponit。Thelabourofthefreepeasantsontheircommonlandwastransformedintocorvéeforthethievesofthecommonland。Thiscorvéesoondevelopedintoaservilerelationshipexistinginpointoffact,notinpointoflaw,untilRussia,theliberatoroftheworld,madeitlegalunderpresenceofabolishingserfdom。Thecodeofthecorvée,whichtheRussianGeneralKisseleffproclaimedin1831,wasofcoursedictatedbytheBoyardsthemselves。ThusRussiaconqueredwithoneblowthemagnatesoftheDanubianprovinces,andtheapplauseofliberalcretinsthroughoutEurope。
Accordingtothe"Réglementorganique,"asthiscodeofthecorvéeiscalled,everyWallachianpeasantowestotheso—calledlandlord,besidesamassofdetailedpaymentsinkind:(1),12daysofgenerallabour;(2),onedayoffieldlabour;(3),onedayofwoodcarrying。
Inall,14daysintheyear。WithdeepinsightintoPoliticalEconomy,however,theworking—dayisnottakeninitsordinarysense,butastheworking—daynecessarytotheproductionofanaveragedailyproduct;andthataveragedailyproductisdeterminedinsocraftyawaythatnoCyclopswouldbedonewithitin24hours。Indrywords,theRéglementitselfdeclareswithtrueRussianironythatby12working—daysonemustunderstandtheproductofthemanuallabourof36days,by1dayoffieldlabour3
days,andby1dayofwoodcarryinginlikemannerthreetimesasmuch。
Inall,42corvéedays。Tothishadtobeaddedtheso—calledjobagie,serviceduetothelordforextraordinaryoccasions。Inproportiontothesizeofitspopulation,everyvillagehastofurnishannuallyadefinitecontingenttothejobagie。Thisadditionalcorvéeisestimatedat14daysforeachWallachianpeasant。Thustheprescribedcorvéeamountsto56working—daysyearly。ButtheagriculturalyearinWallachianumbersinconsequenceofthesevereclimateonly210days,ofwhich40
forSundaysandholidays,30onanaverageforbadweather,together70
days,donotcount。140working—daysremain。Theratioofthecorvéetothenecessarylabour56/84or662/3%givesamuchsmallerrateofsurplus—valuethanthatwhichregulatesthelabouroftheEnglishagriculturalorfactorylabourer。Thisis,however,onlythelegallyprescribedcorvée。Andinaspirityetmore"liberal"thantheEnglishFactoryActs,the"Réglementorganique"hasknownhowtofacilitateitsownevasion。Afterithasmade56daysoutof12,thenominalday’sworkofeachofthe56corvéedaysisagainsoarrangedthataportionofitmustfallontheensuingday。Inoneday,e。g。,mustbeweededanextentofland,which,forthiswork,especiallyinmaizeplantations,needstwiceasmuchtime。Thelegalday’sworkforsomekindsofagriculturallabourisinterpretableinsuchawaythatthedaybeginsinMayandendsinOctober。InMoldaviaconditionsarestillharder。"The12corvéedaysofthe’Réglementorganique’criedaBoyarddrunkwithvictory,amountto365daysintheyear。"[12]
IftheRéglementorganiqueoftheDanubianprovinceswasapositiveexpressionofthegreedforsurplus—labourwhicheveryparagraphlegalised,theEnglishFactoryActsarethenegativeexpressionofthesamegreed。
Theseactscurbthepassionofcapitalforalimitlessdrainingoflabour—power,byforciblylimitingtheworking—daybystateregulations,madebyastatethatisruledbycapitalist—andlandlord。Apartfromtheworking—classmovementthatdailygrewmorethreatening,thelimitingoffactorylabourwasdictatedbythesamenecessitywhichspreadguanoovertheEnglishfields。Thesameblindeagernessforplunderthatintheonecaseexhaustedthesoil,had,intheother,tornupbytherootsthelivingforceofthenation。PeriodicalepidemicsspeakonthispointasclearlyasthediminishingmilitarystandardinGermanyandFrance。[13]
TheFactoryActof1850nowinforce(1867)allowsfortheaverageworking—day10hours,i。e。,forthefirst5days12hoursfrom6a。m。to6p。m。,including1/2anhourforbreakfast,andanhourfordinner,andthusleaving10
1/2working—hours,and8hoursforSaturday,from6a。m。to2p。m。,ofwhich1/2anhourissubtractedforbreakfast。60working—hoursareleft,101/2foreachofthefirst5days,71/2forthelast。[14]
Certainguardiansoftheselawsareappointed,FactoryInspectors,directlyundertheHomeSecretary,whosereportsarepublishedhalf—yearly,byorderofParliament。Theygiveregularandofficialstatisticsofthecapitalisticgreedforsurplus—labour。
Letuslisten,foramoment,totheFactoryInspectors。[15]"Thefraudulentmill—ownerbeginsworkaquarterofanhour(sometimesmore,sometimesless)before6a。m。,andleavesoffaquarterofanhour(sometimesmore,sometimesless)after6p。m。Hetakes5minutesfromthebeginningandfromtheendofthehalfhournominallyallowedforbreakfast,and10minutesatthebeginningandendofthehournominallyallowedfordinner。Heworksforaquarterofanhour(sometimesmore,sometimesless)
after2p。m。onSaturday。Thushisgainis?
Before6a。m。,……15minutes。
After6p。m。,……15"
Atbreakfasttime,……10"
Atdinnertime,……20"
棗棗棗
Fivedays?300minutes,60"
OnSaturdaybefore6a。m。,……15minutes。
Atbreakfasttime,……10"
After2p。m。,……15"
棗棗棗
40minutes。
Totalweekly,……340minutes。
Or5hoursand40minutesweekly,whichmultipliedby50workingweeksintheyear(allowingtwoforholidaysandoccasionalstoppages)isequalto27working—days。"[16]
"Fiveminutesaday’sincreasedwork,multipliedbyweeks,areequaltotwoandahalfdaysofproduceintheyear。"[17]
"Anadditionalhouradaygainedbysmallinstalmentsbefore6a。m。,after6p。m。,andatthebeginningandendofthetimesnominallyfixedformeals,isnearlyequivalenttoworking13monthsintheyear。"[18]
Crisesduringwhichproductionisinterruptedandthefactorieswork"shorttime,"i。e。,foronlyapartoftheweek,naturallydonotaffectthetendencytoextendtheworking—day。Thelessbusinessthereis,themoreprofithastobemadeonthebusinessdone。Thelesstimespentinwork,themoreofthattimehastobeturnedintosurpluslabour—time。
ThustheFactoryInspector’sreportontheperiodofthecrisisfrom1857to1858:
"Itmayseeminconsistentthatthereshouldbeanyoverworkingatatimewhentradeissobad;butthatverybadnessleadstothetransgressionbyunscrupulousmen,theygettheextraprofitofit……Inthelasthalfyear,saysLeonardHomer,122millsinmydistricthavebeengivenup;
143werefoundstanding,"yet,over—workiscontinuedbeyondthelegalhours。[19]
"Foragreatpartofthetime,"saysMr。Howell,"owingtothedepressionoftrade,manyfactorieswerealtogetherclosed,andastillgreaternumberwereworkingshorttime。Icontinue,however,toreceiveabouttheusualnumberofcomplaintsthathalf,orthree—quartersofanhourintheday,aresnatchedfromtheworkersbyencroachinguponthetimesprofessedlyallowedforrestandrefreshment。"[20]Thesamephenomenonwasreproducedonasmallerscaleduringthefrightfulcotton—crisesfrom1861to1865。[21]"Itissometimesadvancedbywayofexcuse,whenpersonsarefoundatworkinafactory,eitheratamealhour,oratsomeillegaltime,thattheywillnotleavethemillattheappointedhour,andthatcompulsionisnecessarytoforcethemtoceasework[cleaningtheirmachinery,&c。],especiallyonSaturdayafternoons。But,ifthehandsremaininafactoryafterthemachineryhasceasedtorevolve……theywouldnothavebeensoemployedifsufficienttimehadbeensetapartspeciallyforcleaning,&c。,eitherbefore6a。m。[sic。!]orbefore2p。m。
onSaturdayafternoons。"[22]
"Theprofittobegainedbyit(over—workinginviolationoftheAct)
appearstobe,tomany,agreatertemptationthantheycanresist;theycalculateuponthechanceofnotbeingfoundout;andwhentheyseethesmallamountofpenaltyandcosts,whichthosewhohavebeenconvictedhavehadtopay,theyfindthatiftheyshouldbedetectedtherewillstillbeaconsiderablebalanceofgain……[23]Incaseswheretheadditionaltimeisgainedbyamultiplicationofsmalltheftsinthecourseoftheday,thereareinsuperabledifficultiestotheinspectorsmakingoutacase。"[24]
These"smallthefts"ofcapitalfromthelabourer’smealandrecreationtime,thefactoryinspectorsalsodesignateas"pettypilferingsofminutes,"[25]"snatchingafewminutes,"[26]or,asthelabourerstechnicallycalledthem,"nibblingandcribblingatmeal—times。"[27]
Itisevidentthatinthisatmospheretheformationofsurplus—valuebysurplus—labour,isnosecret。"Ifyouallowme,"saidahighlyrespectablemastertome,"toworkonlytenminutesinthedayover—time,youputonethousandayearinmypocket。"[28]"Momentsaretheelementsofprofit。"[29]
Nothingisfromthispointofviewmorecharacteristicthanthedesignationoftheworkerswhoworkfulltimeas"full—timers,"andthechildrenunder13whoareonlyallowedtowork6hoursas"half—timers。"Theworkerisherenothingmorethanpersonifiedlabour—time。Allindividualdistinctionsaremergedinthoseof"full—timers"and"half—timers"[30]
SECTION3BRANCHESOFENGLISHINDUSTRYWITHOUTLEGALLIMITSTOEXPLOITATION
Wehavehithertoconsideredthetendencytotheextensionoftheworking—day,thewere—wolf’shungerforsurplus—labourinadepartmentwherethemonstrousexactions,notsurpassed,saysanEnglishbourgeoiseconomist,bythecrueltiesoftheSpaniardstotheAmericanred—skins,[31]causedcapitalatlasttobeboundbythechainsoflegalregulations。
Now,letuscastaglanceatcertainbranchesofproductioninwhichtheexploitationoflabouriseitherfreefromfetterstothisday,orwassoyesterday。
Mr。BroughtonCharlton,countymagistrate,declared,aschairmanofameetingheldattheAssemblyRooms,Nottingham,onthe14thJanuary,1860,"thattherewasanamountofprivationandsufferingamongthatportionofthepopulationconnectedwiththelacetrade,unknowninotherpartsofthekingdom,indeed,inthecivilisedworld……Childrenofnineortenyearsaredraggedfromtheirsqualidbedsattwo,three,orfouro’clockinthemorningandcompelledtoworkforabaresubsistenceuntilten,eleven,ortwelveatnight,theirlimbswearingaway,theirframesdwindling,theirfaceswhitening,andtheirhumanityabsolutelysinkingintoastone—liketorpor,utterlyhorribletocontemplate……WearenotsurprisedthatMr。Mallett,oranyothermanufacturer,shouldstandforwardandprotestagainstdiscussion……Thesystem,astheRev。MontaguValpydescribesit,isoneofunmitigatedslavery,socially,physically,morally,andspiritually……Whatcanbethoughtofatownwhichholdsapublicmeetingtopetitionthattheperiodoflabourformenshallbediminishedtoeighteenhoursaday?……WedeclaimagainsttheVirginianandCaroliniancotton—planters。Istheirblack—market,theirlash,andtheirbarterofhumanfleshmoredetestablethanthisslowsacrificeofhumanitywhichtakesplaceinorderthatveilsandcollarsmaybefabricatedforthebenefitofcapitalists?’’[32]
ThepotteriesofStaffordshirehave,duringthelast22years,beenthesubjectofthreeparliamentaryinquiries。TheresultisembodiedinMr。Scriven’sReportof1841tothe"Children’sEmploymentCommissioners,"
inthereportofDr。Greenhowof1860publishedbyorderofthemedicalofficerofthePrivyCouncil(PublicHealth,3rdReport,112—113),lastly,inthereportofMr。Longeof1862inthe"FirstReportoftheChildren’sEmploymentCommission,ofthe13thJune,1863。"Formypurposeitisenoughtotake,fromthereportsof1860and1863,somedepositionsoftheexploitedchildrenthemselves。Fromthechildrenwemayformanopinionastotheadults,especiallythegirlsandwomen,andthatinabranchofindustrybythesideofwhichcotton—spinningappearsanagreeableandhealthfuloccupation。[33]
WilliamWood,9yearsold,was7yearsand10monthswhenhebegantowork。He"ranmoulds"(carriedready—mouldedarticlesintothedrying—room,afterwardsbringingbacktheemptymould)fromthebeginning。Hecametoworkeverydayintheweekat6a。m。,andleftoffabout9p。m。"Iworktill9o’clockatnightsixdaysintheweek。Ihavedonesosevenoreightweeks。"Fifteenhoursoflabourforachild7yearsold!J。Murray,12
yearsofage,says:"Iturnjigger,andrunmoulds。Icomeat6。SometimesIcomeat4。Iworkedallnightlastnight,till6o’clockthismorning。
Ihavenotbeeninbedsincethenightbeforelast。Therewereeightornineotherboysworkinglastnight。Allbutonehavecomethismorning。
Iget3shillingsandsixpence。Idonotgetanymoreforworkingatnight。
Iworkedtwonightslastweek。"Fernyhough,aboyoften:"Ihavenotalwaysanhour(fordinner)。Ihaveonlyhalfanhoursometimes;onThursday,Friday,andSaturday。[34]
Dr。GreenhowstatesthattheaveragedurationoflifeinthepotterydistrictsofStoke—on—Trent,andWolstantonisextraordinarilyshort。AlthoughinthedistrictofStoke,only36。6%andinWolstantononly30。4%
oftheadultmalepopulationabove20areemployedinthepotteries,amongthemenofthatageinthefirstdistrictmorethanhalf,inthesecond,nearly2/5ofthewholedeathsaretheresultofpulmonarydiseasesamongthepotters。Dr。Boothroyd,amedicalpractitioneratHanley,says:"Eachsuccessivegenerationofpottersismoredwarfedandlessrobustthantheprecedingone。"Inlikemanneranotherdoctor,Mr。M’Bean:"Sincehebegantopracticeamongthepotters25yearsago,hehadobservedamarkeddegenerationespeciallyshownindiminutionofstatureandbreadth。"ThesestatementsaretakenfromthereportofDr。Greenhowin1860。[35]
FromthereportoftheCommissionersin1863,thefollowing:Dr。J。
T。Arledge,seniorphysicianoftheNorthStaffordshireInfirmary,says:
"Thepottersasaclass,bothmenandwomen,representadegeneratedpopulation,bothphysicallyandmorally。Theyare,asarule,stuntedingrowth,ill—shaped,andfrequentlyill—formedinthechest;theybecomeprematurelyold,andarecertainlyshort—lived;theyarephlegmaticandbloodless,andexhibittheirdebilityofconstitutionbyobstinateattacksofdyspepsia,anddisordersoftheliverandkidneys,andbyrheumatism。Butofalldiseasestheyareespeciallypronetochest—disease,topneumonia,phthisis,bronchitis,andasthma。Oneformwouldappearpeculiartothem,andisknownaspotter’sasthma,orpotter’sconsumption。Scrofulaattackingtheglands,orbones,orotherpartsofthebody,isadiseaseoftwo—thirdsormoreofthepotters……Thatthe’degenerescence’ofthepopulationofthisdistrictisnotevengreaterthanitis,isduetotheconstantrecruitingfromtheadjacentcountry,andintermarriageswithmorehealthyraces。"[36]
Mr。CharlesParsons,latehousesurgeonofthesameinstitution,writesinalettertoCommissionerLonge,amongstotherthings:"Icanonlyspeakfrompersonalobservationandnotfromstatisticaldata,butIdonothesitatetoassertthatmyindignationhasbeenarousedagainandagainatthesightofpoorchildrenwhosehealthhasbeensacrificedtogratifytheavariceofeitherparentsoremployers。"Heenumeratesthecausesofthediseasesofthepotters,andsumsthemupinthephrase,"longhours。"ThereportoftheCommissiontruststhat"amanufacturewhichhasassumedsoprominentaplaceinthewholeworld,willnotlongbesubjecttotheremarkthatitsgreatsuccessisaccompaniedwiththephysicaldeterioration,widespreadbodilysuffering,andearlydeathoftheworkpeople……bywhoselabourandskillsuchgreatresultshavebeenachieved。"[37]AndallthatholdsofthepotteriesinEnglandistrueofthoseinScotland。[38]
Themanufactureoflucifermatchesdatesfrom1833,fromthediscoveryofthemethodofapplyingphosphorustothematchitself。Since1845thismanufacturehasrapidlydevelopedinEngland,andhasextendedespeciallyamongstthethicklypopulatedpartsofLondonaswellasinManchester,Birmingham,Liverpool,Bristol,Norwich,NewcastleandGlasgow。Withithasspreadtheformoflockjaw,whichaViennaphysicianin1845discoveredtobeadiseasepeculiartolucifer—matchmakers。Halftheworkersarechildrenunderthirteen,andyoungpersonsundereighteen。Themanufactureisonaccountofitsunhealthinessandunpleasantnessinsuchbadodourthatonlythemostmiserablepartofthelabouringclass,half—starvedwidowsandsoforth,deliveruptheirchildrentoit,"theragged,half—starved,untaughtchildren。"[39]
OfthewitnessesthatCommissionerWhiteexamined(1863),270wereunder18,50under10,10only8,and5only6yearsold。Arangeoftheworking—dayfrom12to14or15hours,night—labour,irregularmeal—times,mealsforthemostparttakenintheveryworkroomsthatarepestilentwithphosphorus。
DantewouldhavefoundtheworsthorrorsofhisInfernosurpassedinthismanufacture。
Inthemanufactureofpaper—hangingsthecoarsersortsareprintedbymachine;thefinerbyhand(block—printing)。ThemostactivebusinessmonthsarefromthebeginningofOctobertotheendofApril。Duringthistimetheworkgoesonfastandfuriouswithoutintermissionfrom6a。m。to10
p。m。orfurtherintothenight。
J。Leachdeposes:"Lastwintersixoutofnineteengirlswereawayfromill—healthatonetimefromover—work。Ihavetobawlatthemtokeepthemawake。"W。Duffy:"Ihaveseenwhenthechildrencouldnoneofthemkeeptheireyesopenforthework;indeed,noneofuscould。"J。Lightbourne:
"Am13Weworkedlastwintertill9(evening),andthewinterbeforetill10。Iusedtocrywithsorefeeteverynightlastwinter。"G。Apsden:"Thatboyofminewhenhewas7yearsoldIusedtocarryhimonmybacktoandfrothroughthesnow,andheusedtohave16hoursaday……Ihaveoftenkneltdowntofeedhimashestoodbythemachine,forhecouldnotleaveitorstop。"Smith,themanagingpartnerofaManchesterfactory:"We(hemeanshis"hands"whoworkfor"us")workonwithnostoppageformeals,sothatday’sworkof101/2hoursisfinishedby4。30p。m。,andallafterthatisover—time。"[40](DoesthisMr。Smithtakenomealshimselfduring101/2hours?)"We(thissameSmith)seldomleaveoffworkingbefore6p。m。(hemeansleaveofftheconsumptionof"our"labour—powermachines),sothatwe(iterumCrispinus)
arereallyworkingover—timethewholeyearroundForallthese,childrenandadultsalike(152childrenandyoungpersonsand140adults),theaverageworkforthelast18monthshasbeenattheveryleast7days,5hours,or781/2hoursaweek。ForthesixweeksendingMay2ndthisyear(1862),theaveragewashigher?8daysor84hoursaweek。"StillthissameMr。
Smith,whoissoextremelydevotedtothepluralismajestatis,addswithasmile,"Machine—workisnotgreat。"Sotheemployersintheblock—printingsay:"Handlabourismorehealthythanmachinework。"Onthewhole,manufacturersdeclarewithindignationagainsttheproposal"tostopthemachinesatleastduringmeal—times。"Aclause,saysMr。Otley,managerofawall—paperfactoryintheBorough,"whichallowedworkbetween,say6a。m。and9p。inwouldsuitus(!)verywell,butthefactoryhours,6a。m。to6p。m。,arenotsuitable。Ourmachineisalwaysstoppedfordinner。(Whatgenerosity!)Thereisnowasteofpaperandcolourtospeakof。But,"headdssympathetically,"Icanunderstandthelossoftimenotbeingliked。"ThereportoftheCommissionopineswithnaïvetethatthefearofsome"leadingfirms"oflosingtime,i。e。,thetimeforappropriatingthelabourofothers,andthencelosingprofitisnotasufficientreasonforallowingchildrenunder13,andyoungpersonsunder18,working12to16hoursperday,tolosetheirdinner,norforgivingittothemascoalandwateraresuppliedtothesteam—engine,soaptowool,oiltothewheel?asmerelyauxiliarymaterialtotheinstrumentsoflabour,duringtheprocessofproductionitself;[41]
NobranchofindustryinEngland(wedonottakeintoaccountthemakingofbreadbymachineryrecentlyintroduced)haspreserveduptothepresentdayamethodofproductionsoarchaic,so?asweseefromthepoetsoftheRomanEmpire?pre—christian,asbaking。Butcapital,aswassaidearlier,isatfirstindifferentastotp;technicalcharacterofthelabour—process;itbeginsbytakingitjustasitfindsit。
Theincredibleadulterationofbread,especiallyinLondon,wasfirstrevealedbytheHouseofCommonsCommittee"ontheadulterationofarticlesoffood"(1855—56),andDr。Hassall’swork,"Adulterationsdetected。"[42]TheconsequenceoftheserevelationswastheActofAugust6th,1860,"forpreventingtheadulterationofarticlesoffoodanddrink,"aninoperativelaw,asitnaturallyshowsthetenderestconsiderationforeveryFree—traderwhodeterminesbythebuyingorsellingofadulteratedcommodities"toturnanhonestpenny。"[43]TheCommitteeitselfformulatedmoreorlessnaïvelyitsconvictionthatFree—trademeantessentiallytradewithadulterated,orastheEnglishingeniouslyputit,"sophisticated"goods。InfactthiskindofsophistryknowsbetterthanProtagorashowtomakewhiteblack,andblackwhite,andbetterthantheEleaticshowtodemonstrateadoculosthateverythingisonlyappearance。[44]
AtalleventstheCommitteehaddirectedtheattentionofthepublictoits"dailybread,"andthereforetothebakingtrade。AtthesametimeinpublicmeetingsandinpetitionstoParliamentrosethecryoftheLondonjourneymenbakersagainsttheirover—work,&c。ThecrywassourgentthatMr。H。S。Tremenheere,alsoamemberoftheCommissionof1863severaltimesmentioned,wasappointedRoyalCommissionerofInquiry。Hisreport。[45]togetherwiththeevidencegiven,rousedcapitalist,orlandlord,orsinecurist,iscommandedtoeathisbreadinthesweatofhisbrow,buttheydidnotknowthathehadtoeatdailyinhisbreadacertainquantityofhumanperspirationmixedwiththedischargeofabscesses,cobwebs,deadblack—beetles,andputridGermanyeast,withoutcountingalum,sand,andotheragreeablemineralingredients。Withoutanyregardtohisholiness,Free—trade,thefreebaking—tradewasthereforeplacedunderthesupervisionoftheStateinspectors(CloseoftheParliamentarysessionof1863),andbythesameActofParliament,workfrom9intheeveningto5inthemorningwasforbiddenforjourneymenbakersunder18。Thelastclausespeaksvolumesastotheover—workinthisold—fashioned,homelylineofbusiness。
"TheworkofaLondonjourneymanbakerbegins,asarule,ataboutelevenatnight。Atthathourhe’makesthedough,’?alaboriousprocess,whichlastsfromhalfanhourtothreequartersofanhour,accordingtothesizeofthebatchorthelabourbestoweduponit。Hethenliesdownuponthekneading—board,whichisalsothecoveringofthetroughinwhichthedoughis’made’;andwithasackunderhim,andanotherrolledupasapillow,hesleepsforaboutacoupleofhours。Heisthenengagedinarapidandcontinuouslabourforaboutfivehours?nbsp;throwingoutthedough,’scalingitoff,’mouldingit,puttingitintotheoven,preparingandbakingrollsandfancybread,takingthebatchbreadoutoftheoven,andupintotheshop,&c。,&c。Thetemperatureofabakehouserangesfromabout75toupwardsof90degrees,andinthesmallerbakehousesapproximatesusuallytothehigherratherthantothelowerdegreeofheat。Whenthebusinessofmakingthebread,rolls,&c。,isover,thatofitsdistributionbegins,andaconsiderableproportionofthejourneymeninthetrade,afterworkinghardinthemannerdescribedduringthenight,areupontheirlegsformanyhoursduringtheday,carryingbaskets,orwheelinghand—carts,andsometimesagaininthebakehouse,leavingoffworkatvarioushoursbetween1and6p。m。accordingtotheseasonoftheyear,ortheamountandnatureoftheirmaster’sbusiness;
whileothersareagainengagedinthebakehousein’bringingout’morebatchesuntillateintheafternoon。[46]……Duringwhatiscalled’theLondonseason,’theoperativesbelongingtothe’full—priced’bakersattheWestEndofthetown,generallybeginworkat11p。m。,andareengagedinmakingthebread,withoneortwoshort(sometimesveryshort)intervalsofrest,upto8o’clockthenextmorning。
Theyarethenengagedalldaylong,upto4,5,6,andaslateas7o’clockintheeveningcarryingoutbread,orsometimesintheafternooninthebakehouseagain,assistinginthebiscuit—baking。Theymayhave,aftertheyhavedonetheirwork,sometimesfiveorsix,sometimesonlyfourorfivehours’sleepbeforetheybeginagain。OnFridaystheyalwaysbeginsooner,someaboutteno’clock,andcontinueinsomecases,atwork,eitherinmakingordeliveringthebreadupto8p。m。onSaturdaynight,butmoregenerallyupto4or5o’clock,Sundaymorning。OnSundaysthemenmustattendtwiceorthreetimesduringthedayforanhourortwotomakepreparationsforthenextday’sbread……
Themenemployedbytheundersellingmasters(whoselltheirbreadunderthe’fullprice,’andwho,asalreadypointedout,comprisethree—fourthsoftheLondonbakers)havenotonlytoworkontheaveragelongerhours,buttheirworkisalmostentirelyconfinedtothebakehouse。Theundersellingmastersgenerallyselltheirbread……intheshop。Iftheysenditout,whichisnotcommon,exceptassupplyingchandlers’shops,theyusuallyemployotherhandsforthatpurpose。Itisnottheirpracticetodeliverbreadfromhousetohouse。Towardstheendoftheweek……themenbeginonThursdaynightat10o’clock,andcontinueonwithonlyslightintermissionuntillateonSaturdayevening。"[47]
Eventhebourgeoisintellectunderstandsthepositionofthe"underselling"
masters。"Theunpaidlabourofthemenwasmadethesourcewherebythecompetitionwascarriedon。"[48]Andthe"full—priced"bakerdenounceshisundersellingcompetitorstotheCommissionofInquiryasthievesofforeignlabourandadulterators。"Theyonlyexistnowbyfirstdefraudingthepublic,andnextgetting18hours’
workoutoftheirmenfor12hours’wages。"[49]
Theadulterationofbreadandtheformationofaclassofbakersthatsellsthebreadbelowthefullprice,datefromthebeginningofthe18thcentury,fromthetimewhenthecorporatecharacterofthetradewaslost,andthecapitalistintheformofthemillerorflour—factor,risesbehindthenominalmasterbaker[50]Thuswaslaidthefoundationofcapitalisticproductioninthistrade,oftheunlimitedextensionoftheworking—dayandofnight—labour,althoughthelatteronlysince1824gainedaseriousfooting,eveninLondon。[51]
Afterwhathasjustbeensaid,itwillbeunderstoodthattheReportoftheCommissionclassesjourneymenbakersamongtheshort—livedlabourers,who,havingbygoodluckescapedthenormaldecimationofthechildrenoftheworking—class,rarelyreachtheageof42。Nevertheless,thebakingtradeisalwaysoverwhelmedwithapplicants。Thesourcesofthesupplyoftheselabour—powerstoLondonareScotland,thewesternagriculturaldistrictsofEngland,andGermany。
Intheyears1858—60,thejourneymenbakersinIrelandorganisedattheirownexpensegreatmeetingstoagitateagainstnightandSundaywork。
Thepublic?e。g。,attheDublinmeetinginMay,1860?tooktheirpartwithIrishwarmth。Asaresultofthismovement,day—labouralonewassuccessfullyestablishedinWexford,Kilkenny,Clonmel,Waterford,&p;"InLimerick,wherethegrievancesofthejourneymenaredemonstratedtobeexcessive,themovementhasbeendefeatedbytheoppositionofthemasterbakers,themillerbakersbeingthegreatestopponents。TheexampleofLimerickledtoaretrogressioninEnnisandTipperary。InCork,wherethestrongestpossibledemonstrationoffeelingtookplace,themasters,byexercisingtheirpowerofturningthemenoutofemployment,havedefeatedthemovement。InDublin,themasterbakershaveofferedthemostdeterminedoppositiontothemovement,andbydiscountenancingasmuchaspossiblethejourneymenpromotingit,havesucceededinleadingthemenintoacquiescenceinSundayworkandnight—work,contrarytotheconvictionsofthemen。"[52]
第20章