onthecontrary,heisaleaderofindustrybecauseheisacapitalist。
Theleadershipofindustryisanattributeofcapital,justasinfeudaltimesthefunctionsofgeneralandjudge,wereattributesoflandedproperty。[18]
Thelaboureristheownerofhislabour—poweruntilhehasdonebargainingforitssalewiththecapitalist;andhecansellnomorethanwhathehasi。e。,hisindividual,isolatedlabour—power。Thisstateofthingsisinnowayalteredbythefactthatthecapitalist,insteadofbuyingthelabour—powerofoneman,buysthatof100,andentersintoseparatecontractswith100unconnectedmeninsteadofwithone。Heisatlibertytosetthe100mentowork,withoutlettingthemco—operate。Hepaysthemthevalueof100independentlabour—powers,buthedoesnotpayforthecombinedlabour—powerofthehundred。Beingindependentofeachother,thelabourersareisolatedpersons,whoenterintorelationswiththecapitalist,butnotwithoneanother。Thisco—operationbeginsonlywiththelabour—process,buttheyhavethenceasedtobelongtothemselves。Onenteringthatprocess,theybecomeincorporatedwithcapital。Asco—operators,asmembersofaworkingorganism,theyarebutspecialmodesofexistenceofcapital。Hence,theproductivepowerdevelopedbythelabourerwhenworkinginco—operation,istheproductivepowerofcapital。Thispowerisdevelopedgratuitously,whenevertheworkmenareplacedundergivenconditions,anditiscapitalthatplacesthemundersuchconditions。Becausethispowercostscapitalnothing,andbecause,ontheotherhand,thelabourerhimselfdoesnotdevelopitbeforehislabourbelongstocapital,itappearsasapowerwithwhichcapitalisendowedbyNatureaproductivepowerthatisimmanentincapital。
Thecolossaleffectsofsimpleco—operationaretobeseeninthegiganticstructuresoftheancientAsiatics,Egyptians,Etruscans,&c。"IthashappenedintimespastthattheseOrientalStates,aftersupplyingtheexpensesoftheircivilandmilitaryestablishments,havefoundthemselvesinpossessionofasurpluswhichtheycouldapplytoworksofmagnificenceorutilityandintheconstructionofthesetheircommandoverthehandsandarmsofalmosttheentirenon—agriculturalpopulationhasproducedstupendousmonumentswhichstillindicatetheirpower。TheteemingvalleyoftheNile……producedfoodforaswarmingnon—agriculturalpopulation,andthisfood,belongingtothemonarchandthepriesthood,affordedthemeansoferectingthemightymonumentswhichfilledtheland……Inmovingthecolossalstatuesandvastmassesofwhichthetransportcreateswonder,humanlabouralmostalone,wasprodigallyused……Thenumberofthelabourersandtheconcentrationoftheireffortssufficed。
Weseemightycoralreefsrisingfromthedepthsoftheoceanintoislandsandfirmland,yeteachindividualdepositorispuny,weak,andcontemptible。Thenon—agriculturallabourersofanAsiaticmonarchyhavelittlebuttheirindividualbodilyexertionstobringtothetask,buttheirnumberistheirstrength,andthepowerofdirectingthesemassesgaverisetothepalacesandtemples,thepyramids,andthearmiesofgiganticstatuesofwhichtheremainsastonishandperplexus。Itisthatconfinementoftherevenueswhichfeedthem,tooneorafewhands,whichmakessuchundertakingspossible。"[19]ThispowerofAsiaticandEgyptiankings,Etruscantheocrats,&c。,hasinmodernsocietybeentransferredtothecapitalist,whetherhebeanisolated,orasinjoint—stockcompanies,acollectivecapitalist。
Co—operation,suchaswefinditatthedawnofhumandevelopment,amongraceswholivebythechase,[20]or,say,intheagricultureofIndiancommunities,isbased,ontheonehand,onownershipincommonofthemeansofproduction,andontheotherhand,onthefact,thatinthosecases,eachindividualhasnomoretornhimselfofffromthenavel—stringofhistribeorcommunity,thaneachbeehasfreeditselffromconnexionwiththehive。Suchco—operationisdistinguishedfromcapitalisticco—operationbybothoftheabovecharacteristics。
Thesporadicapplicationofco—operationonalargescaleinancienttimes,inthemiddleages,andinmoderncolonies,reposesonrelationsofdominionandservitude,principallyonslavery。Thecapitalisticform,onthecontrary,pre—supposesfromfirsttolast,thefreewage—labourer,whosellshislabour—powertocapital。Historically,however,thisformisdevelopedinoppositiontopeasantagricultureandtothecarryingonofindependenthandicraftswhetheringuildsornot。[21]Fromthestandpointofthese,capitalisticco—operationdoesnotmanifestitselfasaparticularhistoricalformofco—operation,butco—operationitselfappearstobeahistoricalformpeculiarto,andspecificallydistinguishing,thecapitalistprocessofproduction。
Justasthesocialproductivepoweroflabourthatisdevelopedbyco—operation,appearstobetheproductivepowerofcapital,soco—operationitself,contrastedwiththeprocessofproductioncarriedonbyisolatedindependentlabourers,orevenbysmallemployers,appearstobeaspecificformofthecapitalistprocessofproduction。Itisthefirstchangeexperiencedbytheactuallabour—process,whensubjectedtocapital。Thischangetakesplacespontaneously。Thesimultaneousemploymentofalargenumberofwage—labourers,inoneandthesameprocess,whichisanecessaryconditionofthischange,alsoformsthestarting—pointofcapitalistproduction。Thispointcoincideswiththebirthofcapitalitself。Ifthen,ontheonehand,thecapitalistmodeofproductionpresentsitselftoushistorically,asanecessaryconditiontothetransformationofthelabour—processintoasocialprocess,so,ontheotherhand,thissocialformofthelabour—processpresentsitself,asamethodemployedbycapitalforthemoreprofitableexploitationoflabour,byincreasingthatlabour’sproductiveness。
Intheelementaryform,underwhichwehavehithertoviewedit,co—operationisanecessaryconcomitantofallproductiononalargescale,butitdoesnot,initself,representafixedformcharacteristicofaparticularepochinthedevelopmentofthecapitalistmodeofproduction。Atthemostitappearstodoso,andthatonlyapproximately,inthehandicraft—likebeginningsofmanufacture,[22]andinthatkindofagricultureonalargescale,whichcorrespondstotheepochofmanufacture,andisdistinguishedfrompeasantagriculture,mainlybythenumberofthelabourerssimultaneouslyemployed,andbythemassofthemeansofproductionconcentratedfortheiruse。Simpleco—operationisalwaystheprevailingform,inthosebranchesofproductioninwhichcapitaloperatesonalargescale,anddivisionoflabourandmachineryplaybutasubordinatepart。
Co—operationeverconstitutesthefundamentalformofthecapitalistmodeofproduction,neverthelesstheelementaryformofco—operationcontinuestosubsistasaparticularformofcapitalistproductionsidebysidewiththemoredevelopedformsofthatmodeofproduction。
Footnotes[1]"Unquestionably,thereisagooddealofdifferencebetweenthevalueofoneman’slabourandthatofanotherfromstrength,dexterity,andhonestapplication。ButIamquitesure,frommybestobservation,thatanygivenfivemenwill,intheirtotal,affordaproportionoflabourequaltoanyotherfivewithintheperiodsoflifeIhavestated;thatis,thatamongsuchfivementherewillbeonepossessingallthequalificationsofagoodworkman,onebad,andtheotherthreemiddling,andapproximatingtothefirst,andthelast。Sothatinsosmallaplatoonasthatofevenfive,youwillfindthefullcomplementofallthatfivemencanearn。"
(E。Burke,1。c。,pp。15,16。)CompareQuételetontheaverageindividual。
[2]ProfessorRoscherclaimstohavediscoveredthatoneneedlewomanemployedbyMrs。Roscherduringtwodays,doesmoreworkthantwoneedlewomenemployedtogetherduringoneday。Thelearnedprofessorshouldnotstudythecapitalistprocessofproductioninthenursery,norundercircumstanceswheretheprincipalpersonage,thecapitalist,iswanting。
[3]"Concoursdeforces。"(DestuttdeTracy,l。c。,p。80。)
[4]Therearenumerousoperationsofsosimpleakindasnottoadmitadivisionintoparts,whichcannotbeperformedwithouttheco—operationofmanypairsofhands。Iwouldinstancetheliftingofalargetreeontoawain……,everything,inshort,whichcannotbedoneunlessagreatmanypairsofhandshelpeachotherinthesameundividedemploymentandatthesametime。"(E。G。Wakefield:"AViewoftheArtofColonisation。"London,1849,p。168。)
[5]"Asonemancannot,andtenmenmuststraintoliftatonofweight,yet100mencandoitonlybythestrengthofafingerofeachofthem。"(JohnBetters:"ProposalsforRaisingaColledgeofIndustry。"London,1696,p。21。)
[6]"Thereisalso"(whenthesamenumberofmenareemployedbyonefarmeron300acres,insteadofbytenfarmerswith30acresapiece)"anadvantageintheproportionofservants,whichwillnotsoeasilybeunderstoodbutbypracticalmen;foritisnaturaltosay,as1isto4,soare3to12;
butthiswillnotholdgoodinpractice;forinharvesttimeandmanyotheroperationswhichrequirethatkindofdespatchbythethrowingmanyhandstogether,theworkisbetterandmoreexpeditiouslydone:fi。inharvest,2drivers,2loaders,2pitchers,2rakers,andtherestattherick,orinthebarn,willdespatchdoubletheworkthatthesamenumberofhandswoulddoifdividedintodifferentgangsondifferentfarms。"("AnInquiryintotheConnexionbetweenthePresentPriceofProvisionsandtheSizeofFarms。"ByaFarmer。London,1773,pp。7,8。)
[7]Strictly,Aristotle’sdefinitionisthatmanisbynatureatown—citizen。
ThisisquiteascharacteristicofancientclassicalsocietyasFranklin’sdefinitionofman,asatool—makinganimal,ischaracteristicofYankeedom。
[8]"Ondoitencoreremarquerquecettedivisionpartielledetravailpeutsefairequandmêmelesouvrierssontoccupesd’unemêmebesogne。
Desmaçonsparexemple,occupésàfairepasserdemainsenmainsdesbriquesàunéchafaudagesupérieur,fonttouslamêmebesogne,etpourtantilexisteparmieuxuneespècededivisiondetravail,quiconsisteencequechacund’euxfaitpasserlabriqueparunespacedonné,etquetousensemblelafontparvenirbeaucouppluspromptementàl’endroitmarquequ’ilsneleferaientsichacund’euxportaitsabriqueséparémentjusqu’à
l’échafaudagesupérieur。"(F。Skarbek:"Théoriedesrichessessociales。"Paris,1839,t。I,pp。97,98。)
[9]"Est—ilquestiond’exécuteruntravailcompliqué,plusieurschosesdoiventêtrefaitessimultanément。L’unenfaitunependantquel’autreenfaituneautre,ettouscontribuentàl’effetqu’unsenthommen’auraitpuproduire。L’unramependantqueI’autretientlegouvernail,etqu’untroisièmejettelefiletonharponnelepoisson,etlapêcheaunsuccèsimpossiblesansceconcours。"
(DestuttdeTracy,l。c。)
[10]"Thedoingofit(agriculturalwork)atthecriticaljunctureisofsomuchthegreaterconsequence。"("AnInquiryintotheConnexionbetweenthePresentPrice,"&c。,p。9。)"Inagriculture,thereisnomoreimportantfactorthanthatoftime。"(Liebig:"UeberTheorieundPraxisinderLandwirtschaft。"
1856,p。23。)
[11]"Thenextevilisonewhichonewouldscarcelyexpecttofindinacountrywhichexportsmorelabourthananyotherintheworld,withtheexception,perhaps,ofChinaandEnglandtheimpossibilityofprocuringasufficientnumberofhandstocleanthecotton。Theconsequenceofthisisthatlargequantitiesofthecropareleftunpicked,whileanotherportionisgatheredfromthegroundwhenithasfallen,andisofcoursediscolouredandpartiallyrotted,sothatforwantoflabourattheproperseasonthecultivatorisactuallyforcedtosubmittothelossofalargepartofthatcropforwhichEnglandissoanxiouslylooking。"("BengalHurkaru。"Bi—MonthlyOverlandSummaryofNews,22ndJuly,1861。)
[12]Intheprogressofculture"all,andperhapsmorethanall,thecapitalandlabourwhichoncelooselyoccupied500acres,arenowconcentratedforthemorecompletetillageof100。"Although"relativelytotheamountofcapitalandlabouremployed,spaceisconcentrated,itisanenlargedsphereofproduction,ascomparedtothesphereofproductionformerlyoccupiedorworkeduponbyonesingleindependentagentofproduction。"
(R。Jones:"AnEssayontheDistributionofWealth,"partI。OnRent。London,1831。p。191。)
[13]"Laforzadiciascunouomoèminima,malariunionedelleminimeforzeformaunaforzatotalemaggioreanchedellasommadelleforzemedesimefinoacheleforzeperessereriunitepossonodiminuereiltempoedaccrescerelospaziodellaloroazione。"(G。R。Carli,NotetoP。Verri,l。c。,t。
xv。,p。196。)
[14]"Profits……isthesoleendoftrade。"(J。Vanderlint,l。c。,p。11。)
[15]ThatPhilistinepaper,theSpectator,statesthataftertheintroductionofasortofpartnershipbetweencapitalistandworkmeninthe"WireworkCompanyofManchester,""thefirstresultwasasuddendecreaseinwaste,themennotseeingwhytheyshouldwastetheirownpropertyanymorethananyothermaster’s,andwasteis,perhaps,nexttobaddebts,thegreatestsourceofmanufacturingloss。"ThesamepaperfindsthatthemaindefectintheRochdaleco—operativeexperimentsisthis:"Theyshowedthatassociationsofworkmencouldmanageshops,mills,andalmostallformsofindustrywithsuccess,andtheyimmediatelyimprovedtheconditionofthemen;butthentheydidnotleaveaclearplaceformasters。"Quellehorreur!
[16]ProfessorCairnes,afterstatingthatthesuperintendenceoflabourisaleadingfeatureofproductionbyslavesintheSouthernStatesofNorthAmerica,continues:"Thepeasantproprietor(oftheNorth),appropriatingthewholeproduceofhistoil,needsnootherstimulustoexertion。Superintendenceisherecompletelydispensedwith。"(Cairnes,l。c。,pp。48,49。)
[17]SirJamesSteuart,awriteraltogetherremarkableforhisquickeyeforthecharacteristicsocialdistinctionsbetweendifferentmodesofproduction,says:"Whydolargeundertakingsinthemanufacturingwayruinprivateindustry,butbycomingnearertothesimplicityofslaves?"("Prin。ofPol。Econ。,"London,1767,v。I。,pp。167,168。)
[18]AugusteComteandhisschoolmightthereforehaveshownthatfeudallordsareaneternalnecessityinthesamewaythattheyhavedoneinthecaseofthelordsofcapital。
[19]R。Jones。"TextbookofLectures,"&c。,pp。77,78。TheancientAssyrian,Egyptian,andothercollectionsinLondon,andinotherEuropeancapitals,makeuseye—witnessesofthemodesofcarryingonthatco—operativelabour。
[20]Linguetisimprobablyright,wheninhis"ThéoriedesLoisCiviles,"
hedeclareshuntingtobethefirstformofco—operation,andman—hunting(war)oneoftheearliestformsofhunting。
[21]Peasantagricultureonasmallscale,andthecarryingonofindependenthandicrafts,whichtogetherformthebasisofthefeudalmodeofproduction,andafterthedissolutionofthatsystem,continuesidebysidewiththecapitalistmode,alsoformtheeconomicfoundationoftheclassicalcommunitiesattheirbest,aftertheprimitiveformofownershipoflandincommonhaddisappeared,andbeforeslaveryhadseizedonproductioninearnest。
[22]"Whethertheunitedskill,industry,andemulationofmanytogetheronthesameworkbenotthewaytoadvanceit?AndwhetherithadbeenotherwisepossibleforEngland,tohavecarriedonherWoollenManufacturetosogreataperfection?"(Berkeley。"TheQuerist。"London,1751,p。56,par。
521。)
ChapterFourteenKarlMarxCapitalVolumeOnePartIV:
DivisionofLabourandManufactureCHAPTERFOURTEEN:
DIVISIONOFLABOURANDMANUFACTURE
ContentsSection1—Two—foldOriginofManufactureSection2—TheDetailLabourerandhisImplementsSection3—TheTwoFundamentalFormsofManufacture:
HeterogeneousManufacture,SerialManufactureSection4—DivisionofLabourinManufacture,andDivisionofLabourinSocietySection5—TheCapitalisticCharacterofManufactureSECTION1TWO—FOLDORIGINOFMANUFACTURE
Thatco—operationwhichisbasedondivisionoflabour,assumesitstypicalforminmanufacture,andistheprevalentcharacteristicformofthecapitalistprocessofproductionthroughoutthemanufacturingperiodproperlysocalled。Thatperiod,roughlyspeaking,extendsfromthemiddleofthe16thtothelastthirdofthe18thcentury。
Manufacturetakesitsriseintwoways:
(1。)Bytheassemblage,inoneworkshopunderthecontrolofasinglecapitalist,oflabourersbelongingtovariousindependenthandicrafts,butthroughwhosehandsagivenarticlemustpassonitswaytocompletion。
Acarriage,forexample,wasformerlytheproductofthelabourofagreatnumberofindependentartificers,suchaswheelwrigths,harness—makers,tailors,locksmiths,upholsterers,turners,fringe—makers,glaziers,painters,polishers,gilders,&c。Inthemanufactureofcarriages,however,allthesedifferentartificersareassembledinonebuildingwheretheyworkintooneanother’shands。Itistruethatacarriagecannotbegiltbeforeithasbeenmade。Butifanumberofcarriagesarebeingmadesimultaneously,somemaybeinthehandsofthegilderswhileothersaregoingthroughanearlierprocess。Sofar,wearestillinthedomainofsimpleco—operation,whichfindsitsmaterialsreadytohandintheshapeofmenandthings。Butverysoonanimportantchangetakesplace。Thetailor,thelocksmith,andtheotherartificers,beingnowexclusivelyoccupiedincarriage—making,eachgraduallyloses,throughwantofpractice,theabilitytocarryon,toitsfullextent,hisoldhandicraft。But,ontheotherhand,hisactivitynowconfinedinonegroove,assumestheformbestadaptedtothenarrowedsphereofaction。Atfirst,carriagemanufactureisacombinationofvariousindependenthandicrafts。Bydegrees,itbecomesthesplittingupofcarriage—makingintoitsvariousdetailprocesses,eachofwhichcrystallisesintotheexclusivefunctionofaparticularworkman,themanufacture,asawhole,beingcarriedonbythemeninconjunction。Inthesameway,clothmanufacture,asalsoawholeseriesofothermanufactures,arosebycombiningdifferenthandicraftstogetherunderthecontrolofasinglecapitalist。[1]
(2。)Manufacturealsoarisesinawayexactlythereverseofthisnamely,byonecapitalistemployingsimultaneouslyinoneworkshopanumberofartificers,whoalldothesame,orthesamekindofwork,suchasmakingpaper,type,orneedles。Thisisco—operationinitsmostelementaryform。
Eachoftheseartificers(withthehelp,perhaps,ofoneortwoapprentices),makestheentirecommodity,andheconsequentlyperformsinsuccessionalltheoperationsnecessaryforitsproduction。Hestillworksinhisoldhandicraft—likeway。Butverysoonexternalcircumstancescauseadifferentusetobemadeoftheconcentrationoftheworkmenononespot,andofthesimultaneousnessoftheirwork。Anincreasedquantityofthearticlehasperhapstobedeliveredwithinagiventime。Theworkisthereforere—distributed。Insteadofeachmanbeingallowedtoperformallthevariousoperationsinsuccession,theseoperationsarechangedintodisconnected,isolatedones,carriedonsidebyside;eachisassignedtoadifferentartificer,andthewholeofthemtogetherareperformedsimultaneouslybytheco—operatingworkmen。Thisaccidentalrepartitiongetsrepeated,developsadvantagesofitsown,andgraduallyossifiesintoasystematicdivisionoflabour。Thecommodity,frombeingtheindividualproductofanindependentartificer,becomesthesocialproductofaunionofartificers,eachofwhomperformsone,andonlyone,oftheconstituentpartialoperations。
Thesameoperationswhich,inthecaseofapapermakerbelongingtoaGermanGuild,mergedoneintotheotherasthesuccessiveactsofoneartificer,becameintheDutchpapermanufacturesomanypartialoperationscarriedonsidebysidebynumerousco—operatinglabourers。TheneedlemakeroftheNurembergGuildwasthecornerstoneonwhichtheEnglishneedlemanufacturewasraised。ButwhileinNurembergthatsingleartificerperformedaseriesofperhaps20operationsoneafteranother,inEnglanditwasnotlongbeforetherewere20needlemakerssidebyside,eachperformingonealoneofthose20operations,andinconsequenceoffurtherexperience,eachofthose20operationswasagainsplitup,isolated,andmadetheexclusivefunctionofaseparateworkman。
Themodeinwhichmanufacturearises,itsgrowthoutofhandicrafts,isthereforetwo—fold。Ontheonehand,itarisesfromtheunionofvariousindependenthandicrafts,whichbecomestrippedoftheirindependenceandspecialisedtosuchanextentastobereducedtomeresupplementarypartialprocessesintheproductionofoneparticularcommodity。Ontheotherhand,itarisesfromtheco—operationofartificersofonehandicraft;itsplitsupthatparticularhandicraftintoitsvariousdetailoperations,isolating,andmakingtheseoperationsindependentofoneanotheruptothepointwhereeachbecomestheexclusivefunctionofaparticularlabourer。Ontheonehand,therefore,manufactureeitherintroducesdiversionoflabourintoaprocessofproduction,orfurtherdevelopsthatdivision;ontheotherhand,itunitestogetherhandicraftsthatwereformerlyseparate。
Butwhatevermayhavebeenitsparticularstarting—point,itsfinalformisinvariablythesameaproductivemechanismwhosepartsarehumanbeings。
Foraproperunderstandingofthedivisionoflabourinmanufacture,itisessentialthatthefollowingpointsbefirmlygrasped。First,thedecompositionofaprocessofproductionintoitsvarioussuccessivestepscoincides,here,strictlywiththeresolutionofahandicraftintoitssuccessivemanualoperations。Whethercomplexorsimple,eachoperationhastobedonebyhand,retainsthecharacterofahandicraft,andisthereforedependentonthestrength,skill,quickness,andsureness,oftheindividualworkmaninhandlinghistools。Thehandicraftcontinuestobethebasis。
Thisnarrowtechnicalbasisexcludesareallyscientificanalysisofanydefiniteprocessofindustrialproduction,sinceitisstillaconditionthateachdetailprocessgonethroughbytheproductmustbecapableofbeingdonebyhandandofforming,initsway,aseparatehandicraft。Itisjustbecausehandicraftskillcontinues,inthisway,tobethefoundationoftheprocessofproduction,thateachworkmanbecomesexclusivelyassignedtoapartialfunction,andthatfortherestofhislife,hislabour—poweristurnedintotheorganofthisdetailfunction。
Secondly,thisdivisionoflabourisaparticularsortofco—operation,andmanyofitsdisadvantagesspringfromthegeneralcharacterofco—operation,andnotfromthisparticularformofit。
SECTION2THEDETAILLABOURERANDHISIMPLEMENTS
Ifwenowgomoreintodetail,itis,inthefirstplace,clearthatalabourerwhoallhislifeperformsoneandthesamesimpleoperation,convertshiswholebodyintotheautomatic,specialisedimplementofthatoperation。Consequently,hetakeslesstimeindoingit,thantheartificerwhoperformsawholeseriesofoperationsinsuccession。Butthecollectivelabourer,whoconstitutesthelivingmechanismofmanufacture,ismadeupsolelyofsuchspecialiseddetaillabourers。Hence,incomparisonwiththeindependenthandicraft,moreisproducedinagiventime,ortheproductivepoweroflabourisincreased。[2]Moreover,whenoncethisfractionalworkisestablishedastheexclusivefunctionofoneperson,themethodsitemploysbecomeperfected。Theworkman’scontinuedrepetitionofthesamesimpleact,andtheconcentrationofhisattentiononit,teachhimbyexperiencehowtoattainthedesiredeffectwiththeminimumofexertion。Butsincetherearealwaysseveralgenerationsoflabourerslivingatonetime,andworkingtogetheratthemanufactureofagivenarticle,thetechnicalskill,thetricksofthetradethusacquired,becomeestablished,andareaccumulatedandhandeddown。[3]
Manufacture,infact,producestheskillofthedetaillabourer,byreproducing,andsystematicallydrivingtoanextremewithintheworkshop,thenaturallydevelopeddifferentiationoftradeswhichitfoundreadytohandinsocietyatlarge。Ontheotherhand,theconversionoffractionalworkintothelife—callingofoneman,correspondstothetendencyshownbyearliersocieties,tomaketradeshereditary;eithertopetrifythemintocastes,orwheneverdefinitehistoricalconditionsbegetintheindividualatendencytovaryinamannerincompatiblewiththenatureofcastes,toossifythemintoguilds。Castesandguildsarisefromtheactionofthesamenaturallaw,thatregulatesthedifferentiationofplantsandanimalsintospeciesandvarieties,exceptthat,whenacertaindegreeofdevelopmenthasbeenreached,theheredityofcastesandtheexclusivenessofguildsareordainedasalawofsociety。[4]
"ThemuslinsofDakkainfineness,thecalicoesandotherpiecegoodsofCoromandelinbrilliantanddurablecolours,haveneverbeensurpassed。Yettheyareproducedwithoutcapital,machinery,divisionoflabour,oranyofthosemeanswhichgivesuchfacilitiestothemanufacturinginterestofEurope。Theweaverismerelyadetachedindividual,workingawebwhenorderedofacustomer,andwithaloomoftherudestconstruction,consistingsometimesofafewbranchesorbarsofwood,putroughlytogether。Thereisevennoexpedientforrollingupthewarp;theloommustthereforebekeptstretchedtoitsfulllength,andbecomessoinconvenientlylarge,thatitcannotbecontainedwithinthehutofthemanufacturer,whoisthereforecompelledtoplyhistradeintheopenair,whereitisinterruptedbyeveryvicissitudeoftheweather。"[5]Itisonlythespecialskillaccumulatedfromgenerationtogeneration,andtransmittedfromfathertoson,thatgivestotheHindu,asitdoestothespider,thisproficiency。AndyettheworkofsuchaHinduweaverisverycomplicated,comparedwiththatofamanufacturinglabourer。
Anartificer,whoperformsoneafteranotherthevariousfractionaloperationsintheproductionofafinishedarticle,mustatonetimechangehisplace,atanotherhistools。Thetransitionfromoneoperationtoanotherinterruptstheflowofhislabour,andcreates,sotosay,gapsinhisworking—day。Thesegapscloseupsosoonasheistiedtooneandthesameoperationalldaylong;theyvanishinproportionasthechangesinhisworkdiminish。Theresultingincreasedproductivepowerisowingeithertoanincreasedexpenditureoflabour—powerinagiventimei。e。,toincreasedintensityoflabourortoadecreaseintheamountoflabour—powerunproductivelyconsumed。Theextraexpenditureofpower,demandedbyeverytransitionfromresttomotion,ismadeupforbyprolongingthedurationofthenormalvelocitywhenonceacquired。Ontheotherhand,constantlabourofoneuniformkinddisturbstheintensityandflowofaman’sanimalspirits,whichfindrecreationanddelightinmerechangeofactivity。
Theproductivenessoflabourdependsnotonlyontheproficiencyoftheworkman,butontheperfectionofhistools。Toolsofthesamekind,suchasknives,drills,gimlets。hammers,&c。,maybeemployedindifferentprocesses;andthesametoolmayservevariouspurposesinasingleprocess。Butsosoonasthedifferentoperationsofalabour—processaredisconnectedtheonefromtheother,andeachfractionaloperationacquiresinthehandsofthedetaillabourerasuitableandpeculiarform,alterationsbecomenecessaryintheimplementsthatpreviouslyservedmorethanonepurpose。Thedirectiontakenbythischangeisdeterminedbythedifficultiesexperiencedinconsequenceoftheunchangedformoftheimplement。Manufactureischaracterisedbythedifferentiationoftheinstrumentsoflabouradifferentiationwherebyimplementsofagivensortacquirefixedshapes,adaptedtoeachparticularapplication,andbythespecialisationofthoseinstruments,givingtoeachspecialimplementitsfullplayonlyinthehandsofaspecificdetaillabourer。InBirminghamalone500varietiesofhammersareproduced,andnotonlyiseachadaptedtooneparticularprocess,butseveralvarietiesoftenserveexclusivelyforthedifferentoperationsinoneandthesameprocess。Themanufacturingperiodsimplifies,improves,andmultipliestheimplementsoflabour,byadaptingthemtotheexclusivelyspecialfunctionsofeachdetaillabourer。[6]Itthuscreatesatthesametimeoneofthematerialconditionsfortheexistenceofmachinery,whichconsistsofacombinationofsimpleinstruments。
Thedetaillabourerandhisimplementsarethesimplestelementsofmanufacture。Letusnowturntoitsaspectasawhole。
SECTION3THETWOFUNDAMENTALFORMSOFMANUFACTURE:HETEROGENEOUSMANUFACTURE,SERIAL
MANUFACTURE
Theorganisationofmanufacturehastwofundamentalformswhich,inspiteofoccasionalblending,areessentiallydifferentinkind,and,moreover,playverydistinctpartsinthesubsequenttransformationofmanufactureintomodernindustrycarriedonbymachinery。Thisdoublecharacterarisesfromthenatureofthearticleproduced。Thisarticleeitherresultsfromthemeremechanicalfittingtogetherofpartialproductsmadeindependently,orowesitscompletedshapetoaseriesofconnectedprocessesandmanipulations。
Alocomotive,forinstance,consistsofmorethan5,000independentparts。Itcannot,however,serveasanexampleofthefirstkindofgenuinemanufacture,foritisastructureproducedbymodernmechanicalindustry。Butawatchcan;andWilliamPettyusedittoillustratethedivisionoflabourinmanufacture。FormerlytheindividualworkofaNurembergartificer,thewatchhasbeentransformedintothesocialproductofanimmensenumberofdetaillabourers,suchasmainspringmakers,dialmakers,spiralspringmakers,jewelledholemakers,rubylevermakers,handmakers,casemakers,screwmakers,gilders,withnumeroussubdivisions,suchaswheelmakers(brassandsteelseparate),pinmakers,movementmakers,acheveurdepignon(fixesthewheelsontheaxles,polishesthefacets,&c。),pivotmakers,planteurdefinissage(putsthewheelsandspringsintheworks),finisseurdebarillet(cutsteethinthewheels,makestheholesoftherightsize,&c。),escapementmakers,cylindermakersforcylinderescapements,escapementwheelmakers,balancewheelmakers,raquettemakers(apparatusforregulatingthewatch),theplanteurd’échappement(escapementmakerproper);thentherepasseurdebarillet(finishestheboxforthespring,&c。),steelpolishers,wheelpolishers,screwpolishers,figurepainters,dialenamellers(melttheenamelonthecopper),fabricantdependants(makestheringbywhichthecaseishung),finisseurdecharnière(putsthebrasshingeinthecover,&c。),faiseurdesecret(putsinthespringsthatopenthecase),graveur,ciseleur,polisseurdeboite,&c。,&c。,andlastofalltherepasseur,whofitstogetherthewholewatchandhandsitoverinagoingstate。Onlyafewpartsofthewatchpassthroughseveralhands;andallthesemembradisjectacometogetherforthefirsttimeinthehandthatbindsthemintoonemechanicalwhole。
第28章