[39]"Itisnotsufficientthatthecapital"(thewritershouldhavesaidthenecessarymeansofsubsistenceandofproduction)"requiredforthesubdivisionofhandicraftsshouldbeinreadinessinthesociety:itmustalsobeaccumulatedinthehandsoftheemployersinsufficientlylargequantitiestoenablethemtoconducttheiroperationsonalargescale……Themorethedivisionincreases,themoredoestheconstantemploymentofagivennumberoflabourersrequireagreateroutlayofcapitalintools,rawmaterial,&c。"(Storch:
"Coursd’Econ。Polit。"ParisEd。,t。I。,pp。250,251。)"Laconcentrationdesinstrumentsdeproductionetladivisiondutravailsontaussiinséparablesl’unedeI’autrequelesont,danslerégimepolitique,laconcentrationdespouvoirspublicsetladivisiondesintérêtsprivés。"
(KarlMarx,l。c。,p。134。)
[40]DugaldStewartcallsmanufacturinglabourers"livingautomatons……employedinthedetailsofthework。"(I。c。,p。318。)
[41]Incorals,eachindividualis,infact,thestomachofthewholegroup;
butitsuppliesthegroupwithnourishment,insteadof,liketheRomanpatrician,withdrawingit。
[42]"L’ouvrierquiportedanssesbrastoutunmétier,peutallerpartoutexercersonindustrieettrouverdesmoyensdesubsister:l’autre(themanufacturinglabourer)n’estqu’unaccessoirequi,séparé
desesconfrères,n’aplusnicapacité,niindépendance,etquisetrouveforced’accepterlaloiqu’onjugeàproposdeluiimposer。"(Storch,l。c。,Petersb。edit。,1815,t。I。,p。204。)
[43]A。Ferguson,l。c。,p。281:"Theformermayhavegainedwhattheotherhaslost。"
[44]"Themanofknowledgeandtheproductivelabourercometobewidelydividedfromeachother,andknowledge,insteadofremainingthehandmaidoflabourinthehandofthelabourertoincreasehisproductivepowers……hasalmosteverywherearrayeditselfagainstlabour……systematicallydeludingandleadingthem(thelabourers)astrayinordertorendertheirmuscularpowersentirelymechanicalandobedient。"(W。Thompson:"AnInquiryintothePrinciplesoftheDistributionofWealth。"London,1824,p。274。)
[45]A。Ferguson,l。c。,p。280。
[46]J。D。Tuckett:"AHistoryofthePastandPresentStateoftheLabouringPopulation。"Lond。,1846。
[47]A。Smith:"WealthofNations,"Bk。v。,ch。i,art。ii。BeingapupilofA。Fergusonwhoshowedthedisadvantageouseffectsofdivisionoflabour,AdamSmithwasperfectlyclearonthispoint。Intheintroductiontohiswork,whereheexprofessopraisesdivisionoflabour,heindicatesonlyinacursorymannerthatitisthesourceofsocialinequalities。
Itisnottillthe5thBook,ontheRevenueoftheState,thathereproducesFerguson。Inmy"MisèredelaPhilosophie,"IhavesufficientlyexplainedthehistoricalconnexionbetweenFerguson,A。Smith,Lemontey,andSay,asregardstheircriticismsofDivisionofLabour,andhaveshown,forthefirsttime,thatDivisionofLabouraspractisedinmanufactures,isaspecificformofthecapitalistmodeofproduction。
[48]Fergusonhadalreadysaid,l。c。,p。281:"Andthinkingitself,inthisageofseparations,maybecomeapeculiarcraft。"
[49]G。Garnier,vol。V。ofhistranslationofA。Smith,pp。4—5。
[50]Ramazzini,professorofpracticalmedicineatPadua,publishedin1713
hiswork"Demorbisartificum,"whichwastranslatedintoFrench1781,reprinted1841inthe"EncyclopédiedesSciencesMédicales。
7meDis。AuteursClassiques。"TheperiodofModernMechanicalIndustryhas,ofcourse,verymuchenlargedhiscatalogueoflabour’sdiseases。
See"Hygiènephysiqueetmoraledel’ouvrierdanslesgrandesvillesengénéraletdanslavilledeLyonenparticulier。ParleDr。A。L。Fonteret,Paris,1858,"and"DieKrankheiten,welcheverschiednenStänden,AlternundGeschlechterneigenthümlichsind。6Vols。
Ulm,1860,"andothers。In1854theSocietyofArtsappointedaCommissionofInquiryintoindustrialpathology。Thelistofdocumentscollectedbythiscommissionistobeseeninthecatalogueofthe"TwickenhamEconomicMuseum。"Veryimportantaretheofficial"ReportsonPublicHealth。"SeealsoEduardReich,M。D。"UeberdieEntartungdesMenschen,"Erlangen,1868。
[51](D。Urquhart:"FamiliarWords。"Lond。,1855,p。119。)Hegelheldveryhereticalviewsondivisionoflabour。Inhis"Rechtsphilosophie"hesays:"Bywelleducatedmenweunderstandinthefirstinstance,thosewhocandoeverythingthatothersdo。"
[52]Thesimplebeliefintheinventivegeniusexercisedaprioribytheindividualcapitalistindivisionoflabour,existsnow—a—daysonlyamongGermanprofessors,ofthestampofHerrRoscher,who,torecompensethecapitalistfromwhoseJovianheaddivisionoflaboursprangreadyformed,dedicatestohim"variouswages"(diverseArbeitslöhne)。Themoreorlessextensiveapplicationofdivisionoflabourdependsonlengthofpurse,notongreatnessofgenius。
[53]Theolderwriters,likePettyandtheanonymousauthorof"AdvantagesoftheEastIndiaTrade,"bringoutthecapitalistcharacterofdivisionoflabourasappliedinmanufacturemorethanA。Smithdoes。
[54]Amongstthemodernsmaybeexceptedafewwritersofthe18thcentury,likeBeccariaandJamesHarris,whowithregardtodivisionoflabouralmostentirelyfollowtheancients。Thus,Beccaria:"Ciascunoprovacoll’esperienza,cheapplicandolamanoel’ingegnosempreallostessogenerediopereediprodutte,eglipiùfacili,piùabbondantiemigliorinetracarisultati,diquellocheseciascunoisolatamentelecosetutteasenecessariesoltantofacesse……Dividendosiintalmanieraperlacomuneeprivatautilitàgliuominiinvarieclassiecondizioni。"(CesareBeccaria:"ElementidiEcon:Pubblica,"ed。Custodi,ParteModerna,t。
xi,p。29。)JamesHarris,afterwardsEarlofMalmesbury,celebratedforthe"Diaries"ofhisembassyatSt。Petersburg,saysinanotetohis"DialogueConcerningHappiness,"Lond。,1741,reprintedafterwardsin"ThreeTreatises,3Ed。,Lond。,1772:"Thewholeargumenttoprovesocietynatural(i。e。,bydivisionofemployments)……istakenfromthesecondbookofPlato’sRepublic。"
[55]Thus,intheOdysseyxiv。,228,[Greek:"Allosgart’alloisinanerepiterpetaiergois"]andArchilochusinSextusEmpiricus,[greek:"allosalloep’ergokardieniainetai"。]
[56][Greek:"Poll’epistaioergo,kakosd’epistanopanta。"]EveryAthenianconsideredhimselfsuperiorasaproducerofcommoditiestoaSpartan;
forthelatterintimeofwarhadmenenoughathisdisposalbutcouldnotcommandmoney,asThucydidesmakesPericlessayinthespeechincitingtheAthenianstothePeloponnesianwar:[Greek:"somasiteetoimoteroioiautourgoitonanthroponekremasipolemein"](Thuc。:1,I。c。41。)Nevertheless,evenwithregardtomaterialproduction,[Greek:autarkeia],asopposedtodivisionoflabourremainedtheirideal,[Greek:"par’ongarto,eu,paratoutonkaitoautarkes。"]Itshouldbementionedherethatatthedateofthefallofthe30Tyrantstherewerestillnot5,000Athenianswithoutlandedproperty。
[57]WithPlato,divisionoflabourwithinthecommunityisadevelopmentfromthemultifariousrequirements,andthelimitedcapacitiesofindividuals。
Themainpointwithhimis,thatthelabourermustadapthimselftothework,nottheworktothelabourer;whichlatterisunavoidable,ifhecarriesonseveraltradesatonce,thusmakingoneortheotherofthemsubordinate。[Greek:"Ougaretheleitoprattomenontentouprattoniosscholenperimenein,all’anagketonprattontatoprattomenoepakolootheinmeenparergoumerei。Anagke。Ekdetoutonpleioteekastagignetaikaikallionkairaon,otaneisenkaiaphysinkaienkairoscholentonallonagon,pratte。"](Rep。1。2。Ed。Baiter,Orelli,&c。)SoinThucydides,l。c。,c。142:"Seafaringisanartlikeanyother,andcannot,ascircumstancesrequire,becarriedonasasubsidiaryoccupation;nay,othersubsidiaryoccupationscannotbecarriedonalongsideofthisone。"Ifthework,saysPlato,hastowaitforthelabourer,thecriticalpointintheprocessismissedandthearticlespoiled,[Greek:"ergoukairondiollytai。"]ThesamePlatonicideaisfoundrecurringintheprotestoftheEnglishbleachersagainsttheclauseintheFactoryActthatprovidesfixedmealtimesforalloperatives。Theirbusinesscannotwaittheconvenienceoftheworkmen,for"inthevariousoperationsofsingeing,washing,bleaching,mangling,calendering,anddyeing,noneofthemcanbestoppedatagivenmomentwithoutriskofdamage……toenforcethesamedinnerhourforalltheworkpeoplemightoccasionallysubjectvaluablegoodstotheriskofdangerbyincompleteoperations。"Leplatonismeoùva—t—ilsenicher!
[58]Xenophonsays,itisnotonlyanhonourtoreceivefoodfromthetableoftheKingofPersia,butsuchfoodismuchmoretastythanotherfood。
"Andthereisnothingwonderfulinthis,forastheotherartsarebroughttospecialperfectioninthegreattowns,sotheroyalfoodispreparedinaspecialway。Forinthesmalltownsthesamemanmakesbedsteads,doors,ploughs,andtables:often,too,hebuildshousesintothebargain,andisquitecontentifhefindscustomsufficientforhissustenance。
Itisaltogetherimpossibleforamanwhodoessomanythingstodothemallwell。Butinthegreattowns,whereeachcanfindmanybuyers,onetradeissufficienttomaintainthemanwhocarriesiton。Nay,thereisoftennotevenneedofonecompletetrade,butonemanmakesshoesformen,anotherforwomen。Hereandthereonemangetsalivingbysewing,anotherbycuttingoutshoes;onedoesnothingbutcutoutclothes,anothernothingbutsewthepiecestogether。Itfollowsnecessarilythen,thathewhodoesthesimplestkindofwork,undoubtedlydoesitbetterthananyoneelse。Soitiswiththeartofcooking。"(Xen。Cyrop。I。viii。,c。2。)Xenophonherelaysstressexclusivelyupontheexcellencetobeattainedinuse—value,althoughhewellknowsthatthegradationsofthedivisionoflabourdependontheextentofthemarket。
[59]He(Busiris)dividedthemallintospecialcastes……commandedthatthesameindividualsshouldalwayscarryonthesametrade,forheknewthattheywhochangetheiroccupationsbecomeskilledinnone;butthatthosewhoconstantlysticktooneoccupationbringittothehighestperfection。
Intruth,weshallalsofindthatinrelationtotheartsandhandicrafts,theyhaveoutstrippedtheirrivalsmorethanamasterdoesabungler;andthecontrivancesformaintainingthemonarchyandtheotherinstitutionsoftheirStatearesoadmirablethatthemostcelebratedphilosopherswhotreatofthissubjectpraisetheconstitutionoftheEgyptianStateaboveallothers。(Isocrates,Busiris,c。8。)
[60]Cf。DiodorusSiculus。
[61]Ure,l。c。,p。20。
[62]ThisismorethecaseinEnglandthaninFrance,andmoreinFrancethaninHolland。
ChapterFifteenKarlMarxCapitalVolumeOnePartIV:
ProductionofRelativeSurplus—ValueCHAPTERFIFTEEN:
MACHINERYANDMODERNINDUSTRY
ContentsSection1—TheDevelopmentofMachinerySection2—TheValueTransferredbyMachinerytotheProductSection3—TheProximateEffectsofMachineryontheWorkmanA。AppropriationofSupplementaryLabour—PowerbyCapital。TheEmploymentofWomenandChildrenB。ProlongationoftheWorking—DayC。IntensificationofLabourSection4—TheFactorySection5—TheStrifeBetweenWorkmanandMachineSection6—TheTheoryofCompensationasRegardstheWorkpeopleDisplacedbyMachinerySection7—RepulsionandAttractionofWorkpeoplebytheFactorySystem。CrisesintheCottonTradeSection8—RevolutionEffectedinManufacture,Handicrafts,andDomesticIndustrybyModernIndustryA。OverthrowofCo—operationBasedonHandicraftandontheDivisionofLabourB。ReactionoftheFactorySystemonManufactureandDomesticIndustriesC。ModernManufactureD。ModernDomesticIndustryE。PassageofModernManufacture,andDomesticIndustryintoModernMechanicalIndustry。TheHasteningofthisRevolutionbytheApplicationoftheFactoryActstothoseIndustriesSection9—TheFactoryActs。SanitaryandEducationalClausesofthesame。TheirGeneralExtensioninEnglandSection10—ModernIndustryandAgricultureSECTION1THEDEVELOPMENTOFMACHINERY
JohnStuartMillsaysinhis"PrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy":"Itisquestionableifallthemechanicalinventionsyetmadehavelightenedtheday’stoilofanyhumanbeing。"[1]Thatis,however,bynomeanstheaimofthecapitalisticapplicationofmachinery。Likeeveryotherincreaseintheproductivenessoflabour,machineryisintendedtocheapencommodities,and,byshorteningthatportionoftheworking—day,inwhichthelabourerworksforhimself,tolengthentheotherportionthathegives,withoutanequivalent,tothecapitalist。
Inshort,itisameansforproducingsurplus—value。
Inmanufacture,therevolutioninthemodeofproductionbeginswiththelabour—power,inmodernindustryitbeginswiththeinstrumentsoflabour。Ourfirstinquirythenis,howtheinstrumentsoflabourareconvertedfromtoolsintomachines,orwhatisthedifferencebetweenamachineandtheimplementsofahandicraft?Weareonlyconcernedherewithstrikingandgeneralcharacteristics;forepochsinthehistoryofsocietyarenomoreseparatedfromeachotherbyhardandfastlinesofdemarcation,thanaregeologicalepochs。
Mathematiciansandmechanicians,andinthistheyarefollowedbyafewEnglisheconomists,callatoolasimplemachine,andamachineacomplextool。Theyseenoessentialdifferencebetweenthem,andevengivethenameofmachinetothesimplemechanicalpowers,thelever,theinclinedplane,thescrew,thewedge,&c。[2]Asamatteroffact,everymachineisacombinationofthosesimplepowers,nomatterhowtheymaybedisguised。Fromtheeconomicstandpointthisexplanationisworthnothing,becausethehistoricalelementiswanting。Anotherexplanationofthedifferencebetweentoolandmachineisthatinthecaseofatool,manisthemotivepower,whilethemotivepowerofamachineissomethingdifferentfromman,as,forinstance,ananimal,water,wind,andsoon。[3]Accordingtothis,aploughdrawnbyoxen,whichisacontrivancecommontothemostdifferentepochs,wouldbeamachine,whileClaussen’scircularloom,which,workedbyasinglelabourer,weaves96,000picksperminute,wouldbeameretool。Nay,thisveryloom,thoughatoolwhenworkedbyhand,would,ifworkedbysteam,beamachine。Andsincetheapplicationofanimalpowerisoneofman’searliestinventions,productionbymachinerywouldhaveprecededproductionbyhandicrafts。Whenin1735,JohnWyattbroughtouthisspinningmachine,andbegantheindustrialrevolutionofthe18thcentury,notaworddidhesayaboutanassdrivingitinsteadofaman,andyetthispartfelltotheass。Hedescribeditasamachine"tospinwithoutfingers。"[4]
Allfullydevelopedmachineryconsistsofthreeessentiallydifferentparts,themotormechanism,thetransmittingmechanism,andfinallythetoolorworkingmachine。Themotormechanismisthatwhichputsthewholeinmotion。Iteithergeneratesitsownmotivepower,likethesteam—engine,thecaloricengine,theelectromagneticmachine,&c。,oritreceivesitsimpulsefromsomealreadyexistingnaturalforce,likethewater—wheelfromaheadofwater,thewind—millfromwind,&c。Thetransmittingmechanism,composedoffly—wheels,shafting,toothedwheels,pullies,straps,ropes,bands,pinions,andgearingofthemostvariedkinds,regulatesthemotion,changesitsform。wherenecessary,asforinstance,fromlineartocircular,anddividesanddistributesitamongtheworkingmachines。
Thesetwofirstpartsofthewholemechanismarethere,solelyforputtingtheworkingmachinesinmotion,bymeansofwhichmotionthesubjectoflabourisseizeduponandmodifiedasdesired。Thetoolorworkingmachineisthatpartofthemachinerywithwhichtheindustrialrevolutionofthe18thcenturystarted。Andtothisdayitconstantlyservesassuchastarting—point,wheneverahandicraft,oramanufacture,isturnedintoanindustrycarriedonbymachinery。
Onacloserexaminationoftheworkingmachineproper,wefindinit,asageneralrule,thoughoften,nodoubt,underveryalteredforms,theapparatusandtoolsusedbythehandicraftsmanormanufacturingworkman;
withthisdifference,thatinsteadofbeinghumanimplements,theyaretheimplementsofamechanism,ormechanicalimplements。Eithertheentiremachineisonlyamoreorlessalteredmechanicaleditionoftheoldhandicrafttool,as,forinstance,thepower—loom,[5]ortheworkingpartsfittedintheframeofthemachineareoldacquaintances,asspindlesareinamule,needlesinastocking—loom,sawsinasawing—machine,andknivesinachoppingmachine。Thedistinctionbetweenthesetoolsandthebodyproperofthemachine,existsfromtheirverybirth;fortheycontinueforthemostparttobeproducedbyhandicraft,orbymanufacture,andareafterwardsfittedintothebodyofthemachine,whichistheproductofmachinery。[6]Themachineproperisthereforeamechanismthat,afterbeingsetinmotion,performswithitstoolsthesameoperationsthatwereformerlydonebytheworkmanwithsimilartools。Whetherthemotivepowerisderivedfromman,orfromsomeothermachine,makesnodifferenceinthisrespect。Fromthemomentthatthetoolproperistakenfromm—an,andfittedintoamechanism,amachinetakestheplaceofamereimplement。Thedifferencestrikesoneatonce,eveninthosecaseswheremanhimselfcontinuestobetheprimemover。Thenumberofimplementsthathehimselfcanusesimultaneously,islimitedbythenumberofhisownnaturalinstrumentsofproduction,bythenumberofhisbodilyorgans。InGermany,theytriedatfirsttomakeonespinnerworktwospinning—wheels,thatis,toworksimultaneouslywithbothhandsandbothfeet。Thiswastoodifficult。Later,atreddlespinning—wheelwithtwospindleswasinvented,butadeptsinspinning,whocouldspintwothreadsatonce,werealmostasscarceastwo—headedmen。TheJenny,ontheotherhand,evenatitsverybirth,spunwith12—18
spindles,andthestocking—loomknitswithmanythousandneedlesatonce。
Thenumberoftoolsthatamachinecanbringintoplaysimultaneously,isfromtheveryfirstemancipatedfromtheorganiclimitsthathedgeinthetoolsofahandicraftsman。
Inmanymanualimplementsthedistinctionbetweenmanasmeremotivepower,andmanastheworkmanoroperatorproperlysocalled,isbroughtintostrikingcontrast。Forinstance,thefootismerelytheprimemoverofthespinning—wheel,whilethehand,workingwiththespindle,anddrawingandtwisting,performstherealoperationofspinning。Itisthislastpartofthehandicraftsman’simplementthatisfirstseizeduponbytheindustrialrevolution,leavingtotheworkman,inadditiontohisnewlabourofwatchingthemachinewithhiseyesandcorrectingitsmistakeswithhishands,themerelymechanicalpartofbeingthemovingpower。Ontheotherhand,implements,inregardtowhichmanhasalwaysactedasasimplemotivepower,as,forinstance,byturningthecrankofamill,[7]bypumping,bymovingupanddownthearmofabellows,bypoundingwithamortar,&c。,suchimplementssooncallfortheapplicationofanimals,water[8]andwindasmotivepowers。Hereandthere,longbeforetheperiodofmanufacture,andalso,tosomeextent,duringthatperiod,theseimplementspassoverintomachines,butwithoutcreatinganyrevolutioninthemodeofproduction。
Itbecomesevident,intheperiodofModernIndustry,thattheseimplements,evenundertheirformofmanualtools,arealreadymachines。Forinstance,thepumpswithwhichtheDutch,in1836—7,emptiedtheLakeofHarlem,wereconstructedontheprincipleofordinarypumps;theonlydifferencebeing,thattheirpistonsweredrivenbycyclopeansteam—engines,insteadofbymen。Thecommonandveryimperfectbellowsoftheblacksmithis,inEngland,occasionallyconvertedintoablowing—engine,byconnectingitsarmwithasteam—engine。Thesteam—engineitself,suchasitwasatitsinvention,duringthemanufacturingperiodatthecloseofthe17thcentury,andsuchasitcontinuedtobedownto1780,[9]didnotgiverisetoanyindustrialrevolution。Itwas,onthecontrary,theinventionofmachinesthatmadearevolutionintheformofsteam—enginesnecessary。Assoonasman,insteadofworkingwithanimplementonthesubjectofhislabour,becomesmerelythemotivepowerofanimplement—machine,itisamereaccidentthatmotivepowertakesthedisguiseofhumanmuscle;
anditmayequallywelltaketheformofwind,waterorsteam。Ofcourse,thisdoesnotpreventsuchachangeofformfromproducinggreattechnicalalterationsinthemechanismthatwasoriginallyconstructedtobedrivenbymanalone。Now—a—days,allmachinesthathavetheirwaytomake,suchassewing—machines,bread—makingmachines,&c。,are,unlessfromtheirverynaturetheiruseonasmallscaleisexcluded,constructedtobedrivenbothbyhumanandbypurelymechanicalmotivepower。
Themachine,whichisthestarting—pointoftheindustrialrevolution,supersedestheworkman,whohandlesasingletool,byamechanismoperatingwithanumberofsimilartools,andsetinmotionbyasinglemotivepower,whatevertheformofthatpowermaybe?[10]Herewehavethemachine,butonlyasanelementaryfactorofproductionbymachinery。
Increaseinthesizeofthemachine,andinthenumberofitsworkingtools,callsforamoremassivemechanismtodriveit;andthismechanismrequires,inordertoovercomeitsresistance,amightiermovingpowerthanthatofman,apartfromthefactthatmanisaveryimperfectinstrumentforproducinguniformcontinuedmotion。Butassumingthatheisactingsimplyasamotor,thatamachinehastakentheplaceofhistool,itisevidentthathecanbereplacedbynaturalforces。Ofallthegreatmotorshandeddownfromthemanufacturingperiod,horse—poweristheworst,partlybecauseahorsehasaheadofhisown,partlybecauseheiscostly,andtheextenttowhichheisapplicableinfactoriesisveryrestricted。[11]NeverthelessthehorsewasextensivelyusedduringtheinfancyofModernIndustry。Thisisproved,aswellbythecomplaintsofcontemporaryagriculturists,asbytheterm"horse—power,"whichhassurvivedtothisdayasanexpressionformechanicalforce。
Windwastooinconstantanduncontrollable,andbesides,inEngland,thebirthplaceofModernIndustry,theuseofwater—powerpreponderatedevenduringthemanufacturingperiod。Inthe17thcenturyattemptshadalreadybeenmadetoturntwopairsofmillstoneswithasinglewater—wheel。Buttheincreasedsizeofthegearingwastoomuchforthewater—power,whichhadnowbecomeinsufficient,andthiswasoneofthecircumstancesthatledtoamoreaccurateinvestigationofthelawsoffriction。Inthesamewaytheirregularitycausedbythemotivepowerinmillsthatwereputinmotionbypushingandpullingalever,ledtothetheory,andtheapplication,ofthefly—wheel,whichafterwardsplayssoimportantapartinModernIndustry。[12]Inthisway,duringthemanufacturingperiod,weredevelopedthefirstscientificandtechnicalelementsofModernMechanicalIndustry。Arkwright’sthrostle—spinningmillwasfromtheveryfirstturnedbywater。Butforallthat,theuseofwater,asthepredominantmotivepower,wasbesetwithdifficulties。Itcouldnotbeincreasedatwill,itfailedatcertainseasonsoftheyear,and,aboveall,itwasessentiallylocal。[13]NottilltheinventionofWatt’ssecondandso—calleddouble—actingsteam—engine,wasaprimemoverfound,thatbegotitsownforcebytheconsumptionofcoalandwater,whosepowerwasentirelyunderman’scontrol,thatwasmobileandameansoflocomotion,thatwasurbanandnot,likethewaterwheel,rural,thatpermittedproductiontobeconcentratedintownsinsteadof,likethewater—wheels,beingscatteredupanddownthecountry,[14]thatwasofuniversaltechnicalapplication,and,relativelyspeaking,littleaffectedinitschoiceofresidencebylocalcircumstances。ThegreatnessofWatt’sgeniusshoweditselfinthespecificationofthepatentthathetookoutinApril,1784。Inthatspecificationhissteam—engineisdescribed,notasaninventionforaspecificpurpose,butasanagentuniversallyapplicableinMechanicalIndustry。Inithepointsoutapplications,manyofwhich,asforinstance,thesteam—hammer,werenotintroducedtillhalfacenturylater。Neverthelesshedoubtedtheuseofsteam—enginesinnavigation。Hissuccessors,BoultonandWatt,senttotheexhibitionof1851steam—enginesofcolossalsizeforoceansteamers。
Assoonastoolshadbeenconvertedfrombeingmanualimplementsofmanintoimplementsofamechanicalapparatus,ofamachine,themotivemechanismalsoacquiredanindependentform,entirelyemancipatedfromtherestraintsofhumanstrength。Thereupontheindividualmachine,thatwehavehithertobeenconsidering,sinksintoamerefactorinproductionbymachinery。Onemotivemechanismwasnowabletodrivemanymachinesatonce。Themotivemechanismgrowswiththenumberofthemachinesthatareturnedsimultaneously,andthetransmittingmechanismbecomesawide—spreadingapparatus。
Wenowproceedtodistinguishtheco—operationofanumberofmachinesofonekindfromacomplexsystemofmachinery。
Intheonecase,theproductisentirelymadebyasinglemachine,whichperformsallthevariousoperationspreviouslydonebyonehandicraftsmanwithhistool;as,forinstance,byaweaverwithhisloom;orbyseveralhandicraftsmansuccessively,eitherseparatelyorasmembersofasystemofManufacture。[15]Forexample,inthemanufactureofenvelopes,onemanfoldedthepaperwiththefolder,anotherlaidonthegum,athirdturnedtheflapover,onwhichthedeviceisimpressed,afourthembossedthedevice,andsoon;andforeachoftheseoperationstheenvelopehadtochangehands。Onesingleenvelopemachinenowperformsalltheseoperationsatonce,andmakesmorethan3,000envelopesinanhour。IntheLondonexhibitionof1862,therewasanAmericanmachineformakingpapercornets。
Itcutthepaper,pasted,folded,andfinished300inaminute。Here,thewholeprocess,which,whencarriedonasManufacture,wassplitupinto,andcarriedoutby,aseriesofoperations,iscompletedbyasinglemachine,workingacombinationofvarioustools。Now,whethersuchamachinebemerelyareproductionofacomplicatedmanualimplement,oracombinationofvarioussimpleimplementsspecialisedbyManufacture,ineithercase,inthefactory,i。e。,intheworkshopinwhichmachineryaloneisused,wemeetagainwithsimpleco—operation;and,leavingtheworkmanoutofconsiderationforthemoment,thisco—operationpresentsitselftous,inthefirstinstance,astheconglomerationinoneplaceofsimilarandsimultaneouslyactingmachines。Thus,aweavingfactoryisconstitutedofanumberofpower—looms,workingsidebyside,andasewingfactoryofanumberofsewing—machinesallinthesamebuilding。Butthereishereatechnicalonenessinthewholesystem,owingtoallthemachinesreceivingtheirimpulsesimultaneously,andinanequaldegree,fromthepulsationsofthecommonprimemover,bytheintermediaryofthetransmittingmechanism;
andthismechanism,toacertainextent,isalsocommontothemall,sinceonlyparticularramificationsofitbranchofftoeachmachine。Justasanumberoftools,then,formtheorgansofamachine,soanumberofmachinesofonekindconstitutetheorgansofthemotivemechanism。
Arealmachinerysystem,however,doesnottaketheplaceoftheseindependentmachines,untilthesubjectoflabourgoesthroughaconnectedseriesofdetailprocesses,thatarecarriedoutbyachainofmachinesofvariouskinds,theonesupplementingtheother。Herewehaveagaintheco—operationbydivisionoflabourthatcharacterisesManufacture;onlynow,itisacombinationofdetailmachines。Thespecialtoolsofthevariousdetailworkmen,suchasthoseofthebeaters,cambers,spinners,&c。,inthewoollenmanufacture,arenowtransformedintothetoolsofspecialisedmachines,eachmachineconstitutingaspecialorgan,withaspecialfunction,inthesystem。Inthosebranchesofindustryinwhichthemachinerysystemisfirstintroduced,Manufactureitselffurnishes,inageneralway,thenaturalbasisforthedivision,andconsequentorganisation,oftheprocessofproduction。[16]Neverthelessanessentialdifferenceatoncemanifestsitself。InManufactureitistheworkmenwho,withtheirmanualimplements,must,eithersinglyoringroups,carryoneachparticulardetailprocess。
If,ontheonehand,theworkmanbecomesadaptedtotheprocess,ontheother,theprocesswaspreviouslymadesuitabletotheworkman。Thissubjectiveprincipleofthedivisionoflabournolongerexistsinproductionbymachinery。
Here,theprocessasawholeisexaminedobjectively,initself,thatistosay,withoutregardtothequestionofitsexecutionbyhumanhands,itisanalysedintoitsconstituentphases;andtheproblem,howtoexecuteeachdetailprocess,andbindthemallintoawhole,issolvedbytheaidofmachines,chemistry,&c。[17]But,ofcourse,inthiscasealso,theorymustbeperfectedbyaccumulatedexperienceonalargescale。Eachdetailmachinesuppliesrawmaterialtothemachinenextinorder;andsincetheyareallworkingatthesametime,theproductisalwaysgoingthroughthevariousstagesofitsfabrication,andisalsoconstantlyinastateoftransition,fromonephasetoanother。
JustasinManufacture,thedirectco—operationofthedetaillabourersestablishesanumericalproportionbetweenthespecialgroups,soinanorganisedsystemofmachinery,whereonedetailmachineisconstantlykeptemployedbyanother,afixedrelationisestablishedbetweentheirnumbers,theirsize,andtheirspeed。Thecollectivemachine,nowanorganisedsystemofvariouskindsofsinglemachines,andofgroupsofsinglemachines,becomesmoreandmoreperfect,themoretheprocessasawholebecomesacontinuousone,i。e。,thelesstherawmaterialisinterruptedinitspassagefromitsfirstphasetoitslast;inotherwords,themoreitspassagefromonephasetoanotheriseffected,notbythehandofman,butbythemachineryitself。InManufacturetheisolationofeachdetailprocessisaconditionimposedbythenatureofdivisionoflabour,butinthefullydevelopedfactorythecontinuityofthoseprocessesis,onthecontrary,imperative。
Asystemofmachinery,whetheritreposesonthemereco—operationofsimilarmachines,asinweaving,oronacombinationofdifferentmachines,asinspinning,constitutesinitselfahugeautomaton,wheneveritisdrivenbyaself—actingprimemover。Butalthoughthefactoryasawholebedrivenbyitssteam—engine,yeteithersomeoftheindividualmachinesmayrequiretheaidoftheworkmanforsomeoftheirmovements(suchaidwasnecessaryfortherunninginofthemulecarriage,beforetheinventionoftheself—actingmule,andisstillnecessaryinfine—spinningmills);
or,toenableamachinetodoitswork,certainpartsofitmayrequiretobehandledbytheworkmanlikeamanualtool;thiswasthecaseinmachine—makers’
workshops,beforetheconversionofthesliderestintoaself—actor。Assoonasamachineexecutes,withoutman’shelp,allthemovementsrequisitetoelaboratetherawmaterial,needingonlyattendancefromhim,wehaveanautomaticsystemofmachinery,andonethatissusceptibleofconstantimprovementinitsdetails。Suchimprovementsastheapparatusthatstopsadrawingframe,wheneverasliverbreaks,andtheself—actingstop,thatstopsthepower—loomsosoonastheshuttlebobbinisemptiedofweft,arequitemoderninventions。Asanexample,bothofcontinuityofproduction,andofthecarryingoutoftheautomaticprinciple,wemaytakeamodernpapermill。Inthepaperindustrygenerally,wemayadvantageouslystudyindetailnotonlythedistinctionsbetweenmodesofproductionbasedondifferentmeansofproduction,butalsotheconnexionofthesocialconditionsofproductionwiththosemodes:fortheoldGermanpaper—makingfurnishesuswithasampleofhandicraftproduction;thatofHollandinthe17thandofFranceinthe18thcenturywithasampleofmanufacturinginthestrictsense;andthatofmodernEnglandwithasampleofautomaticfabricationofthisarticle。Besidesthese,therestillexist,inIndiaandChina,twodistinctantiqueAsiaticformsofthesameindustry。
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