285。)"Whenyouspeakofsub—inspectors,doyoumeanmenatalesssalary,andofaninferiorstamptothepresentinspectors?""Iwouldnothavetheminferior,ifyoucouldgetthemotherwise。"(n。294。)"Doyoumerelywantmoreinspectors,ordoyouwantalowerclassofmenasaninspector?"
"Amanwhowouldknockabout,andseethatthingsarekeptright;amanwhowouldnotbeafraidofhimself。"(n。295。)"Ifyouobtainedyourwishingettinganinferiorclassofinspectorsappointed,doyouthinkthattherewouldbenodangerfromwantofskill,&c?""Ithinknot,IthinkthattheGovernmentwouldseeafterthat,andhavepropermeninthatposition。"
(n。297。)Thiskindofexaminationbecomesatlasttoomuchevenforthechairmanofthecommittee,andheinterruptswiththeobservation:"Youwantaclassofmenwhowouldlookintoallthedetailsofthemine,andwouldgointoalltheholesandcorners,andgointotherealfacts……theywouldreporttothechiefinspector,whowouldthenbringhisscientificknowledgetobearonthefactstheyhavestated?"
(ns。298,299。)"Woulditnotentailverygreatexpenseifalltheseoldworkingswerekeptventilated?""Yes,expensemightbeincurred,butlifewouldbeatthesametimeprotected。"(n。531。)Aworkingminerobjectstothe17thsectionoftheActof1860;hesays,"Atthepresenttime,iftheinspectorofminesfindsapartofthemineunfittoworkin,hehastoreportittothemine—ownerandtheHomeSecretary。Afterdoingthat,thereisgiventotheowner20daystolookoverthematter;attheendof20dayshehasthepowertorefusemakinganyalterationinthemine;but,whenherefuses,themine—ownerwritestotheHomeSecretary,atthesametimenominatingfiveengineers,andfromthosefiveengineersnamedbythemine—ownerhimself,theHomeSecretaryappointsone,Ithink,asarbitrator,orappointsarbitratorsfromthem;nowwethinkinthatcasethemine—ownervirtuallyappointshisownarbitrator。"(n。581。)Bourgeoisexaminer,himselfamine—owner:"But……isthisa’Merelyspeculativeobjection?"(n。586。)"Thenyouhaveaverypooropinionoftheintegrityofminingengineers?""Itismostcertainlyunjustandinequitable。"(n。
588。)"Donotminingengineerspossessasortofpubliccharacter,anddonotyouthinkthattheyareabovemakingsuchapartialdecisionasyouapprehend?""Idonotwishtoanswersuchaquestionasthatwithrespecttothepersonalcharacterofthosemen。Ibelievethatinmanycasestheywouldactverypartiallyindeed,andthatitoughtnottobeintheirhandstodoso,wheremen’slivesareatstake。"(n。589。)Thissamebourgeoisisnotashamedtoputthisquestion:"Doyounotthinkthatthemine—owneralsosufferslossfromanexplosion?"Finally,"ArenotyouworkmeninLancashireabletotakecareofyourowninterestswithoutcallingintheGovernmenttohelpyou?""No。"(n。1042。)
Intheyear1865therewere3,217coalminesinGreatBritain,and12
inspectors。AYorkshiremine—ownerhimselfcalculates(Times,26thJanuary,1867),thatputtingononesidetheirofficework,whichabsorbsalltheirtime,eachminecanbevisitedbutonceintenyearsbyaninspector。
Nowonderthatexplosionshaveincreasedprogressively,bothinnumberandextent(sometimeswithalossof200—300men),duringthelasttenyears。Thesearethebeautiesof"free"capitalistproduction![ThissentencehasbeenaddedtotheEnglishtextinconformitywiththe4thGermanedition。?Ed。]
TheverydefectiveAct,passedin1872,isthefirstthatregulatesthehoursoflabourofthechildrenemployedinmines,andmakesexploitersandowners,toacertainextent,responsibleforso—calledaccidents。
TheRoyalCommissionappointedin1867toinquireintotheemploymentinagricultureofchildren,youngpersons,andwomen,haspublishedsomeveryimportantreports。SeveralattemptstoapplytheprinciplesoftheFactoryActs,butinamodifiedform,toagriculturehavebeenmade,buthavesofarresultedincompletefailure。AllthatIwishtodrawattentiontohereistheexistenceofanirresistibletendencytowardsthegeneralapplicationofthoseprinciples。
Ifthegeneralextensionoffactorylegislationtoalltradesforthepurposeofprotectingtheworking—classbothinmindandbodyhasbecomeinevitable,ontheotherhand,aswehavealreadypointedout,thatextensionhastensonthegeneralconversionofnumerousisolatedsmallindustriesintoafewcombinedindustriescarriedonuponalargescale;itthereforeacceleratestheconcentrationofcapitalandtheexclusivepredominanceofthefactorysystem。Itdestroysboththeancientandthetransitionalforms,behindwhichthedominionofcapitalisstillinpartconcealed,andreplacesthembythedirectandopenswayofcapital;buttherebyitalsogeneralisesthedirectoppositiontothissway。Whileineachindividualworkshopitenforcesuniformity,regularity,order,andeconomy,itincreasesbytheimmensespurwhichthelimitationandregulationoftheworking—daygivetotechnicalimprovement,theanarchyandthecatastrophesofcapitalistproductionasawhole,theintensityoflabour,andthecompetitionofmachinerywiththelabourer。Bythedestructionofpettyanddomesticindustriesitdestroysthelastresortofthe"redundantpopulation,"andwithitthesoleremainingsafety—valveofthewholesocialmechanism。Bymaturingthematerialconditions,andthecombinationonasocialscaleoftheprocessesofproduction,itmaturesthecontradictionsandantagonismsofthecapitalistformofproduction,andtherebyprovides,alongwiththeelementsfortheformationofanewsociety,theforcesforexplodingtheoldone。[243]
SECTION10。MODERNINDUSTRYANDAGRICULTURE
Therevolutioncalledforthbymodernindustryinagriculture,andinthesocialrelationsofagriculturalproducers,willbeinvestigatedlateron。Inthisplace,weshallmerelyindicateafewresultsbywayofanticipation。
Iftheuseofmachineryinagricultureisforthemostpartfreefromtheinjuriousphysicaleffectithasonthefactoryoperative,itsactioninsupersedingthelabourersismoreintense,andfindslessresistance,asweshallseelaterindetail。InthecountiesofCambridgeandSuffolk,forexample,theareaofcultivatedlandhasextendedverymuchwithinthelast20years(upto1868),whileinthesameperiodtheruralpopulationhasdiminished,notonlyrelatively,butabsolutely。IntheUnitedStatesitisasyetonlyvirtuallythatagriculturalmachinesreplacelabourers;
inotherwords,theyallowofthecultivationbythefarmerofalargersurface,butdonotactuallyexpelthelabourersemployed。In1861thenumberofpersonsoccupiedinEnglandandWalesinthemanufactureofagriculturalmachineswas1,034,whilstthenumberofagriculturallabourersemployedintheuseofagriculturalmachinesandsteam—enginesdidnotexceed1,205。
Inthesphereofagriculture,modernindustryhasamorerevolutionaryeffectthanelsewhere,forthisreason,thatitannihilatesthepeasant,thatbulwarkoftheoldsociety,andreplaceshimbythewage—labourer。
Thusthedesireforsocialchanges,andtheclassantagonismsarebroughttothesamelevelinthecountryasinthetowns。Theirrational,old—fashionedmethodsofagriculturearereplacedbyscientificones。Capitalistproductioncompletelytearsasundertheoldbondofunionwhichheldtogetheragricultureandmanufactureintheirinfancy。Butatthesametimeitcreatesthematerialconditionsforahighersynthesisinthefuture,viz。,theunionofagricultureandindustryonthebasisofthemoreperfectedformstheyhaveeachacquiredduringtheirtemporaryseparation。Capitalistproduction,bycollectingthepopulationingreatcentres,andcausinganever—increasingpreponderanceoftownpopulation,ontheonehandconcentratesthehistoricalmotivepowerofsociety;ontheotherhand,itdisturbsthecirculationofmatterbetweenmanandthesoil,i。e。,preventsthereturntothesoilofitselementsconsumedbymanintheformoffoodandclothing;itthereforeviolatestheconditionsnecessarytolastingfertilityofthesoil。Bythisactionitdestroysatthesametimethehealthofthetownlabourerandtheintellectuallifeoftherurallabourer。[244]Butwhileupsettingthenaturallygrownconditionsforthemaintenanceofthatcirculationofmatter,itimperiouslycallsforitsrestorationasasystem,asaregulatinglawofsocialproduction,andunderaformappropriatetothefulldevelopmentofthehumanrace。Inagricultureasinmanufacture,thetransformationofproductionundertheswayofcapital,means,atthesametime,themartyrdomoftheproducer;theinstrumentoflabourbecomesthemeansofenslaving,exploiting,andimpoverishingthelabourer;thesocialcombinationandorganisationoflabour—processesisturnedintoanorganisedmodeofcrushingouttheworkman’sindividualvitality,freedom,andindependence。Thedispersionoftherurallabourersoverlargerareasbreakstheirpowerofresistancewhileconcentrationincreasesthatofthetownoperatives。Inmodernagriculture,asintheurbanindustries,theincreasedproductivenessandquantityofthelaboursetinmotionareboughtatthecostoflayingwasteandconsumingbydiseaselabour—poweritself。Moreover,allprogressincapitalisticagricultureisaprogressintheart,notonlyofrobbingthelabourer,butofrobbingthesoil;allprogressinincreasingthefertilityofthesoilforagiventime,isaprogresstowardsruiningthelastingsourcesofthatfertility。Themoreacountrystartsitsdevelopmentonthefoundationofmodernindustry,liketheUnitedStates,forexample,themorerapidisthisprocessofdestruction。[245]Capitalistproduction,therefore,developstechnology,andthecombiningtogetherofvariousprocessesintoasocialwhole,onlybysappingtheoriginalsourcesofallwealth—thesoilandthelabourer。
Footnotes[1]Millshouldhavesaid,"ofanyhumanbeingnotfedbyotherpeople’slabour,"
for,withoutdoubt,machineryhasgreatlyincreasedthenumberofwell—to—doidlers。
[2]See,forinstance,Hutton:"CourseofMathematics。"
[3]"Fromthispointofviewwemaydrawasharplineofdistinctionbetweenatoolandamachine:spades,hammers,chisels,&c。,combinationsofleversandofscrews,inallofwhich,nomatterhowcomplicatedtheymaybeinotherrespects,manisthemotivepower,……allthisfallsundertheideaofatool;buttheplough,whichisdrawnbyanimalpower,andwind—mills,&c。,mustbeclassedamongmachines。"(WilhelmSchulz:
"DieBewegungderProduktion。"Zürich,1843,p。38。)Inmanyrespectsabooktoberecommended。
[4]Beforehistime,spinningmachines,althoughveryimperfectones,hadalreadybeenused,andItalywasprobablythecountryoftheirfirstappearance。
Acriticalhistoryoftechnologywouldshowhowlittleanyoftheinventionsofthe18thcenturyaretheworkofasingleindividual。Hithertothereisnosuchbook。DarwinhasinterestedusinthehistoryofNature’sTechnology,i。e。,intheformationoftheorgansofplantsandanimals,whichorgansserveasinstrumentsofproductionforsustaininglife。Doesnotthehistoryoftheproductiveorgansofman,oforgansthatarethematerialbasisofallsocialorganisation,deserveequalattention?Andwouldnotsuchahistorybeeasiertocompile,since,asVicosays,humanhistorydiffersfromnaturalhistoryinthis,thatwehavemadetheformer,butnotthelatter?Technologydisclosesman’smodeofdealingwithNature,theprocessofproductionbywhichhesustainshislife,andtherebyalsolaysbarethemodeofformationofhissocialrelations,andofthementalconceptionsthatflowfromthem。Everyhistoryofreligion,even,thatfailstotakeaccountofthismaterialbasis,isuncritical。Itis,inreality,mucheasiertodiscoverbyanalysistheearthlycoreofthemistycreationsofreligion,than,conversely,itis,todevelopfromtheactualrelationsoflifethecorrespondingcelestialisedformsofthoserelations。Thelattermethodistheonlymaterialistic,andthereforetheonlyscientificone。
Theweakpointsintheabstractmaterialismofnaturalscience,amaterialismthatexcludeshistoryanditsprocess,areatonceevidentfromtheabstractandideologicalconceptionsofitsspokesmen,whenevertheyventurebeyondtheboundsoftheirownspeciality。
[5]Especiallyintheoriginalformofthepower—loom,werecognise,atthefirstglance,theancientloom。Initsmodernform,thepower—loomhasundergoneessentialalterations。
[6]Itisonlyduringthelast15years(i。e。,sinceabout1850),thataconstantlyincreasingportionofthesemachinetoolshavebeenmadeinEnglandbymachinery,andthatnotbythesamemanufacturerswhomakethemachines。
Instancesofmachinesforthefabricationofthesemechanicaltoolsare,theautomaticbobbin—makingengine,thecardsettingengine,shuttle—makingmachines,andmachinesforforgingmuleandthrostlespindles。
[7]Mosessays:"Thoushaltnotmuzzletheoxthattreadsthecorn。"TheChristianphilanthropistsofGermany,onthecontrary,fastenedawoodenboardroundthenecksoftheserfs,whomtheyusedasamotivepowerforgrinding,inordertopreventthemfromputtingflourintotheirmouthswiththeirhands。
[8]Itwaspartlythewantofstreamswithagoodfallonthem,andpartlytheirbattleswithsuperabundanceofwaterinotherrespects,thatcompelledtheDutchtoresorttowindasamotivepower。Thewind—millitselftheygotfromGermany,whereitsinventionwastheoriginofaprettysquabblebetweenthenobles,thepriests,andtheemperor,astowhichofthosethreethewind"belonged。"Theairmakesbondage,wasthecryinGermany,atthesametimethatthewindwasmakingHollandfree。Whatitreducedtobondageinthiscase,wasnottheDutchman,butthelandfortheDutchman。
In1836,12,000windmillsof6,000horse—powerwerestillemployedinHolland,topreventtwo—thirdsofthelandfrombeingreconvertedintomorasses。
[9]Itwas,indeed,verymuchimprovedbyWatt’sfirstso—calledsingleactingengine;but,inthisform,itcontinuedtobeameremachineforraisingwater,andtheliquorfromsaltmines。
[10]"Theunionofallthesesimpleinstruments,setinmotionbyasinglemotor,constitutesamachine。"(Babbage,l。c。)
[11]InJanuary,1861,JohnC。MortonreadbeforetheSocietyofArtsapaperon"Theforcesemployedinagriculture。"Hetherestates:"Everyimprovementthatfurtherstheuniformityofthelandmakesthesteam—enginemoreandmoreapplicabletotheproductionofpuremechanicalforce……Horse—powerisrequisitewherevercrookedfencesandotherobstructionspreventuniformaction。Theseobstructionsarevanishingdaybyday。Foroperationsthatdemandmoreexerciseofwillthanactualforce,theonlypowerapplicableisthatcontrolledeveryinstantbythehumanmind—inotherwords,man—power。"
Mr。Mortonthenreducessteam—power,horse—power,andman—power,totheunitingeneraluseforsteam—engines,namely,theforcerequiredtoraise33,000lbs。onefootinoneminute,andreckonsthecostofonehorse—powerfromasteam—enginetobe3d。,andfromahorsetobe5—1/2d。perhour。
Further,ifahorsemustfullymaintainitshealth,itcanworknomorethan8hoursaday。Threeattheleastoutofeverysevenhorsesusedontillagelandduringtheyearcanbedispensedwithbyusingsteam—power,atanexpensenotgreaterthanthatwhich,thehorsesdispensedwith,wouldcostduringthe3or4monthsinwhichalonetheycanbeusedeffectively。
Lastly,steam—power,inthoseagriculturaloperationsinwhichitcanbeemployed,improves,incomparisonwithhorse—power,thequalityofthework。Todotheworkofasteam—enginewouldrequire66men,atatotalcostof15S。anhour,andtodotheworkofahorse,32men,atatotalcostof8s。anhour。
[12]Faulhaber,1625;DeCaus,1688。
[13]Themodernturbinefreestheindustrialexploitationofwater—powerfrommanyofitsformerfetters。
[14]"Intheearlydaysoftextilemanufactures,thelocalityofthefactorydependedupontheexistenceofastreamhavingasufficientfalltoturnawater—wheel;and,althoughtheestablishmentofthewater—millswasthecommencementofthebreakingupofthedomesticsystemofmanufacture,yetthemillsnecessarilysituateduponstreams,andfrequentlyatconsiderabledistancestheonefromtheother,formedpartofarural,ratherthananurbansystem;anditwasnotuntiltheintroductionofthesteam—powerasasubstituteforthestreamthatfactorieswerecongregatedintowns,andlocalitieswherethecoalandwaterrequiredfortheproductionofsteamwerefoundinsufficientquantities。Thesteam—engineistheparentofmanufacturingtowns。"(A。Redgravein"ReportsoftheInsp。ofFact。,30thApril,1860,"p。36。)
[15]FromthestandpointofdivisionoflabourinManufacture,weavingwasnotsimple,but,onthecontrary,complicatedmanuallabour;andconsequentlythepower—loomisamachinethatdoesverycomplicatedwork。Itisaltogethererroneoustosupposethatmodernmachineryoriginallyappropriatedthoseoperationsalone,whichdivisionoflabourhadsimplified。Spinningandweavingwere,duringthemanufacturingperiod,splitupintonewspecies,andtheimplementsweremodifiedandimproved;butthelabouritselfwasinnowaydivided,anditretaineditshandicraftcharacter。Itisnotthelabour,buttheinstrumentoflabour,thatservesasthestarting—pointofthemachine。
[16]BeforetheepochofMechanicalIndustry,thewoolmanufacturewasthepredominatingmanufactureinEngland。Henceitwasinthisindustrythat,inthefirsthalfofthe18thcentury,themostexperimentsweremade。Cotton,whichrequiredlesscarefulpreparationforitstreatmentbymachinery,derivedthebenefitoftheexperiencegainedonwool,justasafterwardsthemanipulationofwoolbymachinerywasdevelopedonthelinesofcotton—spinningandweavingbymachinery。Itwasonlyduringthe10yearsimmediatelypreceding1866,thatisolateddetailsofthewoolmanufacture,suchaswoolcombing,wereincorporatedinthefactorysystem。"Theapplicationofpowertotheprocessofcombingwool……extensivelyinoperationsincetheintroductionofthecombingmachine,especiallyLister’s……undoubtedlyhadtheeffectofthrowingaverylargenumberofmenoutofwork。Woolwasformerlycombedbyhand,mostfrequentlyinthecottageofthecomber。Itisnowverygenerallycombedinthefactory,andhand—labourissuperseded,exceptinsomeparticularkindsofwork,inwhichhand—combedwoolisstillpreferred。Manyofthehand—combersfoundemploymentinthefactories,buttheproduceofthehand—combersbearssosmallaproportiontothatofthemachine,thattheemploymentofaverylargenumberofcombershaspassedaway。"("Rep。oflnsp。ofFact。for31stOct。,1856,"p。16。)
[17]"Theprincipleofthefactorysystem,then,istosubstitute……thepartitionofaprocessintoitsessentialconstituents,forthedivisionorgraduationoflabouramongartisans。"(AndrewUre:"ThePhilosophyofManufactures,"
Lond。,1835,p。20。)
[18]Thepower—loomwasatfirstmadechieflyofwood;initsimprovedmodernformitismadeofiron。Towhatanextenttheoldformsoftheinstrumentsofproductioninfluencedtheirnewformsatfirststarting,isshownby,amongstotherthings,themostsuperficialcomparisonofthepresentpower—loomwiththeoldone,ofthemodernblowingapparatusofablast—furnacewiththefirstinefficientmechanicalreproductionoftheordinarybellows,andperhapsmorestrikinglythaninanyotherway,bytheattemptsbeforetheinventionofthepresentlocomotive,toconstructalocomotivethatactuallyhadtwofeet,whichafterthefashionofahorse,itraisedalternatelyfromtheground。Itisonlyafterconsiderabledevelopmentofthescienceofmechanics,andaccumulatedpracticalexperience,thattheformofamachinebecomessettledentirelyinaccordancewithmechanicalprinciples,andemancipatedfromthetraditionalformofthetoolthatgaverisetoit。
[19]EliWhitney’scottonginhaduntilveryrecenttimesundergonelessessentialchangesthananyothermachineofthe18thcentury。Itisonlyduringthelastdecade(i。e。,since1856)thatanotherAmerican,Mr。Emery,ofAlbany,NewYork,hasrenderedWhitney’sginantiquatedbyanimprovementassimpleasitiseffective。
[20]"TheIndustryofNations,"Lond。,1855,PartII。,p。239。Thisworkalsoremarks:’Simpleandoutwardlyunimportantasthisappendagetolathesmayappear,itisnot,webelieve,averringtoomuchtostate,thatitsinfluenceinimprovingandextendingtheuseofmachineryhasbeenasgreatasthatproducedbyWatt’simprovementsofthesteam—engineitself。Itsintroductionwentatoncetoperfectallmachinery,tocheapenit,andtostimulateinventionandimprovement。"
[21]Oneofthesemachines,usedforforgingpaddle—wheelshaftsinLondon,iscalled"Thor。"Itforgesashaftof161/2tonswithasmucheaseasablacksmithforgesahorseshoe。
[22]Wood—workingmachinesthatarealsocapableofbeingemployedonasmallscalearemostlyAmericaninventions。
[23]Science,generallyspeaking,coststhecapitalistnothing,afactthatbynomeanshindershimfromexploitingit。Thescienceofothersisasmuchannexedbycapitalasthelabourofothers。Capitalisticappropriationandpersonalappropriation,whetherofscienceorofmaterialwealth,are,however,totallydifferentthings。Dr。Urehimselfdeploresthegrossignoranceofmechanicalscienceexistingamonghisdearmachinery—exploitingmanufacturers,andLiebigcanataleunfoldabouttheastoundingignoranceofchemistrydisplayedbyEnglishchemicalmanufacturers。
[24]Ricardolayssuchstressonthiseffectofmachinery(ofwhich,inotherconnexions,hetakesnomorenoticethanhedoesofthegeneraldistinctionbetweenthelabourprocessandtheprocessofcreatingsurplus—value),thatheoccasionallylosessightofthevaluegivenupbymachinestotheproduct,andputsmachinesonthesamefootingasnaturalforces。Tbus"AdamSmithnowhereundervaluestheserviceswhichthenaturalagentsandmachineryperformforus,butheveryjustlydistinguishesthenatureofthevaluewhichtheyaddtocommodities……astheyperformtheirworkgratuitously,theassistancewhichtheyaffordus,addsnothingtovalueinexchange。"
(Ric。,l。c。,pp。336,337。)ThisobservationofRicardoisofcoursecorrectinsofarasitisdirectedagainstJ。B。Say,whoimaginesthatmachinesrenderthe"service"ofcreatingvaluewhichformsapartof"profits。"
[25]Ahorse—powerisequaltoaforceof33,000foot—poundsperminute,i。e。,toaforcethatraises33,000poundsonefootinaminute,oronepound33,000feet。Thisisthehorsepowermeantinthetext。Inordinarylanguage,andalsohereandthereinquotationsinthiswork,adistinctionisdrawnbetweenthe"nominal"andthe"commercial"or"indicated"horse—powerofthesameengine。Theoldornominalhorse—poweriscalculatedexclusivelyfromthelengthofpiston—stroke,andthediameterofthecylinder,andleavespressureofsteamandpistonspeedoutofconsideration。Itexpressespracticallythis:Thisenginewouldbeoneof50horse—power,ifitweredrivenwiththesamelowpressureofsteam,andthesameslowpistonspeed,asinthedaysofBoultonandWatt。Butthetwolatterfactorshaveincreasedenormouslysincethosedays。Inordertomeasurethemechanicalforceexertedtodaybyanengine,anindicatorhasbeeninventedwhichshowsthepressureofthesteaminthecylinder。Thepistonspeediseasilyascertained。Thusthe"indicated"or"commercial"horse—powerofanengineisexpressedbyamathematicalformula,involvingdiameterofcylinder,lengthofstroke,pistonspeed,andsteampressure,simultaneously,andshowingwhatmultipleof33,000poundsisreallyraisedbytheengineinaminute。Hence,one"nominal"horse—powermayexertthree,four,orevenfive"indicated"or"real"horse—powers。Thisobservationismadeforthepurposeofexplainingvariouscitationsinthesubsequentpages。?F。E。
[26]Thereaderwhoisimbuedwithcapitalistnotionswillnaturallymissherethe"interest"thatthemachine,inproportiontoitscapitalvalue,addstotheproduct。Itis,however,easilyseenthatsinceamachinenomorecreatesnewvaluethananyotherpartofconstantcapital,itcannotaddanyvalueunderthenameof"interest。"Itisalsoevidentthathere,wherewearetreatingoftheproductionofsurplus—value,wecannotassumeaprioritheexistenceofanypartofthatvalueunderthenameofinterest。
Thecapitalistmodeofcalculating,whichappears,primâfacie,absurd,andrepugnanttothelawsofthecreationofvalue,willbeexplainedinthethirdbookofthiswork。
[27]Thisportionofvaluewhichisaddedbythemachinery,decreasesbothabsolutelyandrelatively,whenthemachinerydoesawaywithhorsesandotheranimalsthatareemployedasmeremovingforces,andnotasmachinesforchangingtheformofmatter。Itmayherebeincidentallyobserved,thatDescartes,indefininganimalsasmeremachines,。sawwitheyesofthemanufacturingperiod,whiletoeyesofthemiddleages,animalswereassistantstoman,astheywerelatertoVonHallerinhis"RestaurationderStaatswissenschaften。"
ThatDescartes,likeBacon,anticipatedanalterationintheformofproduction,andthepracticalsubjugationofNaturebyMan,asaresultofthealteredmethodsofthought,isplainfromhis"DiscoursdelaMéthode。"
Hetheresays:"Ifestpossible(bythemethodsheintroducedinphilosophy)
deparveniridesconnaissancesfortutilesilavie,etqu’aulieudecettephilosophicspeculativequ’onenseignedanslesécoles,onenpeuttrouverunepratique,parlaquelle,connaissantlaforceetlesactionsdufeu,del’eau,deI’air,desastres,etdetonslesautrescorpsquinousenvironment,aussidistinctementquenousconnaissonslesdiversmétiersdenosartisans,nouslespourrionsemployerenmêmefaçonàtouslesusagesauxquelsilssontpropres,etainsinousrendrecommemaîtresetpossesseursdelanature"andthus"contrubuerauperfectionnementdelaviehumaine。"IntheprefacetoSirDudleyNorth’s"DiscoursesuponTrade"(1691)itisstated,thatDescartes’methodhadbeguntofreePoliticalEconomyfromtheoldfablesandsuperstitiousnotionsofgold,trade,&c。Onthewhole,however,theearlyEnglisheconomistssidedwithBaconandHobbesastheirphilosophers;while,atalaterperiod,thephilosopher[……]ofPoliticalEconomyinEngland,France,andItaly,wasLocke。
[28]Accordingtotheannualreport(1863)oftheEssenchamberofcommerce,therewasproducedin1862,atthecast—steelworksofKrupp,withits161furnaces,thirty—twosteam—engines(intheyear1800thiswasaboutthenumberofallthesteam—enginesworkinginManchester),andfourteensteam—hammers(representinginall1,236horse—power)forty—nineforges,203tool—machines,andabout2,400workmen—thirteenmillionpoundsofcaststeel。Heretherearenottwoworkmentoeachhorse—power。
[29]BabbageestimatesthatinJavathespinninglabouraloneadds117%tothevalueofthecotton。Atthesameperiod(1832)thetotalvalueaddedtothecottonbymachineryandlabourinthefine—spinningindustry,amountedtoabout33%ofthevalueofthecotton。("OntheEconomyofMachinery,"
pp。165,166。)
[30]Machineprintingalsoeconomisescolour。
[31]SeePaperreadbyDr。Watson,ReporteronProductstotheGovernmentofIndia,beforetheSocietyofArts,17thApril,1860。
[32]"Thesemuteagents(machines)arealwaystheproduceofmuchlesslabourthanthatwhichtheydisplace,evenwhentheyareofthesamemoney—value。"
(Ricardo,l。c。,p。40。)
[33]Henceinacommunisticsocietytherewouldbeaverydifferentscopefortheemployofmachinerythantherecanbeinabourgeoissociety。
[34]"Employersoflabourwouldnotunnecessarilyretaintwosetsofchildrenunderthirteen……Infactoneclassofmanufacturers,thespinnersofwoollenyam,nowrarelyemploychildrenunderthirteenyearsofage,i。e。,half—timers。Theyhaveintroducedimprovedandnewmachineryofvariouskinds,whichaltogethersupersedestheemploymentofchildren(i。e。,under13years);f。i。,Iwillmentiononeprocessasanillustrationofthisdiminutioninthenumberofchildren,whereinbytheadditionofanapparatus,calledapiecingmachine,toexistingmachines,theworkofsixorfourhalf—timers,accordingtothepeculiarityofeachmachine,canbeperformedbyoneyoungperson(over13years)……thehalf—timesystem’stimulated’
theinventionofthepiecingmachine。"(ReportsofInsp。ofFact。for31stOct。,1858。)
[35]"Wretch"istherecognisedterminEnglishPoliticalEconomyfortheagriculturallabourer。
[36]"Machinery……canfrequentlynotbeemployeduntillabour(hemeanswages)
rises。"(Ricardo,l。c。,p。479。)
[37]See"ReportoftheSocialScienceCongress,atEdinburgh。"Oct。,1863。
[38]Dr。EdwardSmith,duringthecottoncrisiscausedbytheAmericanCivilWar,wassentbytheEnglishGovernmenttoLancashire,Cheshire,andotherplaces,toreportonthesanitaryconditionofthecottonoperatives。Hereported,thatfromahygienicpointofview,andapartfromthebanishmentoftheoperativesfromthefactoryatmosphere,thecrisishadseveraladvantages。
Thewomennowhadsufficientleisuretogivetheirinfantsthebreast,insteadofpoisoningthemwith"Godfrey’scordial。"Theyhadtimetolearntocook。Unfortunatelytheacquisitionofthisartoccurredatatimewhentheyhadnothingtocook。Butfromthisweseehowcapital,forthepurposesofitsself—expansion,hasusurpedthelabournecessaryinthehomeofthefamily。Thiscrisiswasalsoutilisedtoteachsewingtothedaughtersoftheworkmeninsewingschools。AnAmericanrevolutionandauniversalcrisis,inorderthattheworkinggirls,whospinforthewholeworld,mightlearntosew!
[39]"Thenumericalincreaseoflabourershasbeengreat,throughthegrowingsubstitutionoffemaleformale,andaboveall,ofchildishforadultlabour。
Threegirlsof13,atwagesoffrom6shillingsto8shillingsaweek,havereplacedtheonemanofmatureage,ofwagesvaryingfrom18shillingsto45shillings。"(Th。deQuincey:"TheLogicofPoliticalEcon。,"London,1844。Notetop。147。)Sincecertainfamilyfunctions,suchasnursingandsucklingchildren,cannotbeentirelysuppressed,themothersconfiscatedbycapital,musttrysubstitutesofsomesort。Domesticwork,suchassewingandmending,mustbereplacedbythepurchaseofready—madearticles。Hence,thediminishedexpenditureoflabourinthehouseisaccompaniedbyanincreasedexpenditureofmoney。Thecostofkeepingthefamilyincreases,andbalancesthegreaterincome。Inadditiontothis,economyandjudgmentintheconsumptionandpreparationofthemeansofsubsistencebecomesimpossible。Abundantmaterialrelatingtothesefacts,whichareconcealedbyofficialPoliticalEconomy,istobefoundintheReportsoftheInspectorsofFactories,oftheChildren’sEmploymentCommission,andmoreespeciallyintheReportsonPublicHealth。
[40]Instrikingcontrastwiththegreatfact,thattheshorteningofthehoursoflabourofwomenandchildreninEnglishfactorieswasexactedfromcapitalbythemaleoperatives,wefindinthelatestreportsoftheChildren’sEmploymentCommissiontraitsoftheoperativeparentsinrelationtothetrafficinchildren,thataretrulyrevoltingandthoroughlylikeslave—dealing。
第39章