首页 >出版文学> The Principles of Political Economy with some of t>第7章
  Thereis"animportantdistinctionbetweensimpleandcomplex
  cooperation。Oftheformer,oneisalwaysconsciousatthetime
  ofpractisingit:itisobvioustothemostignorantandvulgar
  eye。Ofthelatter,butaveryfewofthevastnumberswho
  practiseitareinanydegreeconscious。Thecauseofthis
  distinctioniseasilyseen。Whenseveralmenareemployedin
  liftingthesameweight,orpullingthesamerope,atthesame
  time,andinthesameplace,therecanbenosortofdoubtthat
  theyco—operatewitheachother;thefactisimpressedonthe
  mindbythemeresenseofsight;butwhenseveralmen,orbodies
  ofmen,areemployedatdifferenttimesandplaces,andin
  differentpursuits,theirco—operationwitheachother,thoughit
  maybequiteascertain,isnotsoreadilyperceivedasinthe
  othercase:inordertoperceiveit,acomplexoperationofthe
  mindisrequired。"(2*)
  Inthepresentstateofsocietythebreedingandfeedingof
  sheepistheoccupationofonesetofpeople,dressingthewool
  toprepareitforthespinneristhatofanother,spinningit
  intothreadofathird,weavingthethreadintobroadclothofa
  fourth,dyeingtheclothofafifth,makingitintoacoatofa
  sixth,withoutcountingthemultitudeofcarriers,merchants,
  factors,andretailers,putinrequisitionatthesuccessive
  stagesofthisprogress。Allthesepersons,withoutknowledgeof
  oneanotherorpreviousunderstanding,co—operateinthe
  productionoftheultimateresult,acoat。Butthesearefarfrom
  beingallwhoco—operateinit;foreachofthesepersons
  requiresfood,andmanyotherarticlesofconsumption,andunless
  hecouldhavereliedthatotherpeoplewouldproducethesefor
  him,hecouldnothavedevotedhiswholetimetoonestepinthe
  successionofoperationswhichproducesonesinglecommodity,a
  coat。Everypersonwhotookpartinproducingfoodorerecting
  housesforthisseriesofproducers,has,howeverunconsciously
  onhispart,combinedhislabourwiththeirs。Itisbyareal,
  thoughunexpressed,concert,"thatthebodywhoraisemorefood
  thantheywant,canexchangewiththebodywhoraisemoreclothes
  thantheywant;andifthetwobodieswereseparated,eitherby
  distanceordisinclination——unlessthetwobodiesshould
  virtuallyformthemselvesintoone,forthecommonobjectof
  raisingenoughfoodandclothesforthewhole——theycouldnot
  divideintotwodistinctpartsthewholeoperationofproducinga
  sufficientquantityoffoodandclothes。"(3*)
  2。Theinfluenceexercisedonproductionbytheseparationof
  employments,ismorefundamentalthan,fromthemodeinwhichthe
  subjectisusuallytreated,areadermightbeinducedtosuppose。
  Itisnotmerelythatwhentheproductionofdifferentthings
  becomesthesoleorprincipaloccupationofdifferentpersons,a
  muchgreaterquantityofeachkindofarticleisproduced。The
  truthismuchbeyondthis。Withoutsomeseparationof
  employments,veryfewthingswouldbeproducedatall。
  Supposeasetofpersons,oranumberoffamilies,all
  employedpreciselyinthesamemanner;eachfamilysettledona
  pieceofitsownland,onwhichitgrowsbyitslabourthefood
  requiredforitsownsustenance,andastherearenopersonsto
  buyanysurplusproducewhereallareproducers,eachfamilyhas
  toproducewithinitselfwhateverotherarticlesitconsumes。In
  suchcircumstances,ifthesoilwastolerablyfertile,and
  populationdidnottreadtoocloselyontheheelsofsubsistence,
  therewouldbe,nodoubt,somekindofdomesticmanufactures;
  clothingforthefamilymightperhapsbespunandwovenwithin
  it,bythelabourprobablyofthewomen(afirststepinthe
  separationofemployments);andadwellingofsomesortwouldbe
  erectedandkeptinrepairbytheirunitedlabour。Butbeyond
  simplefood(precarious,too,fromthevariationsofthe
  seasons),coarseclothing,andveryimperfectlodging,itwould
  bescarcelypossiblethatthefamilyshouldproduceanything
  more。Theywould,ingeneral,requiretheirutmostexertionsto
  accomplishsomuch。Theirpowerevenofextractingfoodfromthe
  soilwouldbekeptwithinnarrowlimitsbythequalityoftheir
  tools,whichwouldnecessarilybeofthemostwretched
  description。Todoalmostanythinginthewayofproducingfor
  themselvesarticlesofconvenienceorluxury,wouldrequiretoo
  muchtime,and,inmanycases,theirpresenceinadifferent
  place。Veryfewkindsofindustry,therefore,wouldexist;and
  thatwhichdidexist,namelytheproductionofnecessaries,would
  beextremelyinefficient,notsolelyfromimperfectimplements,
  butbecause,whenthegroundandthedomesticindustryfedbyit
  hadbeenmadetosupplythenecessariesofasinglefamilyin
  tolerableabundance,therewouldbelittlemotive,whilethe
  numbersofthefamilyremainedthesame,tomakeeithertheland
  orthelabourproducemore。
  Butsupposeaneventtooccur,whichwouldamounttoa
  revolutioninthecircumstancesofthislittlesettlement。
  Supposethatacompanyofartificers,providedwithtools,and
  withfoodsufficienttomaintainthemforayear,arriveinthe
  countryandestablishthemselvesinthemidstofthepopulation。
  Thesenewsettlersoccupythemselvesinproducingarticlesofuse
  orornamentadaptedtothetasteofasimplepeople;andbefore
  theirfoodisexhaustedtheyhaveproducedtheseinconsiderable
  quantity,andarereadytoexchangethemformorefood。The
  economicalpositionofthelandedpopulationisnowmost
  materiallyaltered。Theyhaveanopportunitygiventhemof
  acquiringcomfortsandluxuries。Thingswhich,whilethey
  dependedsolelyontheirownlabour,theynevercouldhave
  obtained,becausetheycouldnothaveproduced,arenow
  accessibletothemiftheycansucceedinproducinganadditional
  quantityoffoodandnecessaries。Theyarethusincitedto
  increasetheproductivenessoftheirindustry。Amongthe
  conveniencesforthefirsttimemadeaccessibletothem,better
  toolsareprobablyone:andapartfromthis,theyhaveamotive
  tolabourmoreassiduously,andtoadoptcontrivancesformaking
  theirlabourmoreeffectual。Bythesemeanstheywillgenerally
  succeedincompellingtheirlandtoproduce,notonlyfoodfor
  themselves,butasurplusforthenewcomers,wherewithtobuy
  fromthemtheproductsoftheirindustry。Thenewsettlers
  constitutewhatiscalledamarketforsurplusagricultural
  produce:andtheirarrivalhasenrichedthesettlementnotonly
  bythemanufacturedarticlewhichtheyproduce,butbythefood
  whichwouldnothavebeenproducedunlesstheyhadbeenthereto
  consumeit。
  Thereisnoinconsistencybetweenthisdoctrine,andthe
  propositionwebeforemaintained,thatamarketforcommodities
  doesnotconstituteemploymentforlabour。(4*)Thelabourofthe
  agriculturistswasalreadyprovidedwithemployment;theyarenot
  indebtedtothedemandofthenewcomersforbeingableto
  maintainthemselves。Whatthatdemanddoesforthemis,tocall
  theirlabourintoincreasedvigourandefficiency;tostimulate
  them,bynewmotives,tonewexertions。Neitherdothenewcomers
  owetheirmaintenanceandemploymenttothedemandofthe
  agriculturists:withayear’ssubsistenceinstore,theycould
  havesettledsidebysidewiththeformerinhabitants,and
  producedasimilarscantystockoffoodandnecessaries。
  Neverthelessweseeofwhatsupremeimportancetothe
  productivenessofthelabourofproducers,istheexistenceof
  otherproducerswithinreach,employedinadifferentkindof
  industry。Thepowerofexchangingtheproductsofonekindof
  labourforthoseofanother,isacondition,butforwhich,there
  wouldalmostalwaysbeasmallerquantityoflabouraltogether。
  Whenanewmarketisopenedforanyproductofindustry,anda
  greaterquantityofthearticleisconsequentlyproduced,the
  increasedproductionisnotalwaysobtainedattheexpenseof
  someotherproduct;itisoftenanewcreation,theresultof
  labourwhichwouldotherwisehaveremainedunexerted;orof
  assistancerenderedtolabourbyimprovementsorbymodesof
  co—operationtowhichrecoursewouldnothavebeenhadifan
  inducementhadnotbeenofferedforraisingalargerproduce。
  3。Fromtheseconsiderationsitappearsthatacountrywill
  seldomhaveaproductiveagriculture,unlessithasalargetown
  population,ortheonlyavailablesubstitute,alargeexport
  tradeinagriculturalproducetosupplyapopulationelsewhere。I
  usethephrasetownpopulationforshortness,toimplya
  populationnon—agricultural;whichwillgenerallybecollectedin
  townsorlargevillages,forthesakeofcombinationoflabour。
  TheapplicationofthistruthbyMr。Wakefieldtothetheoryof
  colonization,hasexcitedmuchattention,andisdoubtless
  destinedtoexcitemuchmore。Itisoneofthosegreatpractical
  discoveries,which,oncemade,appearssoobviousthatthemerit
  ofmakingthemseemslessthanitis。Mr。Wakefieldwasthefirst
  topointoutthatthemodeofplantingnewsettlements,then
  commonlypractised——settingdownanumberoffamiliessideby
  side,eachonitspieceofland,allemployingthemselvesin
  exactlythesamemanner,——thoughinfavourablecircumstancesit
  mayassuretothosefamiliesarudeabundanceofmere
  necessaries,canneverbeotherthanunfavourabletogreat
  productionorrapidgrowth:andhissystemconsistsof
  arrangementsforsecuringthateverycolonyshallhavefromthe
  firstatownpopulationbearingdueproportiontoits
  agricultural,andthatthecultivatorsofthesoilshallnotbe
  sowidelyscatteredastobedeprivedbydistance,ofthebenefit
  ofthattownpopulationasamarketfortheirproduce。The
  principleOnwhichtheschemeisfounded,doesnotdependonany
  theoryrespectingthesuperiorproductivenessoflandheldin
  largeportions,andcultivatedbyhiredlabour。Supposingittrue
  thatlandyieldsthegreatestproducewhendividedintosmall
  propertiesandcultivatedbypeasantproprietors,atown
  populationwillbejustasnecessarytoinducethoseproprietors
  toraisethatlargerproduce:andiftheyweretoofarfromthe
  nearestseatofnonagriculturalindustrytouseitasamarket
  fordisposingoftheirsurplus,andtherebysupplyingtheirother
  wants,neitherthatsurplusnoranyequivalentforitwould,
  generallyspeaking,beproduced。
  Itis,aboveall,thedeficiencyoftownpopulationwhich
  limitstheproductivenessoftheindustryofacountrylike
  India。TheagricultureofIndiaisconductedentirelyonthe
  systemofsmallholdings。Thereis,however,aconsiderable
  amountofcombinationoflabour。Thevillageinstitutionsand
  customs,whicharetherealframeworkofIndiansociety,make
  provisionforjointactioninthecasesinwhichitisseentobe
  necessary;orwheretheyfailtodoso,thegovernment(when
  tolerablywelladministered)stepsin,andbyanoutlayfromthe
  revenue,executesbycombinedlabourthetanks,embankments,and
  worksofirrigation,whichareindispensable。Theimplementsand
  processesofagriculturearehoweversowretched,thatthe
  produceofthesoil,inspiteofgreatnaturalfertilityanda
  climatehighlyfavourabletovegetation,ismiserablysmall:and
  thelandmightbemadetoyieldfoodinabundanceformanymore
  thanthepresentnumberofinhabitants,withoutdepartingfrom
  thesystemofsmallholdings。Buttothisthestimulusis
  wanting,whichalargetownpopulation,connectedwiththerural
  districtsbyeasyandunexpensivemeansofcommunication,would
  afford。Thattownpopulation,again,doesnotgrowup,because
  thefewwantsandunaspiringspiritofthecultivators(joined
  untillatelywithgreatinsecurityofproperty,frommilitaryand
  fiscalrapacity)preventthemfromattemptingtobecomeconsumers
  oftownproduce。Inthesecircumstancesthebestchanceofan
  earlydevelopmentoftheproductiveresourcesofIndia,consists
  intherapidgrowthofitsexportofagriculturalproduce
  (cotton,indigo,sugar,coffee,&c。)tothemarketsofEurope。
  Theproducersofthesearticlesareconsumersoffoodsuppliedby
  theirfellow——agriculturistsinIndia;andthemarketthus
  openedforsurplusfoodwill,ifaccompaniedbygoodgovernment,
  raiseupbydegreesmoreextendedwantsanddesires,directed
  eithertowardsEuropeancommodities,ortowardsthingswhichwill
  requirefortheirproductioninIndiaalargermanufacturing
  population。
  4。Thusfaroftheseparationofemployments,aformofthe
  combinationoflabourwithoutwhichtherecannotbethefirst
  rudimentsofindustrialcivilization。Butwhenthisseparationis
  thoroughlyestablished;whenithasbecomethegeneralpractice
  foreachproducertosupplymanyotherswithonecommodity,and
  tobesuppliedbyotherswithmostofthethingswhichhe
  consumes;reasonsnotlessreal,thoughlessimperative,invite
  toafurtherextensionofthesameprinciple。Itisfoundthat
  theproductivepoweroflabourisincreasedbycarryingthe
  separationfurtherandfurther;bybreakingdownmoreandmore
  everyprocessofindustryintoparts,sothateachlabourershall
  confinehimselftoaneversmallernumberofsimpleoperations。
  Andthus,intime,arisethoseremarkablecasesofwhatiscalled
  thedivisionoflabour,withwhichallreadersonsubjectsof
  thisnaturearefamiliar。AdamSmith’sillustrationfrom
  pin—making,thoughsowellknown,issomuchtothepoint,thatI
  willventureoncemoretotranscribeit。"Thebusinessofmaking
  apinisdividedintoabouteighteendistinctoperations。Oneman
  drawsoutthewire,anotherstraightsit,athirdcutsit,a
  fourthpointsit,afifthgrindsitatthetopforreceivingthe
  head;tomaketheheadrequirestwoorthreedistinctoperations;
  toputiton,isapeculiarbusiness;towhitenthepinsis
  another;itisevenatradebyitselftoputthemintothe
  paper……Ihaveseenasmallmanufactorywheretenmenonly
  wereemployed,andwheresomeofthem,consequently,performed
  twoorthreedistinctoperations。Butthoughtheywereverypoor,
  andthereforebutindifferentlyaccommodatedwiththenecessary
  machinery,theycould,whentheyexertedthemselves,makeamong
  themabouttwelvepoundsofpinsinaday。Thereareinapound
  upwardsoffourthousandpinsofamiddlingsize。Thoseten
  persons,therefore,couldmakeamongthemupwardsofforty—eight
  thousandpinsinaday。Eachperson,therefore,makingatenth
  partofforty—eightthousandpins,mightbeconsideredasmaking
  fourthousandeighthundredpinsinaday。Butiftheyhadall
  wroughtseparatelyandindependently,andwithoutanyofthem
  havingbeeneducatedtothispeculiarbusiness,theycertainly
  couldnoteachofthemhavemadetwenty,perhapsnotonepinina
  day。"(5*)
  M。Sayfurnishesastillstrongerexampleoftheeffectsof
  divisionoflabour——fromanotveryimportantbranchof
  industrycertainly,themanufactureofplayingcards。"Itissaid
  bythoseengagedinthebusiness,thateachcard,thatis,a
  pieceofpasteboardofthesizeofthehand,beforebeingready
  forsale,doesnotundergofewerthanseventyoperations,(6*)
  everyoneofwhichmightbetheoccupationofadistinctclassof
  workmen。Andiftherearenotseventyclassesofwork—peoplein
  eachcardmanufactory,itisbecausethedivisionoflabouris
  notcarriedsofarasitmightbe;becausethesameworkmanis
  chargedwithtwo,three,orfourdistinctoperations。The
  influenceofthisdistributionofemploymentisimmense。Ihave
  seenacardmanufactorywherethirtyworkmenproduceddaily
  fifteenthousandfivehundredcards,beingabovefivehundred
  cardsforeachlabourer;anditmaybepresumedthatifeachof
  theseworkmenwereobligedtoperformalltheoperationshimself,
  evensupposinghimapractisedhand,hewouldnotperhaps
  completetwocardsinaday。andthethirtyworkmen,insteadof
  fifteenthousandfivehundredcards,wouldmakeonlysixty。"(7*)
  Inwatchmaking,asMr。Babbageobserves,"itwasstatedin
  evidencebeforeaCommitteeoftheHouseofCommons,thatthere
  areahundredandtwodistinctbranchesofthisart,toeachof
  whichaboymaybeputapprentice;andthatheonlylearnshis
  master’sdepartment,andisunable,afterhisapprenticeshiphas
  expired,withoutsubsequentinstruction,toworkatanyother
  branch。Thewatch—finisher,whosebusinessitistoputtogether
  thescatteredparts,istheonlyone,outofthehundredandtwo
  persons,whocanworkinanyotherdepartmentthanhisown。"(8*)
  5。Thecausesoftheincreasedefficiencygiventolabourby
  thedivisionofemploymentsaresomeofthemtoofamiliarto
  requirespecification;butitisworthwhiletoattempta
  completeenumerationofthem。ByAdamSmiththeyarereducedto
  three。"First,theincreaseofdexterityineveryparticular
  workman;secondly,thesavingofthetimewhichiscommonlylost
  inpassingfromonespeciesofworktoanother。andlastly,the
  inventionofagreatnumberofmachineswhichfacilitateand
  abridgelabour,andenableonemantodotheworkofmany。"(9*)
  Ofthese,theincreaseofdexterityoftheindividualworkman
  isthemostobviousanduniversal。Itdoesnotfollowthat
  becauseathinghasbeendoneofteneritwillbedonebetter。
  Thatdependsontheintelligenceoftheworkman,andonthe
  degreeinwhichhismindworksalongwithhishands。Butitwill
  bedonemoreeasily。Theorgansthemselvesacquiregreaterpower:
  themusclesemployedgrowstrongerbyfrequentexercise,the
  sinewsmorepliant,andthementalpowersmoreefficient,and
  lesssensibleoffatigue。Whatcanbedoneeasilyhasatleasta
  betterchanceofbeingdonewell,andissuretobedonemore
  expeditiously。Whatwasatfirstdoneslowlycomestobedone
  quickly;whatwasatfirstdoneslowlywithaccuracyisatlast
  donequicklywithequalaccuracy。Thisisastrueofmental
  operationsasofbodily。Evenachild,aftermuchpractice,sums
  upacolumnoffigureswitharapiditywhichresemblesintuition。
  Theactofspeakinganylanguage,ofreadingfluently,ofplaying
  musicatsight,arecasesasremarkableastheyarefamiliar。
  Amongbodilyacts,dancing,gymnasticexercises,easeand
  brilliancyofexecutiononamusicalinstrument,areexamplesof
  therapidityandfacilityacquiredbyrepetition。Insimpler
  manualoperationstheeffectisofcoursestillsoonerproduced。
  "Therapidity,"AdamSmithobserves,"withwhichsomeofthe
  operationsofcertainmanufacturesareperformed,exceedswhat
  thehumanhandcould,bythosewhohadneverseenthem,be
  supposedcapableofacquiring。"(10*)Thisskillis,naturally,
  attainedaftershorterpractice,inproportionasthedivisionof
  labourismoreminute;andwillnotbeattainedinthesame
  degreeatall,iftheworkmanhasagreatervarietyofoperations
  toexecutethanallowsofasufficientlyfrequentrepetitionof
  each。Theadvantageisnotconfinedtothegreaterefficiency
  ultimatelyattained,butincludesalsothediminishedlossof
  time,andwasteofmaterial,inlearningtheart。"Acertain
  quantityofmaterial,"saysMr。Babbage,(11*)"willinallcases
  beconsumedunprofitably,orspoiled,byeverypersonwholearns
  anart;andasheapplieshimselftoeachnewprocess,hewill
  wastesomeoftherawmaterial,orofthepartlymanufactured
  commodity。Butifeachmancommitthiswasteinacquiring
  successivelyeveryprocess,thequantityofwastewillbemuch
  greaterthanifeachpersonconfinehisattentiontoone
  process。"Andingeneraleachwillbemuchsoonerqualifiedto
  executehisoneprocess,ifhebenotdistractedwhilelearning
  it,bythenecessityoflearningothers。
  ThesecondadvantageenumeratedbyAdamSmithasarisingfrom
  thedivisionoflabour,isoneonwhichIcannothelpthinking
  thatmorestressislaidbyhimandothersthanitdeserves。To
  dofulljusticetohisopinion,Iwillquotehisownexposition
  ofit。"Theadvantagewhichisgainedbysavingthetimecommonly
  lostinpassingfromonesortofworktoanother,ismuchgreater
  thanweshouldatfirstviewbeapttoimagineit。Itis
  impossibletopassveryquicklyfromonekindofworktoanother,
  thatiscarriedoninadifferentplace,andwithquitedifferent
  tools。Acountryweaver,whocultivatesasmallfarm,mustlosea
  gooddealoftimeinpassingfromhisloomtothefield,andfrom
  thefieldtohisloom。Whenthetwotradescanbecarriedonin
  thesameworkhouse,thelossoftimeisnodoubtmuchless。Itis
  eveninthiscase,however,veryconsiderable。Amancommonly
  sauntersalittleinturninghishandfromonesortofemployment
  toanother。Whenhefirstbeginsthenewwork,heisseldomvery
  keenandhearty;hismind,astheysay,doesnotgotoit,and
  forsometimeherathertriflesthanappliestogoodpurpose。The
  habitofsaunteringandofindolentcarelessapplication,which
  isnaturally,orrathernecessarilyacquiredbyeverycountry
  workmanwhoisobligedtochangehisworkandhistoolsevery
  halfhour,andtoapplyhishandintwentydifferentwaysalmost
  everydayofhislife,rendershimalmostalwaysslothfuland
  lazy,andincapableofanyvigorousapplicationevenonthemost
  pressingoccasions。"(12*)Thisissurelyamostexaggerated
  descriptionoftheinefficiencyofcountrylabour,whereithas
  anyadequatemotivetoexertion。Fewworkmenchangetheirwork
  andtheirtoolsoftenerthanagardener;isheusuallyincapable
  ofvigorousapplication?Manyofthehigherdescriptionof
  artisanshavetoperformagreatmultiplicityofoperationswith
  avarietyoftools。Theydonotexecuteeachofthesewiththe
  rapiditywithwhichafactoryworkmanperformshissingle
  operation;buttheyare,exceptinamerelymanualsense,more
  skilfullabourers,andinallsenseswhatevermoreenergetic。
  Mr。Babbage,followinginthetrackofAdamSmith,says,
  "Whenthehumanhand,orthehumanhead,hasbeenforsometime
  occupiedinanykindofwork,itcannotinstantlychangeits
  employmentwithfulleffect。Themusclesofthelimbsemployed
  haveacquiredaflexibilityduringtheirexertion,andthosenot
  inactionastiffnessduringrest,whichrenderseverychange
  slowandunequalinthecommencement。Longhabitalsoproducesin
  themusclesexercisedacapacityforenduringfatiguetoamuch
  greaterdegreethantheycouldsupportunderothercircumstances。
  Asimilarresultseemstotakeplaceinanychangeofmental
  exertion;theattentionbestowedonthenewsubjectnotbeingso
  perfectatfirstasitbecomesaftersomeexercise。The
  employmentofdifferenttoolsinthesuccessiveprocesses,is
  anothercauseofthelossoftimeinchangingfromoneoperation
  toanother。Ifthesetoolsaresimple,andthechangeisnot
  frequent,thelossoftimeisnotconsiderable;butinmany
  processesofthearts,thetoolsareofgreatdelicacy,requiring
  accurateadjustmenteverytimetheyareused;andinmanycases,
  thetimeemployedinadjustingbearsalargeproportiontothat
  employedinusingthetool。Thesliding—rest,thedividingand
  thedrillingengineareofthiskind:andhence,inmanufactories
  ofsufficientextent,itisfoundtobegoodeconomytokeepone
  machineconstantlyemployedinonekindofwork:onelathe,for
  example,havingascrewmotiontoitssliding—restalongthe
  wholelengthofitsbed,iskeptconstantlymakingcylinders;
  another,havingamotionforequalizingthevelocityofthework
  atthepointatwhichitpassesthetool,iskeptforfacing
  surfaces;whilstathirdisconstantlyemployedincutting
  wheels。"
  Iamveryfarfromimplyingthatthesedifferent
  considerationsareofnoweight;butIthinkthereare
  counter—considerationswhichareoverlooked。Ifonekindof
  muscularormentallabourisdifferentfromanother,forthat
  veryreasonitistosomeextentarestfromthatother。andif
  thegreatestvigourisnotatonceobtainedinthesecond
  occupation,neithercouldthefirsthavebeenindefinitely
  prolongedwithoutsomerelaxationofenergy。Itisamatterof
  commonexperiencethatachangeofoccupationwilloftenafford
  reliefwherecompletereposewouldotherwisebenecessary,and
  thatapersoncanworkmanymorehourswithoutfatigueata
  successionofoccupations,thanifconfinedduringthewholetime
  toone。Differentoccupationsemploydifferentmuscles,or
  differentenergiesofthemind,someofwhichrestandare
  refreshedwhileotherswork。Bodilylabouritselfrestsfrom
  mental,andconversely。Thevarietyitselfhasaninvigorating
  effectonwhat,forwantofamorephilosophicalappellation,we
  musttermtheanimalspirits;soimportanttotheefficiencyof
  allworknotmechanical,andnotunimportanteventothat。The
  comparativeweightduetotheseconsiderationsisdifferentwith
  differentindividuals;somearemorefittedthanothersfor
  persistencyinoneoccupation,andlessfitforchange;they
  requirelongertogetthesteamup(touseametaphornow
  common);theirksomenessofsettingtoworklastslonger,andit
  requiresmoretimetobringtheirfacultiesintofullplay,and
  thereforewhenthisisoncedone,theydonotliketoleaveoff,
  butgoonlongwithoutintermission,eventotheinjuryoftheir
  health。Temperamenthassomethingtodowiththesedifferences。
  Therearepeoplewhosefacultiesseembynaturetocomeslowly
  intoaction,andtoaccomplishlittleuntiltheyhavebeenalong
  timeemployed。Others,again,getintoactionrapidly,but
  cannot,withoutexhaustion,continuelong。Inthis,however,as
  inmostotherthings,thoughnaturaldifferencesaresomething,
  habitismuchmore。Thehabitofpassingrapidlyfromone
  occupationtoanothermaybeacquired,likeotherhabits,by
  earlycultivation;andwhenitisacquired,thereisnoneofthe
  saunteringwhichAdamSmithspeaksof,aftereachchange;nowant
  ofenergyandinterest,buttheworkmancomestoeachpartofhis
  occupationwithafreshnessandaspiritwhichhedoesnotretain
  ifhepersistsinanyonepart(unlessincaseofunusual
  excitement)beyondthelengthoftimetowhichheisaccustomed。
  Womenareusually(atleastintheirpresentsocial
  circumstances)offargreaterversatilitythanmen;andthe
  presenttopicisaninstanceamongmultitudes,howlittlethe
  ideasandexperienceofwomenhaveyetcountedfor,informing
  theopinionsofmankind。Therearefewwomenwhowouldnotreject
  theideathatworkismadevigorousbybeingprotracted,andis
  inefficientforsometimeafterchangingtoanewthing。Evenin
  thiscase,habit,Ibelieve,muchmorethannature,isthecause
  ofthedifference。Theoccupationsofnineoutofeverytenmen
  arespecial,thoseofnineoutofeverytenwomengeneral,
  embracingamultitudeofdetails,eachofwhichrequiresvery
  littletime。Womenareintheconstantpracticeofpassing
  quicklyfromonemanual,andstillmorefromonementaloperation
  toanother,whichthereforerarelycoststhemeithereffortor
  lossoftime,whileaman’soccupationgenerallyconsistsin
  workingsteadilyforalongtimeatonething,oronevery
  limitedclassofthings。Butthesituationsaresometimes
  reversed,andwiththemthecharacters。Womenarenotfoundless
  efficientthanmenfortheuniformityoffactorywork,orthey
  wouldnotsogenerallybeemployedforit;andamanwhohas
  cultivatedthehabitofturninghishandtomanythings,farfrom
  beingtheslothfulandlazypersondescribedbyAdamSmith,is
  usuallyremarkablylivelyandactive。Itistrue,however,that
  changeofoccupationmaybetoofrequentevenforthemost
  versatile。Incessantvarietyisevenmorefatiguingthan
  perpetualsameness。
  ThethirdadvantageattributedbyAdamSmithtothedivision
  oflabour,is,toacertainextent,real。Inventionstendingto
  savelabourinaparticularoperation,aremorelikelytooccur
  toanyoneinproportionashisthoughtsareintenselydirected
  tothatoccupation,andcontinuallyemployeduponit。Apersonis
  notsolikelytomakepracticalimprovementsinonedepartmentof
  things,whoseattentionisverymuchdivertedtoothers。But,in
  this,muchmoredependsongeneralintelligenceandhabitual
  activityofmind,thanonexclusivenessofoccupation;andif
  thatexclusivenessiscarriedtoadegreeunfavourabletothe
  cultivationofintelligence,therewillbemorelostinthiskind
  ofadvantage,thangained。Wemayadd,thatwhatevermaybethe
  causeofmakinginventions,whentheyareoncemade,the
  increasedefficiencyoflabourisowingtotheinventionitself,
  andnottothedivisionoflabour。
  Thegreatestadvantage(nexttothedexterityoftheworkmen)
  derivedfromtheminutedivisionoflabourwhichtakesplacein
  modernmanufacturingindustry,isonenotmentionedbyAdam
  Smith,buttowhichattentionhasbeendrawnbyMr。Babbage;the
  moreeconomicaldistributionoflabour,byclassingthe
  work—peopleaccordingtotheircapacity。Differentpartsofthe
  sameseriesofoperationsrequireunequaldegreesofskilland
  bodilystrength;andthosewhohaveskillenoughforthemost
  difficult,orstrengthenoughforthehardestpartsofthe
  labour,aremademuchmoreusefulbybeingemployedsolelyin
  them;theoperationswhicheverybodyiscapableof,beingleftto
  thosewhoarefitfornoothers。Productionismostefficient
  whentheprecisequantityofskillandstrength,whichis
  requiredforeachpartoftheprocess,isemployedinit,andno
  more。Theoperationofpin—makingrequires,itseems,inits
  differentparts,suchdifferentdegreesofskill,thatthewages
  earnedbythepersonsemployedvaryfromfourpencehalfpennya
  daytosixshillings;andiftheworkmanwhoispaidatthat
  highestratehadtoperformthewholeprocess,hewouldbe
  workingapartofhistimewithawasteperdayequivalenttothe
  differencebetweensixshillingsandfourpencehalfpenny。Without
  referencetothelosssustainedinquantityofworkdone,and
  supposingeventhathecouldmakeapoundofpinsinthesame
  timeinwhichtenworkmencombiningtheirlabourcanmaketen
  pounds,Mr。Babbagecomputesthattheywouldcost,inmaking,
  threetimesandthree—quartersasmuchastheynowdobymeansof
  thedivisionoflabour。Inneedlemaking,headds,thedifference
  wouldbestillgreater,forinthat,thescaleofremuneration
  fordifferentpartsoftheprocessvariesfromsixpencetotwenty
  shillingsaday。
  Totheadvantagewhichconsistsinextractingthegreatest
  possibleamountofutilityfromskill,maybeaddedtheanalogous
  one,ofextractingtheutmostpossibleutilityfromtools。"If
  anyman,"saysanablewriter,(13*)"hadallthetoolswhichmany
  differentoccupationsrequire,atleastthree—fourthsofthem
  wouldconstantlybeidleanduseless。Itwereclearlythen
  better,wereanysocietytoexistwhereeachmanhadallthese
  tools,andalternatelycarriedoneachoftheseoccupations,that
  themembersofitshould,ifpossible,dividethemamongstthem,
  eachrestrictinghimselftosomeparticularemployment。The
  advantagesofthechangetothewholecommunity,andthereforeto
  everyindividualinit,aregreat。Inthefirstplace,the
  variousimplementsbeinginconstantemployment,yieldabetter
  returnforwhathasbeenlaidoutinprocuringthem。In
  consequencetheirownerscanaffordtohavethemofbetter
  qualityandmorecompleteconstruction。Theresultofbothevents
  is,thatalargerprovisionismadeforthefuturewantsofthe
  wholesociety。"
  6。Thedivisionoflabour,asallwritersonthesubjecthave
  remarked,islimitedbytheextentofthemarket。If,bythe
  separationofpin—makingintotendistinctemployments,
  forty—eightthousandpinscanbemadeinaday,thisseparation
  willonlybeadvisableifthenumberofaccessibleconsumersis
  suchastorequire,everyday,somethinglikeforty—eight
  thousandpins。Ifthereisonlyademandfortwenty—four
  thousand,thedivisionoflabourcanonlybeadvantageously
  carriedtotheextentwhichwilleverydayproducethatsmaller
  number。This,therefore,isafurthermodeinwhichanaccession
  ofdemandforacommoditytendstoincreasetheefficiencyofthe
  labouremployedinitsproduction。Theextentofthemarketmay
  belimitedbyseveralcauses:toosmallapopulation;the
  populationtooscatteredanddistanttobeeasilyaccessible;
  deficiencyofroadsandwatercarriage;or,finally,the
  populationtoopoor,thatis,theircollectivelabourtoolittle
  effective,toadmitoftheirbeinglargeconsumers。Indolence,
  wantofskill,andwantofcombinationoflabour,amongthosewho
  wouldotherwisebebuyersofacommodity,limit,therefore,the
  practicalamountofcombinationoflabouramongitsproducers。In
  anearlystageofcivilization,whenthedemandofanyparticular
  localitywasnecessarilysmall,industryonlyflourishedamong
  thosewhobytheircommandofthesea—coastorofanavigable
  river,couldhavethewholeworld,orallthatpartofitwhich
  layoncoastsornavigablerivers,asamarketfortheir
  productions。Theincreaseofthegeneralrichesoftheworld,
  whenaccompaniedwithfreedomofcommercialintercourse,
  improvementsinnavigation,andinlandcommunicationbyroads,
  canals,orrailways,tendstogiveincreasedproductivenessto
  thelabourofeverynationinparticular,byenablingeach
  localitytosupplywithitsspecialproductssomuchlargera
  market,thatagreatextensionofthedivisionoflabourintheir
  productionisanordinaryconsequence。
  Thedivisionoflabourisalsolimited,inmanycases,bythe
  natureoftheemployment。Agriculture,forexample,isnot
  susceptibleofsogreatadivisionofoccupationsasmany
  branchesofmanufactures,becauseitsdifferentoperationscannot
  possiblybesimultaneous。Onemancannotbealwaysploughing,
  anothersowing,andanotherreaping。Aworkmanwhoonlypractised
  oneagriculturaloperationwouldheidleelevenmonthsofthe
  year。Thesamepersonmayperformthemallinsuccession,and
  have,inmostclimates,aconsiderableamountofunoccupiedtime。
  Toexecuteagreatagriculturalimprovement,itisoften
  necessarythatmanylabourersshouldworktogether;butin
  general,exceptthefewwhosebusinessissuperintendence,they
  allworkinthesamemanner。Acanalorarailwayembankment
  cannothemadewithoutacombinationofmanylabourers;butthey
  areallexcavators,excepttheengineersandafewclerks。
  NOTES:
  1。NotetoWakefield’seditionofAdamSmith,vol。i。p。26。
  2。WealthofNations,ed。Wakefield,I,30。
  3。WealthofNations,ed。Wakefield,I,29。
  4。Supra,pp。78—88。
  5。WealthofNations,ed。Wakefield,I,8。
  6。"Cenesontpointlesmemesouvriersquipreparentlepapier
  dontonfaitlescartes,nilescouleursdontonlesempreint;et
  ennefesantattentionqu’auseulemploidecesmatieres,nous
  trouveronsqu’unjeudecartesestleresultatdeplusiers
  operationsdontchacuneoccupeuneseriedistincted’ouvrierset
  d’ouvrieresquis’appliquenttoujoursalamemeopeation。Cesont
  despersonnesdifferentes,ettoujourslesmemes,quiepluchent
  lesbouchonsetgrosseursquisetrouventdanslepapieret
  nuiraiental’egalited’epaisseur;lesmemesquicollentensemble
  lestroisfeuillesdepapierdontsecomposelecartonetquile
  mettentenpresse;lesmemesquiimprimentennoirledessindes
  figures;d’autresouvriersimprimentlescouleursdesmemes
  figures;d’autresfontsecheraurechaudlescartonsunefois
  qu’ilssontimprimes;d’autress’occupentdeleslisserdessuset
  dessous。C’estuneoccupationparticulierequedelescouper
  d’egaledimension;c’enestuneautredelesassemblerpouren
  formerdesjeux;uneautreencored’imprimerlesenveloppesdes
  jeux,etuneautreencoredelesenvelopper;sanscompterles
  fonctionsdespersonneschargeesdesventesetdesachats,de
  payerlesouvriersetdetenirlesecritures。"——Say,Cours
  d’EconomiePolitique,vol。i,p。340。
  Itisremarkableproofoftheeconomyoflabouroccasionedby
  thisminutedivisionofoccupations,thatanarticle,the
  productionofwhichistheresultofsuchamultitudeofmanual
  operations,canbesoldforatriflingsum。
  7。Ibid,I,p。341。
  8。EconomyofMachineryandManufactures,3rdEdition,p。201。
  9。WealthofNations,ed。Wakefield,I,12—13。
  10。"Inastronomicalobservations,thesensesoftheoperatorare
  renderedsoacutebyhabit,thathecanestimatedifferencesof
  timetothetenthofasecond;andadjusthismeasuring
  instrumenttograduationsofwhichfivethousandoccupyonlyan
  inch。Itisthesamethroughoutthecommonestprocessesof
  manufacture。Achildwhofastensontheheadsofpinswillrepeat
  anoperationrequiringseveraldistinctmotionsofthemuscles
  onehundredtimesaminuteforseveralsuccessivehours。Ina
  recentManchesterpaperitwasstatedtahatapeculiarsortof
  twistor’gimp’,whichcostthreeshillingsmakingwhenfirst
  introduced,wasnowmanufacturedforonepenny;andthisnot,as
  usually,bytheinventionofanewmachine,butsolelythrough
  theincreaseddexterityoftheworkman。"EdinburghReviewfor
  January1840,p。81。
  11。Page171。
  12。WealthofNations,ed。Wakefield,I,14—15。
  13。StatementofsomeNewPrinciplesonthesubjectofPolitical
  Economy,byJohnRae,p。164。
  ThePrinciplesofPoliticalEconomybyJohnStuartMillBook1,Chapter9
  OfProductiononaLarge,andProductiononaSmallScale1。Fromtheimportanceofcombinationoflabour,itisanobviousconclusion,thattherearemanycasesinwhichproductionismademuchmoreeffectivebybeingconductedonalargescale。
  Wheneveritisessentialtothegreatestefficiencyoflabourthatmanylabourersshouldcombine,eventhoughonlyinthewayofSimpleCo—operation,thescaleoftheenterprisemustbesuchastobringmanylabourerstogether,andthecapitalmustbelargeenoughtomaintainthem。Stillmoreneedfulisthiswhenthenatureoftheemploymentallows,andtheextentofthepossiblemarketencourages,aconsiderabledivisionoflabour。
  Thelargertheenterprise,thefartherthedivisionoflabourmaybecarried。Thisisoneoftheprincipalcausesoflargemanufactories。Evenwhennoadditionalsubdivisionoftheworkwouldfollowanenlargementoftheoperations,therewillbegoodeconomyinenlargingthemtothepointatwhicheverypersontowhomitisconvenienttoassignaspecialoccupation,willhavefullemploymentinthatoccupation。ThispointiswellillustratedbyMr。Babbage。(1*)
  "Ifmachinesbekeptworkingthroughthetwenty—fourhours,"
  (whichisevidentlytheonlyeconomicalmodeofemployingthem,)
  "itisnecessarythatsomepersonshallattendtoadmittheworkmenatthetimetheyrelieveeachother;andwhethertheporterorotherpersonsoemployedadmitonepersonortwenty,hisrestwillbeequallydisturbed。Itwillalsobenecessaryoccasionallytoadjustorrepairthemachine;andthiscanbedonemuchbetterbyaworkmanaccustomedtomachine—making,thanbythepersonwhousesit。Now,sincethegoodperformanceandthedurationofmachinesdepend,toaverygreatextent,uponcorrectingeveryshakeorimperfectionintheirpartsassoonastheyappear,thepromptattentionofaworkmanresidentonthespotwillconsiderablyreducetheexpenditurearisingfromthewearandtearofthemachinery。Butinthecaseofasinglelace—frame,orasingleloom,thiswouldbetooexpensiveaplan。
  Herethenarisesanothercircumstancewhichtendstoenlargetheextentofafactory。Itoughttoconsistofsuchanumberofmachinesasshalloccupythewholetimeofoneworkmaninkeepingtheminorder:ifextendedbeyondthatnumber,thesameprincipleofeconomywouldpointoutthenecessityofdoublingortriplingthenumberofmachines,inordertoemploythewholetimeoftwoorthreeskilfulworkmen。
  "Whenoneportionoftheworkman’slabourconsistsintheexertionofmerephysicalforce,asinweaving,andinmanysimilararts,itwillsoonoccurtothemanufacturer,thatifthatpartwereexecutedbyasteamengine,thesamemanmight,inthecaseofweaving,attendtotwoormoreloomsatonce:and,sincewealreadysupposethatoneormoreoperativeengineershavebeenemployed,thenumberofloomsmaybesoarrangedthattheirtimeshallbefullyoccupiedinkeepingthesteam—engineandtheloomsinorder。
  "Pursuingthesameprinciples,themanufactorybecomesgraduallysoenlarged,thattheexpenseoflightingduringthenightamountstoaconsiderablesum:andastherearealreadyattachedtotheestablishmentpersonswhoareupallnight,andcanthereforeconstantlyattendtoit,andalsoengineerstomakeandkeepinrepairanymachinery,theadditionofanapparatusformakinggastolightthefactoryleadstoanewextension,atthesametimethatitcontributes,bydiminishingtheexpenseoflighting,andtheriskofaccidentsfromfire,toreducethecostofmanufacturing。
  "Longbeforeafactoryhasreachedthisextent,itwillhavebeenfoundnecessarytoestablishanaccountant’sdepartment,withclerkstopaytheworkmen,andtoseethattheyarriveattheirstatedtimes;andthisdepartmentmustbeincommunicationwiththeagentswhopurchasetherawproduce,andwiththosewhosellthemanufacturedarticle。"Itwillcosttheseclerksandaccountantslittlemoretimeandtroubletopayalargenumberofworkmenthanasmallnumber;tochecktheaccountsoflargetransactions,thanofsmall。Ifthebusinessdoubleditself,itwouldprobablybenecessarytoincrease,butcertainlynottodouble,thenumbereitherofaccountants,orofbuyingandsellingagents。EveryincreaseofbusinesswouldenablethewholetobecaRedonwithaproportionatelysmalleramountoflabour。
  Asageneralrule,theexpensesofabusinessdonotincreasebyanymeansproportionallytothequantityofbusiness。Letustakeasanexample,asetofoperationswhichweareaccustomedtoseecarriedonbyonegreatestablishment,thatofthePostOffice。Supposethatthebusiness,letussayonlyoftheLondonletter—post,insteadofbeingcentralizedinasingleconcern,weredividedamongfiveorsixcompetingcompanies。Eachofthesewouldbeobligedtomaintainalmostaslargeanestablishmentasisnowsufficientforthewhole。Sinceeachmustarrangeforreceivinganddeliveringlettersinallpartsofthetown,eachmustsendletter—carriersintoeverystreet,andalmosteveryalley,andthistooasmanytimesinthedayasisnowdonebythePostOffice,iftheserviceistobeaswellperformed。Eachmusthaveanofficeforreceivinglettersineveryneighbourhood,withallsubsidiaryarrangementsforcollectingthelettersfromthedifferentofficesandre—distributingthem。Tothismustbeaddedthemuchgreaternumberofsuperiorofficerswhowouldberequiredtocheckandcontrolthesubordinates,implyingnotonlyagreatercostinsalariesforsuchresponsibleofficers,butthenecessity,perhaps,ofbeingsatisfiedinmanyinstanceswithaninferiorstandardofqualification,andsofailingintheobject。
  Whetherornottheadvantagesobtainedbyoperatingonalargescalepreponderateinanyparticularcaseoverthemorewatchfulattention,andgreaterregardtominorgainsandlosses,usuallyfoundinsmallestablishments,canbeascertained,inastateoffreecompetition,byanunfailingtest。Wherevertherearelargeandsmallestablishmentsinthesamebusiness,thatoneofthetwowhichinexistingcircumstancescarriesontheproductionatgreatestadvantagewillbeabletounderselltheother。Thepowerofpermanentlyundersellingcanonly,generallyspeaking,bederivedfromincreasedeffectivenessoflabour;andthis,whenobtainedbyamoreextendeddivisionofemployment,orbyaclassificationtendingtoabettereconomyofskill,alwaysimpliesagreaterproducefromthesamelabour,andnotmerelythesameproducefromlesslabour:itincreasesnotthesurplusonly,butthegrossproduceofindustry。Ifanincreasedquantityoftheparticulararticleisnotrequired,andpartofthelabourersinconsequencelosetheiremployment,thecapitalwhichmaintainedandemployedthemisalsosetatliberty;andthegeneralproduceofthecountryisincreasedbysomeotherapplicationoftheirlabour。
  Anotherofthecausesoflargemanufactories,however,istheintroductionofprocessesrequiringexpensivemachinery。
  Expensivemachinerysupposesalargecapital;andisnotresortedtoexceptwiththeintentionofproducing,andthehopeofselling,asmuchofthearticleascomesuptothefullpowersofthemachine。Forboththesereasons,wherevercostlymachineryisused,thelargesystemofproductionisinevitable。Butthepowerofundersellingisnotinthiscasesounerringatestasintheformer,ofthebeneficialeffectonthetotalproductionofthecommunity。Thepowerofundersellingdoesnotdependontheabsoluteincreaseofproduce,butonitsbearinganincreasedproportiontotheexpenses;which,aswasshowninaformerchapter,(2*)itmaydo,consistentlywithevenadiminutionofthegrossannualproduce。Bytheadoptionofmachinery,acirculatingcapital,whichwasperpetuallyconsumedandreproduced,hasbeenconvertedintoafixedcapital,requiringonlyasmallannualexpensetokeepitup:andamuchsmallerproducewillsufficeformerelycoveringthatexpense,andreplacingtheremainingcirculatingcapitaloftheproducer。Themachinerythereforemightanswerperfectlywelltothemanufacturer,andenablehimtoundersellhiscompetitors,thoughtheeffectontheproductionofthecountrymightbenotanincreasebutadiminution。Itistrue,thearticlewillbesoldcheaper,andtherefore,ofthatsinglearticle,therewillprobablybenotasmaller,butagreaterquantitysold;sincethelosstothecommunitycollectivelyhasfallenuponthework—people,andtheyarenottheprincipalcustomers,ifcustomersatall,ofmostbranchesofmanufacture。Butthoughthatparticularbranchofindustrymayextenditself,itwillbebyreplenishingitsdiminishedcirculatingcapitalfromthatofthecommunitygenerally;andifthelabourersemployedinthatdepartmentescapelossofemployment,itisbecausethelosswillspreaditselfoverthelabouringpeopleatlarge。Ifanyofthemarereducedtotheconditionofunproductivelabourers,supportedbyvoluntaryorlegalcharity,thegrossproduceofthecountryistothatextentpermanentlydiminished,untiltheordinaryprogressofaccumulationmakesitup;butiftheconditionofthelabouringclassesenablesthemtobearatemporaryreductionofwages,andthesupersededlabourersbecomeabsorbedinotheremployments,theirlabourisstillproductive,andthebreachinthegrossproduceoftheCOmmunityisrepaired,thoughnotthedetrimenttothelabourers。Ihaverestatedthisexposition,whichhasalreadybeenmadeinaformerplace,toimpressmorestronglythetruth,thatamodeofproductiondoesnotofnecessityincreasetheproductiveeffectofthecollectivelabourofacommunity,becauseitenablesaparticularcommoditytobesoldcheaper。Theoneconsequencegenerallyaccompaniestheother,butnotnecessarily。IwillnothererepeatthereasonsI
  formerlygave,noranticipatethosewhichwillbegivenmorefullyhereafter,fordeemingtheexceptiontoberatheracaseabstractedlypossible,thanonewhichisfrequentlyrealizedinfact。