spite of the very great lengthening of the working day, the daily wages were then lower than before. “The real earnings of the cotton weaver are now far less than they were; his superiority over the common labourer, which at first was very great, has now almost entirely ceased. Indeed … the difference in the wages of skilful and eommon labour is far less now than at any former period.”[1] How little the increased intensity and extension of labour through piece-wages benefited the agricultural proletariat, the following passage borrowed from a work on the side of the landlords and farmers shows: “By far the greater part of agricultural operations is done by people, who are hired for the day or on piece-work. Their weekly wages are about 12s., and although it may be assumed that a man earns on piece-work under the greater stimulus to labour, 1s. or perhaps 2s. more than on weekly wages, yet it is found, on calculating his total income, that his loss of employment, during the year, outweighs this gain.… Further, it will generally be found that the wages of these men bear a certain proportion to the price of the necessary means of subsistence, so that a man with two children is able to bring up his family without recourse to parish relief.[2] Malthus at that time remarked with reference to the facts published by Parliament: “I confess that I see, with misgiving, the great extension of the practice of piece-wage. Really hard work during 12 or 14 hours of the day, or for any longer time, is too much for any human being.”[3]
In the workshops under the Factory Acts, piece-wage becomes the general rule, because capital can there only increase the efficacy of the working day by intensifying labour.[4]
With the changing productiveness of labour the same quantum of product represents a varying working time. Therefore, piece-wage also varies, for it is the money expression of a determined working time. In our example above, 24 pieces were produced in 12 hours, whilst the value of the product
- ↑ Remarks on the Commercial Policy of Great Britain, London, 1815.
- ↑ A defence on the Land-owners and Farmers of Great Britain, 1814, pp. 4, 5.
- ↑ Malthus, Inquiry into the Nature and Progress of Rent, Lond., 1815.
- ↑ “Those who are paid by piece-work … constitute probably four-fifths of the workers in the factories.” “Report of Insp. of Fact., 30th April, 1868,”
