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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:MACHINERY ON WAGES. , , /-.-'-test of the community by the increased cheapness of -ftiantt1- V" J "! factured articles; that this fall of price of commodities oCi stituted a rise m real wages. (/S) That the accumuKDipn capital was increased and consequently the demand for Icebu (7) Against these advantages it was proved that the use of machinery tends to excessive hours of labour; and statistics were adduced to show that this allegation against machinery is not a mere offspring of the imagination. This evil has, however, been remedied to a great extent, partly by law, partly by custom. (S) Another danger inherent in the use of productive agents of such power as those now in vogue consists in the possibility of over-production in relation to the means of organisation. Here it seems to me we have one of the most important effects of machinery. Wages are liable to fluctuations such as were never experienced before, and are far more precarious. Against this evil modern industry is still badly armed, and in the meantime all the labourer can do is to save when wages are high, so as to be prepared for a fall(2) The effects of machinery on Division of Labour were next considered, with the following results;(a) Quantity of Labour seems to have been increased in many employments by the increased division of labour consequent on the use of machinery, not however so much on the mental side, as some writers have maintained, as on the physical. (/3) The use of machinery allows of a better distribution of labourers than formerly. Women and children find suitable employment in light work, whilst males above 18 devote themselves to industries requiring greater energy. (7) The fact that masters all prefer piece-work; and actual statistics of the difference in wages in the same emp... ... Read more