Archivo del autor: Peter Van der Heyden. docenciapvdh@outlook.com

The rapporteur of the “Analysis of the Evidence taken before the Select Committees on Hand-Loom Weavers’ Petitions (1834-1835)” gave a number of possible causes of the bad situation of the weavers, of which the most important were: reduction of wages, over-production of goods, home competition, want of combination, machinery, the power-loom, and twist exportation. As heSigue leyendo «7.9. Reasons adduced to the Committees in 1834 and 1835»

The question is, why were the masters and the wholesalers so insistent upon pushing the payments to the weavers down to an absolute minimum? The amounts per weaver were very small. What happened arithmetically, was that the costs of weaving, in shillings per piece, were high. The hand-loom weavers were very inefficient in comparison withSigue leyendo «7.8. Composition of Costs of the Wholesaler»

“Can you point out any other cause for the distress of the hand-loom weavers to which you think some remedy might be applied?” “Since 1815, when I began to manufacture on my own account, prices have had a continual tendency to fall; there have been temporary reactions, but the uniform tendency has been downwards. ThisSigue leyendo «7.7. Over-Production and Home Competition»

The main point to be cleared up, is why the hand-loom weavers were receiving such low payments in the years around 1834, when the demand was very high, that is, the workers were forced by the demand to work 12 hours a day. “The machine-makers of Lancashire are engaged to the full extent of theirSigue leyendo «7.6. Low Wages and High Volumes around 1830-1834»

Returning to the question, as to if the introduction of the power-loom had had a negative effect on the wages of the domestic hand-loom weavers, the persons interviewed by Select Committees (owners and workers) were all clear that there had been no – or very little – effect. “Then you are of the opinion thatSigue leyendo «7.5. Lack of Negative Effects of the Power-Loom»

In 1826 the weavers’ wages went down again, from about 9 shillings to about 6 shillings on average. This brought them down from the description of “poor” to that of “suffering”. The reason seems to have been a contraction of the money supply brought about by the Bank of England in response to the failureSigue leyendo «7.4. Second Depression of Wages 1826»

A cotton manufacturer in 1835 gave a further reason why the wages of the hand-loom weavers contracted in 1817.      “You think they [the owners] have not got so good profits from that time [1816]?” “No, I do not think they have.”  “At what particular juncture was it that this great pressure came upon the hand-loomSigue leyendo «7.3. The Business Model of the Cotton Industry»

So what was the reason that the weavers’ incomes went down, particularly starting in 1817? The principal cause was the large-scale export of “twist” (cotton yarn). This export had been subject to a duty, which was reduced gradually from 1810 to zero in 1820. At the same time (1814), the Wars with France had terminated,Sigue leyendo «7.2. Reduction of Wages in 1817 and the Export of Twist»

The grave problem of poverty, in contrast to the generally good situation of the textile workers, was that of the domestic hand-loom weavers, whose incomes fell catastrophically, starting in 1817. The generally accepted idea is that the decrease in the wages of the hand-loom weavers, was caused by the introduction of the power-looms, which were fasterSigue leyendo «7.1. Extreme reduction of income and living standards»

7.1. Extreme Reduction of Income and Living Standards https://history.pictures/2020/02/07/7-1-extreme-reduction-of-income-and-living-standards/ 7.2. Reduction of Wages in 1817 and the Export of Twist https://history.pictures/2020/02/08/7-2-reduction-of-wages-in-1817-and-the-exportation-of-twist/ 7.3. The Business Model of the Cotton Industry https://history.pictures/2020/02/08/7-3-the-business-model-of-the-cotton-industry/ 7.4. Second Depression of Wages 1826 https://history.pictures/2020/02/08/7-4-second-depression-of-wages-1826/ 7.5. Lack of Negative Effects of the Power Loom https://history.pictures/2020/02/08/7-5-lack-of-negative-effects-of-the-power-loom/ 7.6. Low Wages and High Volumes around 1830-1834Sigue leyendo «Chapter 7. The Poverty of the Domestic Hand-Loom Cotton Weavers»