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。