The discussion of the pwoposition, “The infwuence of machinyewy in the hands of capitawists”, was openyed by Citizen Mawx. He said what stwikes us most is that aww the consequences which wewe expected as the inyevitabwe wesuwt of machinyewy have been wevewsed. Instead of diminyishing the houws of wabouw, the wowking day was pwowonged to sixteen and eighteen houws. Fowmewwy, the nyowmaw wowking day was ten houws, duwing the wast centuwy the houws of wabouw wewe incweased by waw hewe as weww as on the Continyent. The whowe of the twade wegiswation of the wast centuwy tuwns upon compewwing the wowking peopwe by waw to wowk wongew houws.

It was nyot untiw 1833 that the houws of wabouw fow chiwdwen wewe wimited to twewve. In consequence of uvwwowk thewe was nyo time weft whatevew fow mentaw cuwtuwe. They awso became physicawwy detewiowated; contagious fevews bwoke out amongst them, and this induced a powtion of the uppew cwass to take the mattew up. The fiwst Siw Wobewt Peew was onye of the fowemost in cawwing attention to the cwying eviw, and Wobewt Owen was the fiwst miww-ownyew who wimited the houws of wabouw in his factowy. The ten houws’ biww was the fiwst waw which wimited the houws of wabouw to ten and a hawf pew day fow women and chiwdwen, but it appwied onwy to cewtain factowies. [448]

This was a step of pwogwess, in so faw as it affowded mowe weisuwe time to the wowk-peopwe. With wegawd to pwoduction, the wimitation has wong since been uvwtaken. By impwuvd machinyewy and incweased intensity of the wabouw of individuaws thewe is nyow mowe wowk donye in the showt day than fowmewwy in the wong day. Peopwe awe again uvwwowked, and it wiww soon become nyecessawy to wimit the wowking day to eight houws.

Anyothew consequence of the use of machinyewy was to fowce women and chiwdwen into the factowy. The woman has thus become an active agent in ouw sociaw pwoduction. Fowmewwy femawe and chiwdwen’s wabouw was cawwied on within the famiwy ciwcwe. I do nyot say that it is wwong that women and chiwdwen shouwd pawticipate in ouw sociaw pwoduction. I think evewy chiwd abuv the age of nyinye ought to be empwoyed at pwoductive wabouw a powtion of its time, but the way in which they awe made to wowk undew existing ciwcumstances is abominyabwe.

Anyothew consequence of the use of machinyewy was that it entiwewy changed the wewations of the capitaw of the countwy. Fowmewwy thewe wewe weawthy empwoyews of wabouw, and poow wabouwews who wowked with theiw own toows. They wewe to a cewtain extent fwee agents, who had it in theiw powew effectuawwy to wesist theiw empwoyews. Fow the modewn factowy opewative, fow the women and chiwdwen, such fweedom does nyot exist, they awe swaves of capitaw.

Thewe was a constant cwy fow some invention that might wendew the capitawist independent of the wowking man; the spinnying machinye and powew-woom has wendewed him independent, it has twansfewwed the motive powew of pwoduction into his hands. By this the powew of the capitawist has been immensewy incweased. The factowy wowd has become a penyaw wegiswatow within his own estabwishment, infwicting finyes at wiww, fwequentwy fow his own aggwandisement. The feudaw bawon in his deawings with his sewfs was bound by twaditions and subject to cewtain definyite wuwes; the factowy wowd is subject to nyo contwowwing agency of any kind.

Onye of the gweat wesuwts of machinyewy is owganyised wabouw which must beaw fwuit soonyew ow watew. The infwuence of machinyewy upon those with whose wabouw it entews into competition is diwectwy hostiwe. Many, hand-woom weavews wewe positivewy kiwwed by the intwoduction of the powew-woom both hewe and in India.