156 REPORT — 1856. 



handicraftsmen, and labourers, a few of those who are engaged on the production of 

 the great staples that belong to that district, premising that the following facts in 

 general are based on returns made to me by some of the leading manufacturers, 

 engineers, ironmasters, and builders of the city and surrounding district, and that they 

 are not genei-al estimates, but are founded on the actual wages-books of the several 

 concerns to which they apply. Let us commence with the cotton-spinners and power- 

 loom weavers, of whom in the West of Scotland, Glasgow is the central mart, and 

 whose numbers amount at present to about 30,000. It appears the average wages of 

 those persons were as follows at the three different periods of 1841, 1851, and 1856: — 



1841. 1851. 1856. 



Power-loom weavers — average per week 7s. 7s. 3d. 8s. 3d. 



Cotton-spinners — average per week 21s. 2ls. Od. 20s. to 35s. 



From these figures, it appears that the wages in this department of manufactures have 

 been gradually rising since 1841. While this has been generally the case, it may 

 however be remarked that not more but even less has been paid for weaving for each 

 piece of cloth, and for spinning each hank of yarn. In the case of cotton-spinners in 

 particular, matters have so changed, and mills and machines have been so altered in 

 productive power, that it is almost impossible to arrive at a correct average of wages 

 at present paid : for while in the older factories a spinner cannot gain more than 

 20s. a week, in the new mills, possessing all the advai;tages of improved machinery, 

 his wages may even reach 35s. In the one a man manages 500 spindles, whereas in 

 another he can superintend 1500 or 2000. In proof of this I may mention that five 

 and thirty 3'ears ago the spinner of the finest or highest numbers of yarn had only 

 about 150 spindles to each jenny to attend to, whereas now in the factories where the 

 finest numbers of yarns are spun, one individual can easily manage 880 spindles, and 

 these two are annually on the increase. In short, in cotton-spinning and power-loom 

 weaving the advance of wages has arisen principally from increased production in con« 

 sequence of improvements in machinery. It must also be kept in mind that weavers 

 and spinners worked 69 hours in 1841 and only 60 in 1851, and hence received more 

 money for less labour. 



Let us next advert to the wages of two of the most important manufactures of the 

 West of Scotland, I mean the rates obtained by the workmen employed in mines and 

 iron- works, whose numbers in the year 1854-55 amounted to 33,900, and whose united 

 wages during these twelve months reached the large sum of ^1,976,000. Average 

 rate of mining labour for the last five years: — 



Per day. 



I'rom Januarj-, 1852, till October, 1852, inclusive 2s. 6d. 



„ November, 1852, ,, Januar)', 1853, „ 3s. Od. 



„ February, 1853, „ August, 1853, , 3s. Gd. 



„ September, 1853, „ October, 1853, „ 4s. Orf. 



„ November, 1853, „ December 1853, „ 4s. Gd. 



„ January, 1854, ,, January, 1855, ,, 5s. Od. 



„ February, 1855, „ September 1855, ,, 4s. OJ. 



„ October, 1855, „ March, 1856, „ 5s. Od. 



„ April, 1856, „ August, 1856, „ 4s. Od. 



Average rate of wages paid to workmen connected with the manufacture of pig and 

 malleable iron : — 



1852. 1853. 1854. 1855. 1856. 

 Blast furnace-keepers, per day . . 5s. Od. 6s. 3d. 6s. Sd. 6s. Sd. 7s. 9d. 



Do. assistants, per day 3s. 2d. 3s. 7d. 4s. 2d. 4s. 2d. 4s. 9d. 



Do. fillers „ 2s.3d. 3s. 'id. 3s. 10 J. 3s. 9d. 4s. 2d. 



Puddlers, inclding under hands . . 7s. Gd. 10s. 3d. lOs. Gd. 10s. Od. 10s. Od. 



Rollers (chief rollers) 10s. Od. 14s. Od. 14s. Gd. 13s. Gd. 13s. Gd. 



Labourers Is. 66?. Is.lOd. 2s. Id. 2s. Od. 2s. Od. 



From the foregoing statements, it appears that there has been a gradual but important 

 rise in the wages of those employed in the coal and ironstone mines, as well as of those 

 employed in the manufacture of pig and malleable iron ; in the former, from 2s. Gd. 

 a day, in October, 1852, to 5s. in March last ; and in the latter of from 25 to 50 per 

 cent, on the wages paid to the labourers connected with the working of the blast 

 furnaces and the rolling and puddling of iron since 1852 : and when the number of 



