106 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 211 



lated in the same ratio, the niunber of operatives would be 455,055, which, at 

 9s. Qd. weekly average wages, would give the amount paid in 1860 as £11,239,857. 

 Our imports of merchandize and bullion amounted in the same year to £233,626,839; 

 exports, £191,205,421 ; or a total representing considerably more than one-half of 

 the national debt. A table was then produced showing the exports from the United 

 Kingdom of ten of the principal articles of British and Ii-ish produce for each year 

 from 1846 to 1860. From this it appeared that the export of cotton goods from 

 1846 to 1860 increased from 1062 million yards to 2765 million yards, or 160 per 

 cent., whilst the value of cotton manufactm-ed goods exported was, in 1846, 

 £17,717,778 ; and in 1860, £42,141,505, or an increase of 138 per cent. The in- 

 crease per cent, on the other articles referred to was as follows : — 



Quantity. Value. 



Coals and coke 189 241 



Cotton twist and yam , . . 22 25 



Iron (cast and wi-ought) 233 190 



Linen manufactures 64 70 



Thread for sewing 84 \ 



Linen j'am 60 J ' " " 



Woollen cloths 98 87 



Mixed stuffs, flannels, &c 246 152 



Total woollen manufactures — 92 



Woollen and worsted yam 219 323 



Machinery of all kinds — 243 



The estimated number of spindles used in cotton factories, in 1840, was seventeen 

 millions ; in 1856, twentv-eight millions ; in 1860, thirty-three mUlions. Esti- 

 mated consumption of cotton in 1840,9,400,0001b.; 1850, 17,466,4001b.; 1860, 

 18,400,000 lb. Spindles made weekly in 1860, 60,000, or (say) three mUlions ia the 

 year ; of these, one and a half millions would be for home, half a million for re- 

 placement, and a million for foreign orders. Increase in the number of spindles in 

 the year, one and a half millions, equivalent to the production of 1,124,000 lb. of 

 23's j'arn. The annual increase in the cotton-supply required to meet the increase 

 of machinery in use in the United Kingdom, at this rate, would be 3100 bales, or 

 1,240,000 lb. ; to meet the increase of machinery made in the United Kingdom for 

 home and foreign use (deducting replacement item), 4687 bales, or 1,874,800 lb. 

 The improvement efl^ected in the various classes of cotton and other textile ma- 

 chinery during the last twenty years was then noticed. Since the invention by 

 Mr. Richard Roberts of the self-acting mule (known as "Sharp's Self-acting Mule"), 

 it was stated that there had been no single improvement of equal importance made 

 in the economy of the cotton-manufacture ; but many very important and valuable 

 minor improvements in working, in economizing labom-, in increasing speed, and 

 thereby increasing the production, both in spinning and weaving, had been effected. 

 In willow- and blowing-machinery, and carding-engines, the increase in production 

 had been 20 to 25 per cent. ; saving of labour, 20 per cent. : drawing-frames, in- 

 crease the same ; saving of labour, 100 per cent. : slubbing- and roving-frames, in- 

 crease the same ; sanng of labour, 40 to 45 per cent. : spinning- and doubling-ma- 

 chinery, increase in'lenglh of machines, 100 per cent. — average length of machines 

 in 1840 being 480 spindles, and in 1860, 960 spindles ; saving of laboiu', 50 per cent. : 

 weaving-machinery, increase in production (in sizing-machinery, 150 per cent.), 

 looms, 25 per cent. ; saving of labom-, 40 per cent. Improvements of great import- 

 ance had also been effected in other branches, such as the introduction into general 

 use of chlorine, in bleaching ; the new dyes (magenta, &c., and from gas tar) ; the 

 sewing-machine, for making clothes, shoes, saddleiy, and nimierous other aiticles. 

 From a comparative statement of the actual iacrease of woi-k done by cotton- &c. 

 machinery in 1841 and 1861, it appeared that the estimated number of 33,000,000 

 spindles in 1860 would do as much work as 37,263,600 in 1840; but as there were 

 only about 17,000,000 spindles in 1840, it followed that the iacrease of the producing- 

 power was 119'2 per cent, in twenty years. 



The following statement of the proportion of adults and children in a cotton-mill 

 of 500 workers, and their average weekly wages, was submitted : — 



14,* 



