The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-05

GREAT INDUSTRIAL PRooREss.
Returns have just been published, in compli
sncs with an order of the H0uss Of Com uuan Of
the 18Th August, 1850. on the motion of Mr.. Phi
kington, the member for Blackburn, which pos
sess very great interest," as an authentic record OF
several OF the most impoatanL hsanchss Of our ma
uonal industry. We published in our last the
summaries OF the returns under each branch OF
manufacture, for the United Kingdom, together
b with summary Of the whole; and this week we
publish the details Of the same, for the counties Of
England and w ales, by which the localities of the
various manufactures in that part Of the kingdom
may be better understood. These are the most
complete series ofreturns ever issued, Of the num-
Der and power Of the factories in the textile man.
ufactures, with the number, age and sex Of the
persons employed in them. They are not in ex
actly the same form the returns made in 1884,
which are TO be found in the volume Of "T'abies
Of revenue, population and commerce" for that
year. We cannot, therefore, compare the two
series at all points. But in the most important
particulars they correspond, and thus we are able
to institute a comparison, and to show the re-
markable progress that has been made, in the
space Of sixteen years, in these great departments
of industry. To a very considerable proportion
of our readers it will be interesting to trace the
advances made in the branches with which they
themselves may be directly or indirectly connect
ed, and to compare the several branches among
each other. OF course these returns apply only
TO the operations carried on in factories, and un-
der the inspection OF the factory inspectors, and
they do not, therefore, include the auxiliary
branches Of the manufactures, such as hand loom
weavers, Overs, manufacturers Of lace, hosiery,
&c.
We shall look first at the largest branch Of our
manufacturing industry under the head of the
COTTON rAcToRIEs--usiTED KINGDOM.
In 1884 the number Of cotton factories was 1904
in 1850 il was 1922; increase Gas factories, or As
per cent.
In the hands employed there was a somewhat
greater increase, namely, from 220, l34 in 1884 to
$3.50 1914 in 1850; increase Ito, 100, 50 per cent
The increase in the steam and water power
ployed in the cotton mills is much greater. These
particulars are not given in the returns published
by the Board of Trade for 1894, but they were
furnished by the Factory Inspectors to Mr.. Ed
ward Baines. for his " History Of the Cotton
Manufacture published at the beginning Of 1885,
and we extract them from that work, (p. 394.) In
1894, the horse power WAS &c, 1853 of steam, and
l0,203 Of water-total 4l,056 horse power In
1850, the horse power was II ,005 of steam, and
ll.550 OF water-total 81, 555: being an increase
of 100 per cent.
The number of spindes used in the cotton ma
nufactures was not given in any returns of the
Factory Inspectors in 1884; but it was estimated
by Mr.. E. Baines, on comparison of the author
tiles Of Burn, Kennedy, &C., at 1880 Up.
1897 In 1850, the number was 2O,977,0l7: be-.
ing an increase Of 100 per cent.
The number Of power looms was estimated by
Mr. Baines in 1884 at 100 900; II is given in 1850
249 ,627: increase l49 ,627, $50 per cent. In
1884, there were believed to be $50 900 hand loom
weavers; we have no means Of stating the num-
Der in 1850.
The import of cotton wool increased from $685.
656,63 lbs in 1888 to 755, 469 ,008 lbs. in l849;
being an increase Of 45l ,6l2 1853 lbs, or l48 per
cents
Thus, as might have been expected, from the inn
provements in machinery and the speeding Of the
machines since 1894, the increase in the hands en-
poyed is less than the increase in the steam and
wafer power, in the spind!es, and this again is
less than the increase in the cotton wool consumed
The increase Of hands has been So per cent, OF
steam aud water power 100 per cent, Of spindles
l02 per cent, Of power-ooms $50 per cent, and
Of cotton wool consumed las per cent. Thus the
extent Of the manufacture has immensely in
creased but, owing to the mechanical improve
ments, the productiveness of each workman and
Of the machinery has increased far more: of
course the consumer gains greatly by the reduc-
ton that necessarily takes place in the price of
the manufactured article; the consumption in
creases, ard ttis reacts upon and increases the
manufacture.
We give the mn rticusrs n tabular form.