The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-09-21

i
After Affirming that all value 10 the creation
Of tho personal labor Of tho workman--is but
the registered duration OF the exertion OF his
laborlng powers-Marx noxt proceeds to dem
onstrate that. as things at present exist, tho
| value OF these laborIng powers themselves ia
fxed. not, as IL should b. by what they Gre
| ate. but by the minimum requisite to renoyate
them: by tho cost in other words. of mnin-
taining tho existing laborer in working yigor.
and providing fresh hands whom his fail. The
part Of the lnborlng day during which tho
workman produces what is absolutely necss.
sary for keeping him in existence Marx calls
tho necessary time Of tabor, and tho value Gre
ated In this season necessary rol,,s. But the
workman's physical powers may. and Dom mon.
ly do. hold on labortng longer than this. and
the rest OF his working day Ia accordingly des-
ignAted the SURPLUS time of labor and the value
created in It s,yDius pn,ue Tho secret OF sur
plus value. which plays q master role in the
existing Industrial system. lies In the sim ps
plan OF giving tho laborer as little as he Is able
to live on, md working him ~ long a. Ito Ia
able to stand. We 500. then, that surplus value
Ii Of two kinds-absolute and relative. Abso-
lutte surDlus value IL got by iengthening the
term OF surplus labor. rs by extending days
work from six hours to twolve relative surplus
value is got by shortening the term OF neces-
that cheaper tho nscessnries OF life. The dis
cussion OF the first Of these points loads Marx to
define the normal length OF tho day of labor and
tho consideration Of the second into review
OF tho effects OF Inventions and machinery ON
tho condition OF the working masses.
we are reminded that the working day has
certain bounds set to 1t by nature There Is.
Tor instance. minimum longth beneath which
1t cannot fall, that lowest limit being the time
required TO neetthe cost OF tho lnborer's living.
Dat rs uhicr tho capitalist system the capital
lat has to b. Supported out OF II. the working
dAy can never BIZ actually shortened to this
Nihimuin' Ihers IL also = maximum iehSLa.
iAeu oy Two SORTS OF CONSIDERATIONS one plays
'ca' anu Tue othct m"rnl. ihe physical limit OF
Auay . WORK Is obviously the ehunrahce OF the
i"oorer or MS rowor 10 go on from uay 70 DAY
IN norma, workina cohaiti"n 10 the "nu OF ms
Norman laoor'ns careor' IhlS 10 Always tooKcu
70 win respect 10 morse. th"t cannot DC
worked more thah eiSht hours day res"-
i"fiy WIth""t INJURY. NOW a. 10 the moral
li"it. Is ihah!tes1 'hal human Neih& reeds
.i'io NM'''a Wv n"FSo ooce NOV ior s"t@iy-
ins po'.'i ihte'''ctua'' all" sooia' wants. IN
lhe eA's''hs 'hnaslra ecoho'"y more Is no
principle which determines the length OF tho
"orkihs uhy' HI" '''7 aecoTuihtiy must 20
i'Aou w ~" on sonHu VIC" OF al INC REQUIRE
"en's Vi Tue case. MARX hAes uroh eight h"urs
as tne oest unit because II ahorus securty
ior 'he permanent tlysicai ehciehey OF the
!aborer and gives him leisure Tor indusing
ihtehectual ana soc'a! necessities and aspira-
lons' lie insists upon having the limit liked
o1 law. anu points out that even then employ
ORB. uh'ess carefully "a'chsd, VIII ma ways
anu means OF extehaing tho working dav IN
spite OF STATUTORY pfohibiion. IL Is Iur,her to
20 noteu tnat hArN aFows uectucd preference
ioi the Rraauai c"ufsa OIL English iog'sintion on
TINS sup)ect over tho revolutionary method
auopteu oy frahc"in lSis.
The general effect OF industrial Improve
ments. OF tho Inventions and machinery de-
rived from tho application of science to indus
try Is. according to Marx. first. TO rTduoe
wages; second. to prolong tho day OF labor:
third. to overwork one-half OF the working
ciass: fourth. to throw tho rest out OF empoy-
ment. and iltth To concentrate the whole sur
plus return In tho hands OF few capitalists
who make their gains BY exploiting the labor
ers and Increase them by exploiting one an
other. This nth point Is undisrutcd. AMI tho
third nnd fourth points are separately treated
under tho hcad. OF piecewcfk md relative
ovsrpopniat.on. a, 10 tho first POINT. the
tendency Of industrial improvements to
reduce wages this arises. SAYS Marx, from
the fact tina, inrsntioas and machinory mutt
late tho aborcr intellectually AMI corpdrcaIiy.
AS n result OF sntdiNih!nn OF nbor. worhmnn
are rapidly becoming mcra one-sicd srccial-
lists. Head work is bring separated more and
moro from hand work In tho labcrnr's orcupa-
tion. and this differentiation Of function leads
to hierarchy Of wages which affords great oI,-
portuni,y for deIrnuinG the laborar. On the
other hand. muscular power Is more easily
DISPENSED with than formerly. and 20 the
cheaper labor OF womon and children is largely
superseding the dsaser labor OF men, Marx
declares that II this goes on much fur
Their. tho man u!actursr will get the labor
OF q whole family for tho wa9es he
used to pay to Its head alone. and the laboror
will DO converted into u slave dealer, who
sells his wife and children instead OF his own
labor. That this kind OF slavery will mset with
NO resistance from tho adult male laborsr Is
to MARKS mind. placed beyond doubt by the
fact that. though the labor Of children under
ID is prohibited in English factories by statute.
advertisements constantly appear In the news-
n8Dore for " childrsn TINT cxn puass for Iyr