The sun., 1894-03-25

rapid absorption Of the products Of manu-
facture by new communities lacking th'
capital and equipment necessary for tn,
domestic. production Of tho wares required
The demands Of the new communities foi
manufactures have been supplemented by
those Of the inferior races who are concur
rently subjected TO the domination OF West.
ern commerce. while the machine made
products Of England. Holland. France. anC
| Flanders displaced those Of the domestic
hand-loom among the enormous popula.
tions OF India and Asia generally.
Under conditions which have existed
respecting undeveloped agricultural areas
| the facility with which the emigratlbg
myriads woro able TO found new homes
the creation OF new markets in the younger
| communities: the extension OF commerce.
among the inferior peoples: the coincident
| and consequent destruction Of q very coz
siderable part Of tho domestic industries OF
India and other Eastern countries: the
creation OF vast manufacturing. trans
portatlon, and agricultural equipments.
| and the ease with which an adequate
supply OF food and fibre has beon secured
by the cultivation OF newly subdued areas
OF SURPRISING fertllltv--all those since tho
inventions Of WATT. WHITNEY. HARGREAvEs,
ARKwRrGHT, and CARTWRIGHT. have made
1t possible to multiply the productive power
OF each labor unit employed In manufacture
and related industries almost indefinitely.
without effectlng such Industrial and COM
mercial dlslocatlons as to cause widespread
suffering. except In India and lesser dis
tricts. But these conditions no longer
obtaining. IL becomes very serious question
how much further tho progressive applica-
tion OF labor-saving devices can be carried
without grave disturbance OF both indus
trial and social conditions unless there shall
be concurrent increase OF individual power
tooonsume commensurate with all increase.
past and to come. OF the unit power to pro-
duce. Hence the problem of tho distant as
well as the proxmate future resolves itself
into one OF the possibility and probability
Of such an increase OF the power to consume
as will absorb not only all the commodities
which an industrial equipment and labor
force already much too great can turn out,
but all that can result from further
augmentation Of each labor units produc-
tive power. This Is the most serious problem
that has ever confronted the human race,
and Is tho most serious 1t can ever confront
except the somewhat remote one OF provld-
ing tho food for a population that now in
creases four times as fast as does the food
bearing area.
This problem involves an inquiry as to
the measure in which the unit power OF
production has increased this century.
, ADAM SMITH died without knowledge OF
the condensing steam-engine. the cotton
gin. or the electric telegraph; he had mover
seen railway. steamship. or grain har-
vester. and knew probably little OF the
spinning jenny. power loom. or OF one per
cent. Of the many thousands Of labor saving
devices brought into use during the last one
hundred years. that have certainly multi
piled the unit power Of production. in the
sum of all manufactures. not less than fifty
fold and probably more than hundred fold.
In cotton spinning one man and two boys
now produce as much yarn as did 1.10O
splnners using the single-spindle hand
wheel: and one operative employed In.
weaving turns out forty to fifty times as
much cloth as did the hand-loom weaver.
1t Is manifest that there can never be an
equivalent increase OF the unit power to
consume cotton goods.
In the case OF woollen and other superior
textiles. the increase OF unit productive
power has been less: yet. II has been far In
excess Of any possible increase OF the unit
power to consume. Moreover. In most tex
tile manufactures the robust hand-loom
weaver has given place to the female and
child. and this sends the male descendants
OF the hand-loom operative to the recruit
ing Office In increasing numbers.
Formerly lace-making was a household
nf In,
and central Europe. but machine made lace
has displaced the greater part OF the hand
made; and while IL is impossible closely to
approximate the amount OF labor thus dis
placed. 1t Ia very great. as has been the dis
tress thereby brought to villager and peas
ant. whose meager incomes have been cut
In twain. with much of their purchasing
power destroyed. Lace is luxury. and |
while cheapened production has extended !
its use this extension bears but a slight |
to the labor displaced.
Swiss watchmakers were able to turn out |
an average OF forty watches year. Each |
operative In an American factory turns out |
from $50 to 800 watches yearly. machinery |
displacing fully 30 per cent. Of the labor. |
While the lessened cost OF watches has |
greatly extended their use. such extern
sion Is far from being commensurate with
the Increase OF each labor units productive
power. When the whole population shall
be fairly well supplied with an article so dur
able. and the cost OF food shall absorb an
Increasing proportion OF diminishing indi-
vidual revenues, the power to consume
will decline and the displacement
Of labor will be severely felt In such COM
as that OF Switzerland. Even now,
the power TO produce is so excessive that
prices are maintained only by combinations
10 restrict the number OF watches made.
With the multiple forms OF wood working
the labor OF one man now equals
hat OF 100 In the days OF ADAM SMITH, ex-
,ept in the finest cabinet and carriage work.
similar reductions have been made in the
abor involved in the production OF articles
made Of both wood and metal. and in all
'uch forms the lessened cost OF production
Increases consumption in only small degree.
In the paper-making and leather indus