§ 6. WAGES--And indeed if we examine some of the wages actually paid at the beginning of this century, and again at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign, we shall find that they were excessively low. The case of common +------+---------------------+-----------------------------+ | Year | Weavers’ Wages* | Wheat, per qr.* | +------+---------------------+-----------------------------+ | 1802 | 13_s._ 10_d._ | 67_s._ | | 1806 | 10_s._ 6_d._ | 76_s._ | | 1812 | 6_s._ 4_d._ | 122_s._ | | 1816 | 5_s._ 2_d._ | 76_s._ | | 1817 | 4_s._ 3⁠½_d._ | 94_s._ | | +---------------------+-----------------------------+ | | * From Leone Levi. | * From Porter’s _Progress_. | +------+---------------------+-----------------------------+ weavers was particularly hard in the years of the great war, and affords an interesting example of the extortions of the capitalist manufacturers of the period. For purposes of comparison I give above the price of wheat and {196} of weekly wages in the same years; for the price of wheat forms a useful standard by which to gauge the real value of wages, even when it is not consumed in large quantities. It will be seen that wages were at their lowest point just after the conclusion of the war, while, on the other hand, wheat was almost at famine prices. After this, however, and till 1830 the wages of weavers rose again, for the new spinning machinery had increased the supply of yarn at a much greater rate than weavers could be found to weave it, and hence there was an increased demand for weavers, and they gained proportionately higher wages, the average for woollen cloth weavers from 1830–45 being 14_s._ to 17_s._ a week, and for worsted stuff weavers 11_s._ to 14_s._ a week. But even these rates are miserably low. The wages of spinners were also very poor, the work being mostly done by women and children, though when men are employed they get fairly good pay. The following table will show clearly the various rates, and it will be seen that here wages sink steadily till 1845, owing to the rapid production of the new machinery. The women’s +----------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ | Spinners | 1808–15 | 1815–23 | 1823–30 | 1830–36 | 1836–45 | +----------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+ | Men | 24/ to 26/ | 24/ to 26/ | 24/ to 26/ | 24/ to 26/ | 24/ to 26/ | | Women | 13/ to 14/ | 13/ to 14/ | 11/ to 12/ | 8/ to 10/ | 7/ to 9/ | | Children | 4⁠/⁠6 to 5⁠/⁠6 | 4⁠/⁠6 to 5⁠/⁠6 | 4⁠/⁠6 to 5⁠/⁠6 | 4⁠/⁠6 to 5⁠/⁠6 | 4⁠/⁠6 to 5⁠/⁠6 | +----------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+