Miscellany: Notes On Political Economy: Division Of Labor

Among savages, Uiercis no división o; lauor Evcry man is warrior, statcsutan, liun'.ci', l;-'::iman, merchant, c. iieexercises ench trado ns r.eccs3ty requires. In tivilizcd society, iabur is cliviiled-inio the severnl dopartments of diseovery'. applicatie, and opcraüon. Labor is stüi fartlier tfividéd by a s'jpunition into cüstinct elasses. Thcrc are botanists, nstrniiíimers, ii-iüiic.! econoniists. itc. Tlisrc nre also lawycrs, pbysi cians, ministers, Lcc, and eacii sopiratc trad'; i employcd in the croation of" a particular product. Besidcs this, the diiToranit paris of any operniioji may bo siib-dividei!. Thas the labor of ijjnking a pin may bc dividcd nto wire-drawing, wires'.raitcning, poihting, hü.'iding, linr.nii. Sec. - This división of labor mercases the productivoness of human labor to an exient incredible to a person who had not cxamincd the factsj Thi.s incrascd productivcness dependa on the following principies: 1. División of labor shortens the period "nncessary for learning an opcration. The tiir.c spent in learning is uscless to society, so far as any value produced is concerned. That tliis is lhec:isp, is pluin from a tlious'ind instanees. Supposo t'ic mailing of nails to consist of seven distinet o[yjrations, aud that each of these requires one ycai's practice before it can be suecessfuüy per forme J, Nov if sevp.n men were to loarn this operation, the time requirod would be ? X 7 - 40 years; vhorens, if each were required to learn but one, the time would be 7 X J = 7 years of humaq labor, orsix sevenths of the whole time. Therewouia ue o more ycars 01 prouucuve lauor in me ljfe of ench of these men; and having spent less time in ncquiiing their art, they could nfïbrd to exercisc u for lower wages. Besides, eveiy onc, in learning an ar', must, by unskilfulness, destroy a considerable portion of capital. Th'üs supposc cach person to destroy ten dollar3 worth of capital in learning each of thoeevcn oporations, ;the ainount v.-ill Lo 7 10 70. If he lèarri bni une opcrati.in, it wül be but ten ilullnrs- tlms Dnöking a saving oí sixiy dollars pon every persoh. 2. lic wjio worhs nt oiie operation only c;in pcrform it with greatcr fucüity. lic can not only do tlie enmc (bing ín less time. hut hc een it r Ii leis nn.s-'j!ar rjfort,und consequenity wi:!i less sensible fatigue. 3. VVhere coinpücated toola are to be nscd, mch timo is lost in ndjustmg them to the difTerent kinds of woiic. 4. By parformirag only onc operation, a degrec ofdexiorityniay be acquired vl,i.l, rnnnot be obtained in any oilier way. h s pn,!):i[,!u tiutt performers of jugglery nnd sieight oí' lmnd derive their skiil tunüièsl entirely from cominucd pruclisc.División of labor suggeats the contrivanee 'of tools íor the performance of iho nperiüieu in ; whinli t is emp'.oy?,!. Ons öf tho m. JportontimproveiiicnM in thc srcnin cngine w;:s j made by a b-.y who was employcd to open a coüinniiiicntion botwceó tiie boiler and cylinder. aceording as a piston ascended or descended. He j Km) .'m hy uniiingihut part ofihe machine on ! whi.-h he óperated wi'h mother pnri, tho vulve j vou!d open and shut wiiliaut his assisiance, and lieeonld tic:i pi:,y Vth ]is fclloW 'i'íic move , h-Ji s cüvi.Iud, U;e siinju r s Aa opcniti'un ofj I e.icii individual, and the ensier to coinrive a ul or an rrdjiístilicot by wbich it mity be perforr.ee!. C. So:ne operations of indiiyiry reqüire greater rasculnr power, or grenier skiil ihanothcra. - So-.ne can he. pevforn.ed proc-ily o:]y by the most experienced workmen, wliile o:hers enn !.e pí-rfurMicd perïcctfy wt-I! hy s.il! chüdreR. ]íy the divisiüii of li!)or, the maiiufacíurer ean 011ploy prarciswly ;'.. kmd of labor whiciihc needs. (Tí i 3 áétdal w.inii, The manufacture of pins orftbfápes ttíh ííE-íent opcr.-uions, some of.which are psrfprmed by (nenaud o:lers by woip.cn ;:nd nhüJrt ii These wnges vary it,,m six shülinírn tu nr.:v ad ;: Kaif cni;c aïcliöè er di:}-, i!" t"He labor werenot divi!cd. ene person r.n.s: u-n'i rstáná tbs vh'ile p;-oce3; end henee l;e mus: be paid at ;!-,cnce oí si.-s!iillina por d iy for I.i1., ■.- v.hic-í; ia v.uüii only fcúr :;i;I n Iiall" p?:ice per d.iy. This. would greaiiy increasa the piice "i ;ii!:s. By ;h;s nieans, al', of botit sces, and cf-y age, crin eain Eone:!:ir. are ihe benefits of this división of labor eoníined to ipeehoaitál processes. 7'lic rcsulis. h:jvo luien e-müy iatcrestincj v.-here this principie', has U-en apj Iíe1 to íriíóflécüidl luhnr. ín the ' men!.-; oi the largo dnüy papeis of this toütiüy. aro v;suf-.l!y ömplftyed a minihcr of editor?, assís'antó. eon-éspoiioents) tiews eblíécíor cacli of v:o:;i líaa his rmrticnlar departaicnt ofinloüectual labor.