attainable efficiency in our present somewhat
immobile economic system. But if the three functions are separated there
is more certainty of a person's success in the performance of each
determining his continued discharge of it. The problems that arise when
specialized markets become very highly developed are dealt with in the
article COTTON: MARKETING AND SUPPLY.

Operatives in various processes.

The distribution of cotton operatives among the chief centres has
already been shown, but their distribution between processes has yet
to be considered, and the proportions of different ages and sexes from
time to time, together with the total. With such statistical material
as is available relating to supplies of labour we may set forth also
the official returns made of the quantity of machinery at work from
time to time. It hardly need be pointed out that the ratio of
machinery to operatives roughly measures the efficiency of labour,
other things being equal.

_Machinery in the United Kingdom (in Thousands)._

+--------+-----------+-----------+--------+
| Years. | Spinning | Doubling | Power- |
| | Spindles. | Spindles. | Looms. |
+--------+-----------+-----------+--------+
| 1874 | 37,516 | 4366 | 463 |
| 1878 | 39,528 | 4679 | 515 |
| 1885 | 40,120 | 4228 | 561 |
| 1890 | 40,512 | 3993 | 616 |
| 1903 | 43,905 | 3952 | 684 |
+--------+-----------+-----------+--------+

_Operatives employed in the Cotton Industry (in Thousands). (From the
Census Returns.*)_ (The figures in italics relate to Married and
Widowed Women.)

+----------------------------------------+--------------------------+-----------------------+-----------------------+
| | 1901. | 1891. | 1881. |
| +-------------+------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+
| | | England | | England | | England |
| | Lancashire | and Wales |Lancashire.| and Wales |Lancashire.| and Wales |
+----------------------------------------+------+------+------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
| |