d from various sources they must not be taken to
indicate fluctuations.[42]

The wage of fine spinners exceeds the average wage of spinners by
percentages varying from about 25 to 35. In the above figures the
earnings of three classes of spinners are averaged.

The highest wages are earned by mule-spinners (who are all males);
their assistants, known as piecers, are badly paid. Persons can easily
be found, however, to work as piecers, because they hope ultimately to
become "minders," i.e. mule-spinners in charge of mules. The division
of the total wage paid on a pair of mules between the minder and the
piecers is largely the result of the policy of the spinners' trade
union. Almost without exception in Lancashire one minder takes charge
of a pair of mules with two or three assistants according to the
amount of work to be done. Among the weavers there is no rule as to
the number of assistants to full weavers (who are both male and
female), or as to the number of looms managed by a weaver, but the
proportion of assistants is much less than in the spinning branches,
perhaps because of the inferior strength of the weavers' unions. For
the calculation of wages piece-rate lists are universally employed as
regards the payment of full weavers and spinners; some piecers get a
definite share of the total wage thus assigned to a pair of mules,
while others are paid a fixed weekly amount. Many ring-spinners are
now paid also by piece-rate lists, and all other operatives are almost
universally so paid, except, as a rule, the hands in the blowing-room
and on the carding-machines. Spinning and weaving lists are most
complicated; allowances are made in them for most incidents beyond the
operatives' control, by which the amount of the wage might be
affected. Still, however, they could not cover all circumstances, and
much is left to the manner of their application and private
arrangement. They should be regarded as giving the basis, rather than
as actually settling, the wage in all cases. The history of lists
stretches back to the first quarter of the 19th century as regards
spinners, and to about the middle of the century generally as regards
weavers, though a weaving list agreed to by eleven masters was drawn
up as early as 1834. There are still many different district lists in
use, but the favourite spinning lists are those of Oldham and Bolton,
and the weaving