fabrics
produced by the rising cotton industry enabled it to pay high wages,
which, indeed, were essential to bring about its expansion. This a
priori diagnosis is supported by contemporary analysis: thus "the rapid
progress of that business (cotton spinning) and the higher wages which
it afford, have so far distressed the makers of worsted goods in that
county (Lancashire), that they have found themselves obliged to offer
their few remaining spinners larger premiums than the state of their
trade would allow."[13] The best operatives of Lancashire were attracted
sooner or later to assist the triumphs of art over the vegetable wool.
At the same time the scattered woollen and linen workers of Lancashire
were suffering from the competition of rivals enjoying elsewhere the
economies of some centralization, and the demand for woollen and linen
warps in the cotton industry ceased after the introduction of
Arkwright's water-twist. When the factory became common the economies of
centralization (which arise from the wide range of specialism laid open
to a large local industry) increased; moreover they were reinforced by
the diminution of social friction and the intensification of business
sensitiveness which marked the development of the 19th century. Once
begun, the centralizing movement proceeded naturally with accelerating
speed. The contrast beneath is an instructive statistical comment:--

_Distribution of Cotton Operatives in 1838 and 1898-1899 (from Returns
of Factory Inspectors)._

+--------------------------+--------------+---------------+
| | 1838. | 1898-1899. |
+--------------------------+--------------+---------------+
| Cheshire | 36,400 | 34,300 |
| Cumberland | 2,000 | 700 |
| Derbyshire | 10,500 | 10,500 |
| Lancashire | 152,200 | 398,100 |
| Nottinghamshire | 1,500 | 1,600 |
| Staffordshire | 2,000 | 2,300 |
| Yorkshire | 12,400 | 35,200 |
| +--------------+---------------+
| England and Wales[14] | 219,100 | 496,200 |
| Scotland | 35,600 | 29,000 |
| Ireland | 4,600 | 800 |
| +--------------+---------------+
| United Kingdo