It is true that some of the leading exponents of Trade Unionism deny that the chief object of the Unions is to limit competition.  Mr. Howell considers that the “standard wage” qualification for membership is designed in order to ensure a high standard of workmanship, and regards the “out of work” fund merely as belonging to the insurance or prudential side of Trade Unionism.  But though it may readily be admitted that one effect of these measures may be to maintain good workmanship and to relieve distress, it is reasonable to regard the most important result actually attained as being the object chiefly sought.  It is fair to suppose, therefore, that while Unionists may not be indifferent to the honour of their craft, their principal object is to strengthen their economic position.  At any rate, whatever the intention of Trade Unions may be, the principal effect of their regulations is to limit the effective supply of competing labour in their respective branches of industry.

Sec. 5.  Can Low-skilled Workers successfully combine?—­Now the question which concerns our inquiry may be stated thus.  Supposing that the workers in “sweating” industries were able to combine, would they be able to secure themselves against outside competition as the skilled worker does?  Will their combination practically increase the difficulty in replacing them by outsiders?  Now it will be evident that the unskilled or low-skilled workers cannot depend upon the methods which are adopted by Unions of skilled workers, to limit the number of competitors for work.  A test of physical fitness, such as was recently proposed as a qualification for admission to the Dock-labourers Union, will not, unless raised far above the average fitness of present members, limit the number of applicants to anything like the same extent as the test of workmanship in skilled industries.  Neither could rules of apprenticeship act where the special skill required was very small.  Nor again is it easy to see how funds raised by the contribution of the poorest classes of workers, could suffice to support unemployed members when temporarily “out of work,” or to buy off the active competition of outsiders, or “black-legs,” to use the term in vogue.  The constant influx of unskilled labour from the rural districts and from abroad, swollen by the numbers of skilled workmen whose skill has been robbed of its value by machinery, keeps a large continual margin of unemployed, able and willing to undertake any kind of unskilled or low-skilled labour, which will provide a minimum subsistence wage.  The very success which attends the efforts of skilled workers to limit the effective supply of their labour by making it more difficult for unskilled workers to enter their ranks, increases the competition for low-skilled work, and makes effective combination among low-skilled workers more difficult.  Though we may not be inclined to agree with Prof.  Jevons, that “it is quite impossible for Trade Unions