LABOUR, WAGES, AND TRADES* UNIONS. 463 



the natural disinclination of the master to discharge new and ready 

 hands in favour of refractory and discharged persons, they would 

 eventually be obliged to take employment at lower wages than ever, 

 or live upon their own precarious resources, or starve! 



Two cases in illustration of this principle have occurred in this 

 metropolis within the last two months. The first was that of the 

 stone-cutters employed at the new buildings in Charing Cross, who 

 gave notice in the early part of the week of their intention to strike 

 on the Saturday, unless higher wages were given them. Their em- 

 ployer met this announcement with very proper decision, and informed 

 the men that he would not even retain them till the end of the week, 

 but that as each man finished the piece of work he was about, he 

 should quit the premises. This they did, when some of the ablest of 

 the attendant labourers were invited to fill up their places, at the 

 regular wages, which of course, being higher than those they had 

 been accustomed to, they cheerfully agreed to. They soon became 

 expert at the busiuess, under the instruction of the superintendant, 

 and the old hands were effectually supplanted. The other case hap- 

 pened at the London Gas-works, where the men struck for wages, 

 left their work, and the town was in consequence in partial darkness 

 for one night. The next day an entirely new set of hands were called 

 in ; the old hands were excluded, and in the course of a few days they 

 were reduced to the greatest distress. 



V. Combinations further considered. If they are successful for a time 

 in raising the nominal rate of wages in any place, their natural 

 effect then is to drive the demand to another district, or to another 

 community. 



We have hitherto treated only of the principle of combinations, and 

 have, we trust, succeeded in shewing that the natural tendency of 

 such a system of organization amongst any particular class of work- 

 men, is to induce a new supply of hands, who, if necessity should 

 occur, would be prepared to undersell the old hands upon their again 

 applying for work. This principle was so obvious a one, that its 

 fatal influence could not have been overlooked by the parties inter- 

 ested in combinations of this sort ; and, accordingly, their business has 

 ever been to counteract this natural power of re-action, and by all 

 possible means oppose the admission of new hands to supplant them 

 in their several lines of business. In some trades these attempts have 

 at once most signally failed, as in the case of the stone-masons, al- 

 ready mentioned ; in others they have borne a better semblance of 

 permanence and success. Let us now consider the peculiar circum- 

 stances which may tend to favour or discourage combination. It 

 must be obvious in the first place that in any line of business which 

 may be quickly learned, or does not require long practice and appren- 

 ticeship, a supply of hands may be procured much more readily than 

 in another which demands a longer course of instruction. In the 

 former case, combination would be obviously futile ; it would be like 

 a set of men fighting for a monopoly, having really nothing to mono- 

 polize. On the other hand, in a business demanding a certain degree 



