WAGES 47 



than a portion of the agriculturalists detailed to perform 

 certain services ; their calling requires that they with- 

 draw to selected spots in the world. The transporters 

 then are evolved to bring the iron makers or, what is the 

 same thing, their products back to the land. 



Diderent is the contribution of the makers up of the 

 raw produce of agriculture ; their work does not assist 

 directly but indirectly in the process of food culture. 

 By withdrawing from the farms and working at the seats 

 of coal their labour is magnified and increases the amount 

 of energy at the disposal of the agriculturalists ; because 

 instead of being obliged to make his own manufactured 

 articles the land worker is able to obtain them at a cost 

 represented by much less labour than he would have 

 had to devote to them himself. Thus he is left with 

 more labour to give to his pursuit proper, and the coal- 

 machine manufacture of products promotes increase on 

 the farms. 



Miners and manufacturers are accordingly engaged, 

 some of them directly in the work of agriculture or food 

 manufacture by making the necessary instruments, and 

 others indirectly in the time which through the use of 

 coal they save for the agriculturalists. 



What reason is there for supposing that the living of 

 these workers will be any different from that of the 

 agricultural labourers ? They are a part and parcel 

 of the whole scheme of production from the land, and 

 must stand or fall by the quantity of the ultimate pro- 

 duct. It is impossible to raise a barrier between them 

 and the other workmen or to hedge them round with 

 advantages, though this is sometimes attempted. 



It is true that the earnings of a skilled workman are 

 almost invariably more than those of an agricultural 

 labourer, but then so are they more than the wages of 

 the labourers engaged in their own trades ; the superior 

 wages being due as the term suggests to their skill. 



