148 KOOT MATTERS IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS, 



corresponding quantity of primary wants, may in all likelihood 

 be able to effect such exchanges; but the poor capitalist, the 

 possessor of the power of mere services, such as the navvy, 

 the house servant, the blacksmith, may often be unable to 

 exchange his services towards the production of these very 

 things ; and under such conditions as the needful, exchange 

 cannot be effected, the unemployed wage-earner in the 

 division of human labour must be supported by drawing 

 upon a more or less limited surplus previously earned; 

 failing that he must either borrow, take the risk of violent 

 means to secure primary wants, be fed by private or public 

 charity, or die of starvation. 



This, then, is the problem of problems of the present day. 

 Eeferences to current high rates of wages, the low prices of 

 provisions, or the increasing aggregate value of wealth in 

 exchange, do not always disclose this skeleton in the 

 social cupboard. When the ship of society is barred 

 into many more or less water-tight compartments the 

 ship itself may not founder, although one or two minor 

 chambers be damaged and water-logged, and their contents 

 destroyed. If the larger and more important chambers,, 

 however, be destroyed the whole ship may founder, and 

 those who may effect escape may be small indeed. This 

 allegorical picture must not be pressed too hard. It may be 

 sufl&cient, however, to draw attention to a dangerous side of 

 the division of labour composition of modern society. 



But, says the theorist : True, his services were shut out by 

 over-competition in that particular place or in that particular 

 occupation ; but if he only knew at that moment that by 

 transferring his services to other employments, or to the 

 same occupation in another place, the balance of service for 

 service would be adjusted, and the life of himself and his 

 dependants would be saved. Ah, if he only knew ! But the 

 possession of knowledge is in itself practically a form of 

 wealth, and that he did not possess any more than he did the 

 necessary capital to acquire the necessary skill in the new 

 occupation calling for services, or in the necessary capital 

 to transfer himself and his household to a great distance 

 where his own special skill was then in demand. We may 

 therefore summarise the difficulties lying at the root of all 

 social problems as follows : — 



(1.) All breadwinners and their families to maintainj 

 existence must possess primary wants, whether 

 they can effect exchange of services or not. 



(2.) Many breadwinners — whether due to lack of know- 

 ledge or inability to change their occupations or 

 locality — cannot obtain employment, and therefore 

 cannot effect exchange. 



