BY E. M. JOHNSTON, F.L.S. fc> 



consumers, by regulating the production of supplies upon a 

 principle which is inimical to their interests as consumers. 

 Nor is this the only evil. All wages — breadwinners must 

 produce, or serve to produce, before they can earn the right 

 to share or consume the fruits of production. But the 

 number of those actually employed depend almost wholly upon 

 the self-interest of the large capitalist producers. 



It is not the interest of largo capitalist producers to provide 

 the full quota of wage-earning employment to all bread- 

 winners. The larger the number of fully employed labourers 

 the keener is the demand for products, and indirectly this 

 may have some influence upon certain producers. But this 

 indirect consideration is too feeble to interest producers in 

 any scheme for the general good which might be directed to 

 ensure full employment to all breadwinners. It is manifest, 

 therefore, that in the present scheme of the division of labour 

 there are two ugly defects. First — There is no interest 

 intelligently organised to train and determine the occupations 

 of the future breadwinners according to natural proportions. 

 Second — The only existing agencies which determine the 

 extent of employment are guided by a principle which has for 

 its object neither the supply of the highest quota of satisfac- 

 tion to consumers, nor the more needful provision for securing 

 employment to all breadwinners. In the latter case com- 

 petition, instead of befriending the wage-earner and dependants 

 as consumers, operates all the more harshly upon the larger 

 number who are handicapped in the race by aimless training, 

 or no training, for the nature of services that might possibly 

 he otherwise open to some of them. 



Utopian Schemes of Socialists. 



It is not a matter for surprise, therefore, that the mass of 

 wage-earners should readily sympathise with every vague 

 Utopian scheme of the Socialists, which holds out, however 

 faultily, some promise or plan for dealing more effectually 

 with the root difficulties which affect them most nearly, viz., 

 security of employment ; protection from over competition ; 

 shorter hours labour with more adequate remuneration;, 

 redistribution of wealth, etc., etc. 



_ But it is needless to point out that before the redistribu- 

 tion of the aggregate of all forms of existing wealth of 

 exchange (so-called) can be dealt with, it must be clear that 

 this wealth consists of such forms as might effectually satisfy 

 all the primary wants and comfort of human beings. That 

 existing wealth in exchange, even if equally distributed, would 

 fulfil this most necessary provision, is a pure assumption. 



It has already been shown that a great part of the existing 

 nominal wealth of exchange, largely owned by the rich,. 



