THE NATION AND THE LABOURER. 35

duct, that he would be no longer able to meet his rivals
in successful competition. This objection, so stated,
appears for the moment very formidable, if not fatal to.
the proposed alteration ; but we observe that the objection
 rests on the assumption that a competition with
other produce or products must be sustained, in which
sompetition, having the advantage in this respect, the
npposing competitor would be on an equal footing
in regard to the other circumstances. Is it certain
that such assumption must be admitted, as necessitated
 by the conditions of the whole case? We opine
‘hat it is not. ‘In the first place, the competitor or comnetitors,
 referred to, must be outside the nation, for,
stherwise, the objection would not apply, because the
supposition is that such atl increase in the rate of wages
would be general throughout the nation. But then, if
she competition be with competitors outside the nation,
and the alteration be one which it is to the interest of
the nation to make, the question arises—whether
the nation cannot yet make the alteration, and so supoort
 its own manufacturer (or farmer) that the foreign
ompetitor could still be advantageously met. Supposing,
 for example, the nation in question to contain
a considerably greater number of labourers than suffi-“ient
 to supply the labour market at the longer time of
work (and therefore lower rate of wages). It is evident
shat, since the superfluous number of labourers must
live, and have no resources of their own,* their mainte-*

 We do not wish to complicate the argument, but, strictly speaking, if
hey had resources of their own, these would be a part of the common
resources of the nation, and the conditions of the case, in respect to the
more general arcument. would be essentially unaltered.