DISTRIBUTION  OF  PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  WORK  155

another  workman  in  that  craft?  Unless  thehe  are  trades
which  are  insufficiently  furnished  with  effective  labour,
engaged  in  making  goods  for  which  the  increasing  demand
is  inadequately  met,  how  can  the  new  supply  of  labour
find  employment?  It  is  of  no  use  planning  new  kinds  of
production  unless  there  is  a  sufficient  growing  demand  to
take  off  at  a  remunerative  price  the  new  products.  Those
who  propose  alternative  employments  for  “  season  ”  workers
are  not  prepared  to  point  out  any  trades  insufficiently
supplied  with  labour,  to  which  the  season  workers  might
have  recourse.
§  22.  Sound  Distribution  of  Public  and
Private  Work.
In  the  analysis  of  causes  of  unemployment  it  was  pointed
out  that  in  many  trades  there  was  a  needless  amount  of
irregularity  of  employment.  In  many  cases  orders  would
be  distributed  over  a  longer  period  of  time  and  work
would  be  more  regular,  if  legislative  enactments  or  private
agreement  in  the  trade  imposed  restrictions  upon  the  hours
of  labour  and  overtime  worked  by  all  competitors.
Though  the  intelligence  and  goodwill  of  single  employers
may  do  something  to  distribute  employment  more  evenly
over  the  year  and  to  throw  extra  work  of  repairs,  etc.,  on
the  times  when  general  work  is  slack,  it  is  clear  that  not
much  can  be  effected  by  this  means.  Neither  can  public
bodies,  so  far  as  they  act  on  ordinary  business  principles,
throw  any  great  increase  of  employment  on  the  periods
when  many  men  are  out  of  work.  It  is  natural  enough
that  either  public  Or  private  employers  in  executing  work
which  can  be  done  equally  well  at  any  time,  should
choose  those  times  when  larger  numbers  of  men  competent