44

THE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  UNEMPLOYED

that  he  can  get  that  other  work.  It  is  here  that  we  strike
that  second  false  assumption  of  those  who  maintain  a
general  increase  of  transferability  of  labour.  Suppose  the
structure  of  modern  industry  did  favour  transferability
from  one  trade  to  another,  the  transfer  can  only  be
effective  provided  the  demand  for  labour  in  these  other
trades  gives  openings  to  outsiders.  Individuals  endowed
with  special  energy  and  enterprise  are  no  doubt  often
able  to  turn  their  hand  to  another  trade,  but  the  average
man,  though  he  could  take  up  some  other  skilled  trade,
if  he  had  the  chance,  finds  that  he  does  not  get  the  chance.
Trade  Unions  from  the  practical  standpoint  see,  what
the  theoretic  economist  often  refuses  to  see,  that  generally
throughout  the  field  of  industry  the  supply  of  labour,
skilled  as  well  as  unskilled,  is  normally  in  excess  of  the
demand,  and,  acting  in  their  own  interests,  rightly
direct  their  energies  to  making  it  difficult  for  an  outsider
to  compete  for  their  kind  of  work.  As  the  organisation
of  labour  grows  stronger  this  policy  will  be  enforced  more
rigidly,  and  that  transfer  of  labour  from  one  trade  or
process  to  another  which  the  structure  of  industry  might
permit,  will  be  prevented  by  the  operation  of  other  social
forces.
Taking  a  general  view  of  the  situation  we  are  driven
to  the  conclusion  that  the  alleged  greater  transferability
of  labour  is  not  adequate  to  counteract  the  forces  which
make  for  irregularity  of  employment  and  displacement  of
labour.  Since  a  larger  proportion  of  the  total  number  of
employed  are  coming  under  the  new  conditions  of  industrial ­
  life,  the  absolute  quantity  of  “  unemployment  ”  at
any  given  time  due  to  these  causes  must  be  increasing.