believe that in
an average year a far larger number of the "unemployed" at any given
time owe their unemployment to a temporary depression of the trade in
which they are engaged, than to the fluctuations brought about by
organic changes in the economic structure of the trade.

The size and importance of the "unemployment" due primarily to trade
depressions is very imperfectly appreciated. The following statistics
of the condition of the skilled labour market in the period 1886-92,
based upon the reports of twenty-two trades unions, have an important
bearing on this point:--

Year. Percentage out of work.
1886 10.1 per cent.[195]
1887 8.6 "
1888 4.4 "
1889 1.8 "
1890 2.6 "
1891 4.45 "
1892 7.33 "
1893 7.9[196] "

When it is remembered that these figures apply only to the
well-organised trades unions, which, as a rule, comprise the best and
most highly-skilled workers in the several trades, who are less likely
than others to be thrown out in a "slack time," that the building and
season trades are not included in the estimate, and that women's
industries, notoriously more irregular than men's, are altogether
ignored, it will be evident that these statistics very inadequately
represent the proportion of unemployment for the aggregate of the
working classes at the several periods. The _Report on Principal and
Minor Textile Trades_ deducts 10 per cent. from the normal wages to
represent unemployment, though the year 1885, to which the figures
refer, is spoken of as "fairly representative of a normal year."[197]

The injury inflicted upon the wages, working efficiency, and character
of the working classes by irregular employment is, however, very
inadequately represented by figures indicating the average of
"unemployment" during a long period. In the first place, in such an
estimate no allowance is made for the "short time," often worked for
months together by large bodies of operatives. Secondly, in measuring
the evil of "unemployment," we must look rather to the maximum than to
the mean condition. If a man is liable to have his food supply cut off
for a month at a time, no estimate showing that on the average he has
more than enough to eat and drink will fairly represent the danger to
which he is exposed. If once in every ten years we find that some 10
per cent. of the skilled w