loyments, and reduces this increase to real wages without
any reference to the different use of wages by different classes, is
an unscientific and mischievous method of dealing with one of the most
important economic questions. The influence of machine-production
appears to be widely different upon the skilled mechanic and the
common labourer considered both as producers and consumers, and tends
to a wide difference in standard of comfort between the two classes.
This difference is further enhanced by the indirect assistance which
machinery and large-scale industry gives to the skilled workers to
combine and thus frequently to secure wages higher than are
economically requisite to secure their efficient work. On the other
hand, growing feelings of humanity and a vague but genuine feeling of
social justice in an ever larger portion of the public often enable
the low-skilled worker to secure a higher standard of comfort than the
operation of economic competition alone would enable him to reach. But
after due allowance is made for this, the conclusion is forced upon us
that the gain of machine-production, so far as an increase in real
wages is concerned, has been chiefly taken by the highly-skilled and
highly-waged workers, and that as the character of work and wages
descends, the proportionate gain accruing from the vast increase of
productive power rapidly diminishes, the lowest classes of workers
obtaining but an insignificant share.

FOOTNOTES:

[238] _Principles of Political Economy_, Bk. ii., chap. iv. Sec. 3.

CHAPTER XII.

WOMEN IN MODERN INDUSTRY.

Sec. 1. _Growing Employment of Women in Manufacture._
Sec. 2. _Machinery favours Employment of Women._
Sec. 3. _Wages of Women lower than of Men._
Sec. 4. _Causes of Lower Wages for Women._
Sec. 5. _Smaller Productivity or Efficiency of Women's Labour._
Sec. 6. _Factors enlarging the scope of Women's Wage-work._
Sec. 7. _"Minimum Wage" lower for Women--Her Labour often subsidised
from other sources._
Sec. 8. _Woman's Contribution to the Family Wages--Effect of Woman's
Work upon Man's Wages._
Sec. 9. _Tendency of Woman's Wage to low uniform level._
Sec. 10. _Custom and Competition as determinants of Low Wages._
Sec. 11. _Lack of Organisation among Women--Effect on Wages._
Sec. 12. _Over-supply of Labour in Women's Employments the
root-evil._
Sec. 13. _Low Wages the chief cause of al