o
exclude the less skilled where they think fit."[34] Again unionism may
indirectly through its wage policy cause a slowing up of recruiting of
new men into the craft or industry. In short, by every means at its
command, a union strives to assert the importance of its group as
against other interests. Thus, in respect to the activities just
described, unionism must be included among the influences which lead to
the formation and maintenance of relatively separate groups of wage
earners.

On the other hand, trade unionism in many indirect ways tends to have an
effect in the opposite direction. By a constant adherence to certain
broad policies, the trade union movement may contribute much to a
realization of the conditions on which the idea of a general rate of
wages is based. Such, for example, is the emphasis played by the trade
union movement upon free and compulsory education, and the raising of
the age of entry into industry. Such, also, is its advocacy of social
legislation which is aimed to give more nearly equal opportunity to the
lowest grades of industrial workers. Or, to take a third example, such
is the result of the aid given by the skilled trade unions to the
unskilled workers in their efforts to organize. Unionism works against
the formation of relatively separate groups of wage earners to the
extent that its activities contribute towards the achievement of
equality of opportunity for all wage earners, and to the extent that
the strong groups come to the assistance of the weaker.

5.--The main cause of the formation of relatively separate groups of
wage earners, with different, though closely related levels of earnings
have now been considered. As a result of these influences, it must be
concluded that the determination of the wage level of each of the
various groups of wage earners is a sufficiently independent process to
make it necessary to account for it as such. The various groups of wage
earners have relatively separate economic careers so to speak. The
economic fortune of each group is not settled merely as part of one
general process, though the economic fortunes of all are intimately
connected. The wage situation is not to be explained as consisting of
one basic level of wages with a series of equalizing differences; but
rather as consisting of a series of wage levels, all of which are
governed to a considerable extent by the same forces or conditions.[35]

6.--We can now pass on the final q