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COMBINATIONS AMONGST

would be applied to stocking-frames. It would,indeed, be of great mutual advantage to the indus-trious workman, and to the master-manufacturer inevery trade, if the machines employed in it couldregister the quantity of work done, in the samemanner as a steam-engine does the number ofstrokes it makes. The introduction of such con-trivances gives a greater stimulus to honest industrythan can readily be imagined, and removes one ofthe sources of disagreement between parties, whosereal interests must always suffer by any estrange-ment between them.

(278.) The effects arising from combinationsamongst the workmen, are almost always injuriousto the parties themselves. There are numerous in-stances, in which the public suffer by increased priceat the moment, but are ultimately gainers from thepermanent reduction which results ; whilst, on theother band, the improvements which are often madein machinery in consequence of “ a strike” amongstthe workmen, most frequently do an injury, of greateror less duration, to that particular class which gaverise to them. As the injury to the men and to theirfamilies is almost always greater than that whichaffects their employers, it is of the utmost impor-tance to the comfort and happiness of the former class,that sound views should be entertained by them uponthis question. For this purpose a few illustrationsof the principle which is here maintained, will pro-bably have greater weight than any reasoning of amore general nature, though drawn from admittedprinciples of political economy. Such instanceswill, moreover, present the additional advantage of