the only claim laid on those that wished to follow a trade or craft was
that they should be of good character, and that they themselves and
their property should not be under the control of any other person.
The second was the regulations in §§ 13 and 14, where, in contrast
with the requirements of the enactment of 1846 regarding those that
established factories or followed a craft, it was left to the workers themselves
to decide whether they should form unions or not.
The third objection was directed against the absence in the act of regulations
enabling the followers of a trade to train workmen to become skilful
artisans.
Ever since the beginning of the decade 1870—80, i. e., only a few
years after the grant of the formerly so much longed for freedom
of trade, the above-mentioned defects in the law have made themselves
felt with undiminished force, and this is the more remarkable as the
alterations made in the above-mentioned details may be considered as
the chief points in the act of 1846. As a matter of fact, they may
be regard as relics of the guild-system, whose constitution, among
other things, was distinguished by regulations concerning a) the
ability necessary for being allowed to follow a trade, b) the formation
of unions or associations, and, c) the training of apprentices and journeymen.
At the present time, there seems to exist a general desire to renew
in some modern form, among other things, the regulations determining the
skill that an artisan should possess before being allowed to carry on his
trade, just as in Germany, where such a rule has already been established
(Befähigungsnachweis). Of late years, as a matter of fact, propositions
have, been made to this end.
T able 101. Facto ries and Handicrafts1.
T e a r
No. of fac to rie s and
h an d i c r a f t estab lishm en ts
No. of workpeople belonging
to Total no. of
h an d icraftsmen
Assessed Income. M illions
of kronor
Facto ries
H an d ic ra ft
e s ta b lish ments
F a cto ries
H a n d ic ra ft
e stablishments
and th e ir workpeople
Facto ries
Han d ic ra fts
establishm
ents
1899 10 364 42 350 257 526 4a 023 1900 84 373 74-20 25'33 10 549 44 517 265 479 42 805 87 332 74-55 26-78 1901 10 904 48038 262 229 44 315 92 353 75-22 29-35 1902 10 978 51089 263 244 45 319 96 408 69-42 3063 1903 11588 53 077 271157 47 741 100 818 69.94 31-87 1904 11962 54 831 277 853 49 005 103 836 76-00 31-11 1905 11949 57 053 280 995 51010 108 063 77-96 35-90 1906 11804 55 603 295 808 53 070 108673 85-67 36-97 1907 11 659 56 811 303 029 53173 109 984 92 32 38-40 1908 11303 58575 295 392 51 951 110526 92-78 40-97 1909 11 261 61362 289 205 52 484 113846 81-55 40-82 .1910
Increase
11435
I
63 485 302 157 53 793 117 278 . 78-78 40-99
% fr.
1899 to
1910
| 10-33 % 49-91 % 17-33 % 25.03 % 37-87 % 6.17 % 61-82%
' In consequence of the re-arrangement of tlie Swedish official statistics, later figures
than those given are not available. It should be noted that builders and master-masons
are reckoned among handicraftsmen.
When, a few years ago, machinery gained the upper hand in the industrial
world, and one industry after the other was either transformed
into a great manufacturing pursuit, or else was pushed to the wall, it
probably appeared to people at that time as if the golden days of handicrafts
were past. In any case, this opinion became to deeply rooted that,
in spite of everything, it still remains.
It can be shown, however, that handicraft-industries have held their
own very well indeed in the war of competition; they have even held their
own so well that, as a rule, they can point to far greater development than
that reached by factory-industries.
The g r e a t n a t i o n a l - e c o n o m i c i m p o r t a n c e of handicrafts
can nowadays be plainly seen, and the proofs o f this importance are
found both in statistics and in the general industrial development of the
country.
Although it must be acknowledged that our existing statistics with
regard to handicrafts are in some respects rather defective, especially in
respect to the trades in which it is difficult to draw a definite line between
factory-work and handicraft, and also in regard to the number
of the last-mentioned class of industries; still it should be possible to
gain much valuable information from the statistics that are available, and
attention is therefore drSwn to Table 101.
These figures are deserving of attention for several reasons. For
example, it is seen by the Table that the handicraft-industries during
the period given have increased far more than factory industries have
done, a fact that shows the inaccuracy of the statement that handicrafts
in general have decreased in consequence of the competition of the factory
industries experienced in the past. The figures, consequently, bear evident
testimony to the great national-economic importance of the handicrafts
and show the enormous importance in Swedish production of the handicrafts.
The figures showing the assessed income from handicrafts-industries do
not, probably, convey quite a correct impression, partly in consequence of
the error caused by certain deductions from the amount on which taxes
must be paid, and also because the census-lists which, at present, form
the basis o f1 the statistics concerning the number of handicraft-establish-
ments, make no distinction between the handicraftsmen that carry on
work as indepedent masters and such as are either purely “ selfsupporting”,
or else are in the service of master-handicraftsmen, but, in spite of this
fact, are entered on the lists under a title which is misleading, since
‘workman” has not been added to the list of professions.
The number of handicraft-establishments which is given in the existing
Swedish statistics is, consequently, clearly incorrect and greater than the
actual number. It is impossible to state the exact number of independent
handicraftsmen there are in Sweden, but it is probably very considerable.
The “voluntary” unions of handicraftsmen formed after the enactment