The tradesman could thus afford to pay the manufacturer a price which would enable him to pay decent wages, and in return for this price he insisted upon good work being put into the goods he bought.

Thus there was no demand for bad work.

Skilled work alone could find a market, and skilled work requires the payment of decent wages.

The growth of modern competition has changed all this.
Regular custom has given way to touting and advertising, the bond of interest between consumer and shopkeeper is broken, the latter seeks merely to sell the largest quantity of wares to any one who will buy, the former to pay the lowest price to any one who will sell him what he thinks he wants.

Hence a deterioration in the quality of many goods.