It is surprising to find that the Lords' Committee in its final report should have given prominence to schemes of co- operation as a cure for the disease.

The following paragraph correctly sums up experience upon the subject-- "Productive societies have been from time to time started in East London, but their career has been neither long nor brilliant.

They have often had a semi-philanthropic basis, and have been well-meant but hopeless attempts to supersede 'sweating' by co-operation.

None now working are of sufficient importance to be mentioned."[29] The place which productive and distributive co-operation is destined to occupy in the history of the industrial freedom and elevation of the masses doubtless will be of the first importance.

To look forward to a time when the workers of the community may be grouped in co-operative bodies, either competing with one another, or related by some bond which shall minimize the friction of competition, while not impairing the freedom and integrity of each several group, is not perhaps a wild utopian vision.