the ragged trousered philanthropists-第125节

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siness　as　the　present　owners。　　I　mean　that　even　as　the　big　Trusts　and　companies　are　crushing　…　by　competition　…　the　individual　workers　and　small　traders；　so　the　State　should　crush　the　trusts　by　competition。　　It　is　surely　justifiable　for　the　State　to　do　for　the　benefit　of　the　whole　people　that　which　the　capitalists　are　already　doing　for　the　profit　of　a　few　shareholders。　The　first　step　in　this　direction　will　be　the　establishment　of　Retail　Stores　for　the　purpose　of　supplying　all　national　and　municipal　employees　with　the　necessaries　of　life　at　the　lowest　possible　prices。　　At　first　the　Administration　will　purchase　these　things　from　the　private　manufacturers；　in　such　large　quantities　that　it　will　be　able　to　obtain　them　at　the　very　cheapest　rate；　and　as　there　will　be　no　heavy　rents　to　pay　for　showy　shops；　and　no　advertising　expenses；　and　as　the　object　of　the　Administration　will　be　not　to　make　profit；　but　to　supply　its　workmen　and　officials　with　goods　at　the　lowest　price；　they　will　be　able　to　sell　them　much　cheaper　than　the　profit…making　private　stores。

‘The　National　Service　Retail　Stores　will　be　for　the　benefit　of　only　those　in　the　public　service；　and　gold；　silver　or　copper　money　will　not　be　accepted　in　payment　for　the　things　sold。　　At　first；　all　public　servants　will　continue　to　be　paid　in　metal　money；　but　those　who　desire　it　will　be　paid　all　or　part　of　their　wages　in　paper　money　of　the　same　nominal　value；　which　will　be　accepted　in　payment　for　their　purchases　at　the　National　Stores　and　at　the　National　Hotels；　Restaurants　and　other　places　which　will　be　established　for　the　convenience　of　those　in　the　State　service。　　The　money　will　resemble　bank…notes。　　It　will　be　made　of　a　special　very　strong　paper；　and　will　be　of　all　value；　from　a　penny　to　a　pound。

‘As　the　National　Service　Stores　will　sell　practically　everything　that　could　be　obtained　elsewhere；　and　as　twenty　shillings　in　paper　money　will　be　able　to　purchase　much　more　at　the　stores　than　twenty　shillings　of　metal　money　would　purchase　anywhere　else；　it　will　not　be　long　before　nearly　all　public　servants　will　prefer　to　be　paid　in　paper　money。　　As　far　as　paying　the　salaries　and　wages　of　most　of　its　officials　and　workmen　is　concerned；　the　Administration　will　not　then　have　any　need　of　metal　money。　　But　it　will　require　metal　money　to　pay　the　private　manufacturers　who　supply　the　goods　sold　in　the　National　Stores。　　But　…　all　these　things　are　made　by　labour；　so　in　order　to　avoid　having　to　pay　metal　money　for　them；　the　State　will　now　commence　to　employ　productive　labour。　　All　the　public　land　suitable　for　the　purpose　will　be　put　into　cultivation　and　State　factories　will　be　established　for　manufacturing　food；　boots；　clothing；　furniture　and　all　other　necessaries　and　comforts　of　life。　　All　those　who　are　out　of　employment　and　willing　to　work；　will　be　given　employment　on　these　farms　and　in　these　factories。　　In　order　that　the　men　employed　shall　not　have　to　work　unpleasantly　hard；　and　that　their　hours　of　labour　may　be　as　short　as　possible　…　at　first；　say；　eight　hours　per　day　…　and　also　to　make　sure　that　the　greatest　possible　quantity　of　everything　shall　be　produced；　these　factories　and　farms　will　be　equipped　with　the　most　up…to…date　and　efficient　labour…saving　machinery。　　The　people　employed　in　the　farms　and　factories　will　be　paid　with　paper　money。。。　The　commodities　they　produce　will　go　to　replenish　the　stocks　of　the　National　Service　Stores；　where　the　workers　will　be　able　to　purchase　with　their　paper　money　everything　they　need。

‘As　we　shall　employ　the　greatest　possible　number　of　labour…saving　machines；　and　adopt　the　most　scientific　methods　in　our　farms　and　factories；　the　quantities　of　goods　we　shall　be　able　to　produce　will　be　so　enormous　that　we　shall　be　able　to　pay　our　workers　very　high　wages　…　in　paper　money　…　and　we　shall　be　able　to　sell　our　produce　so　cheaply；　that　all　public　servants　will　be　able　to　enjoy　abundance　of　everything。

‘When　the　workers　who　are　being　exploited　and　sweated　by　the　private　capitalists　realize　how　much　worse　off　they　are　than　the　workers　in　the　employ　of　the　State；　they　will　come　and　ask　to　be　allowed　to　work　for　the　State；　and　also；　for　paper　money。　　That　will　mean　that　the　State　Army　of　Productive　Workers　will　be　continually　increasing　in　numbers。　　More　State　factories　will　be　built；　more　land　will　be　put　into　cultivation。　　Men　will　be　given　employment　making　bricks；　woodwork；　paints；　glass；　wallpapers　and　all　kinds　of　building　materials　and　others　will　be　set　to　work　building　…　on　State　land　…　beautiful　houses；　which　will　be　let　to　those　employed　in　the　service　of　the　State。　　The　rent　will　be　paid　with　paper　money。

‘State　fishing　fleets　will　be　established　and　the　quantities　of　commodities　of　all　kinds　produced　will　be　so　great　that　the　State　employees　and　officials　will　not　be　able　to　use　it　all。　　With　their　paper　money　they　will　be　able　to　buy　enough　and　more　than　enough　to　satisfy　all　their　needs　abundantly；　but　there　will　still　be　a　great　and　continuously　increasing　surplus　stock　in　the　possession　of　the　State。

‘The　Socialist　Administration　will　now　acquire　or　build　fleets　of　steam　trading　vessels；　which　will　of　course　be　manned　and　officered　by　State　employees　…　the　same　as　the　Royal　Navy　is　now。　　These　fleets　of　National　trading　vessels　will　carry　the　surplus　stocks　I　have　mentioned；　to　foreign　countries；　and　will　there　sell　or　exchange　them　for　some　of　the　products　of　those　countries；　things　that　we　do　not　produce　ourselves。　　These　things　will　be　brought　to　England　and　sold　at　the　National　Service　Stores；　at　the　lowest　possible　price；　for　paper　money；　to　those　in　the　service　of　the　State。　　This　of　course　will　only　have　the　effect　of　introducing　greater　variety　into　the　stocks　…　it　will　not　diminish　the　surplus：　and　as　there　would　be　no　sense　in　continuing　to　produce　more　of　these　things　than　necessary；　it　would　then　be　the　duty　of　the　Administration　to　curtail　or　restrict　production　of　the　necessaries　of　life。　　This　could　be　done　by　reducing　the　hours　of　the　workers　without　reducing　their　wages　so　as　to　enable　them　to　continue　to　purchase　as　much　as　before。

‘Another　way　of　preventing　over　production　of　mere　necessaries　and　comforts　will　be　to　employ　a　large　number　of　workers　producing　the　refinements　and　pleasures　of　life；　more　artistic　houses；　furniture；　pictures；　musical　instruments　and　so　forth。

‘In　the　centre　of　every　district　a　large　Institute　or　pleasure　house　could　be　erected；　containing　a　magnificently　appointed　and　decorated　theatre；　Concert　Hall；　Lecture　Hall；　Gymnasium；　Billiard　Rooms；　Reading　Rooms；　Refreshment　Rooms；　and　so　on。　　A　detachment　of　the　Industrial　Army　would　be　employed　as　actors；　artistes；　musicians；　singers　and　entertainers。　　In　fact　everyone　that　could　be　spared　from　the　most　important　work　of　all　…　that　of　producing　the　necessaries　of　life　…　would　be　employed　in　creating　pleasure；　culture；　and　education。　All　these　people　…　like　the　other　branches　of　the　public　service　…　would　be　paid　with　paper　money；　and　with　it　all　of　them　would　be　able　to　purchase　abundance　of　all　those　things　which　constitute　civilization。

‘Meanwhile；　as　a　result　of　all　this；　the　kind…hearted　private　employers　and　capitalists　would　find　that　no　one　would　come　and　work　for　them　to　be　driven　and　bullied　and　sweated　for　a　miserable　trifle　of　metal　money　that　is　scarcely　enough　to　purchase　sufficient　of　the　necessaries　of　life　to　keep　body　and　soul　together。

‘These　kind…hearted　capitalists　will　protest　against　what　they　will　call　the　unfair　competition　of　State　industry；　and　some　of　them　may　threaten　to　leave　the　country　and　take　their　capital　with　them。。。　　As　most　of　these　persons　are　too　lazy　to　work；　and　as　we　will　not　need　their　money；　we　shall　be　very　glad　to　see　them　go。　　But　with　regard　to　their　real　capital　…　their　factories；　farms；　mines　or　machinery　…　that　will　be　a　different　matter。。。　　To　allow　these　things　to　remain　idle　and　unproductive　would　constitute　an　injury　to　the　community。　　So　a　law　will　be　passed；　declaring　that　all　land　not　cultivated　by　the　owner；　or　any　factory　shut　down　for　more　than　a　specified　time；　will　be　taken　possession　of　by　the　State　and　worked　for　the　benefit　of　the　community。。。　　Fair　compensation　will　be　paid　in　paper　money　to　the　former　owners；　who　will　be　granted　an　income　or　pension　of　so　much　a　year　either　for　life　or　for　a　stated　period　according　to　circumstances　and　the　ages　of　the　persons　concerned。

‘As　for　the　private　traders；　the　wholesale　and　retail　dealers　in　the　things　produced　by　labour；　they　will　be　forced　by　the　State　competition　to　close　down　their　shops　and　warehouses　…　first；　because　they　will　not　be　able　to　replenish　their　stocks；　and；　secondly；　because　even　if　they　were　able　to　do　so；　they　would　not　be　able　to　sell　them。　　This　will　throw　out　of　work　a　great　host　of　people　who　are　at　present　engaged　in　useless　occupations；　the　managers　and　assistants　in　the　shops　of　which　we　now　see　half　a　dozen　of　the　same　sort　in　a　single　street；　the　thousands　of　men　and　women　who　are　slaving　away　their　lives　producing　advertisements；　for；　in　most　cases；　a　miserable　pittance　of　metal　money；　with　which　many　of　them　are　unable　to　procure　sufficient　of　the　necessaries　of　life　to　secure　them　from　starvation。

‘Th