the ragged trousered philanthropists-第141章

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　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。

‘The　masons；　carpenters；　painters。　glaziers；　and　all　the　others　engaged　in　maintaining　these　unnecessary　stores　and　shops　will　all　be　thrown　out　of　employment；　but　all　of　them　who　are　willing　to　work　will　be　welcomed　by　the　State　and　will　be　at　once　employed　helping　either　to　produce　or　distribute　the　necessaries　and　comforts　of　life。　　They　will　have　to　work　fewer　hours　than　before。。。　　They　will　not　have　to　work　so　hard　…　for　there　will　be　no　need　to　drive　or　bully；　because　there　will　be　plenty　of　people　to　do　the　work；　and　most　of　it　will　be　done　by　machinery　…　and　with　their　paper　money　they　will　be　able　to　buy　abundance　of　the　things　they　help　to　produce。　　The　shops　and　stores　where　these　people　were　formerly　employed　will　be　acquired　by　the　State；　which　will　pay　the　former　owners　fair　compensation　in　the　same　manner　as　to　the　factory　owners。　　Some　of　the　buildings　will　be　utilized　by　the　State　as　National　Service　Stores；　others　transformed　into　factories　and　others　will　be　pulled　down　to　make　room　for　dwellings；　or　public　buildings。。。　　It　will　be　the　duty　of　the　Government　to　build　a　sufficient　number　of　houses　to　accommodate　the　families　of　all　those　in　its　employment；　and　as　a　consequence　of　this　and　because　of　the　general　disorganization　and　decay　of　what　is　now　called　〃business〃；　all　other　house　property　of　all　kinds　will　rapidly　depreciate　in　value。　　The　slums　and　the　wretched　dwellings　now　occupied　by　the　working　classes　…　the　miserable；　uncomfortable；　jerry…built　〃villas〃　occupied　by　the　lower　middle　classes　and　by　〃business〃　people；　will　be　left　empty　and　valueless　upon　the　hands　of　their　rack　renting　landlords；　who　will　very　soon　voluntarily　offer　to　hand　them　and　the　ground　they　stand　upon　to　the　state　on　the　same　terms　as　those　accorded　to　the　other　property　owners；　namely　…　in　return　for　a　pension。　　Some　of　these　people　will　be　content　to　live　in　idleness　on　the　income　allowed　them　for　life　as　compensation　by　the　State：　others　will　devote　themselves　to　art　or　science　and　some　others　will　offer　their　services　to　the　community　as　managers　and　superintendents；　and　the　State　will　always　be　glad　to　employ　all　those　who　are　willing　to　help　in　the　Great　Work　of　production　and　distribution。

‘By　this　time　the　nation　will　be　the　sole　employer　of　labour；　and　as　no　one　will　be　able　to　procure　the　necessaries　of　life　without　paper　money；　and　as　the　only　way　to　obtain　this　will　be　working；　it　will　mean　that　every　mentally　and　physically　capable　person　in　the　community　will　be　helping　in　the　great　work　of　PRODUCTION　and　DISTRIBUTION。　　We　shall　not　need　as　at　present；　to　maintain　a　police　force　to　protect　the　property　of　the　idle　rich　from　the　starving　wretches　whom　they　have　robbed。　　There　will　be　no　unemployed　and　no　overlapping　of　labour；　which　will　be　organized　and　concentrated　for　the　accomplishment　of　the　only　rational　object　…　the　creation　of　the　things　we　require。。。　　For　every　one　labour…saving　machine　in　use　today；　we　will；　if　necessary；　employ　a　thousand　machines！　and　consequently　there　will　be　produced　suc