A B C of modern socialism

59 economic. The Economic Chamber, the House of Industry, undisturbed by selfish profiteering, will know precisely what to do, and, moreover, will have the power to doit. Public policy then becomes clear, coherent and consistent.

Vastly more important is the international influence and consequence of the House of Industry. A nation whose economic life is co-ordinated, harmonised, will speedily outstrip all the other nations. What then can they do but follow our example? Declare war? Absurd. Even if they did, we are functionally better organised than they, and function is as powerful in war as in peace. No! Functional organisation is our best guarantee of peace.

The preservation of peace, precious as it is, is, after all, a negation—the negation of war. Infinitely more important is the constructive work which consciously bridges the gap between the conquest of scarcity and the realization of plenty, of material and cultural abundance out of which must come the spiritual reconciliation of the world. In the light of public policy consider what that portends!

Internal

Whilst public policy in foreign affairs is apt to be tenuous and inconsequent, there is no reason why, in home affairs, it should not be definite and continuous. To-day that is difficult, if not impossible. Public policy is the plaything of innumerable interests. Have we ever asked ourselves why this apparently innocent word now bears such a sinister meaning? Why should we not have interests? Books,