The house of Industry : a new estate of the realm

72 THE HOUSE OF INDUSTRY

Next, if they ever get so far, this pacific warcabinet starts taking stock of its ‘“ wide powers.’ To their consternation, they discover that every step they take must be legalised by an Act of Parliament. There are twenty things to be done. That means twenty Acts, for we may be sure that our five hundred and ninety chicken-hearted Members will pluck up enough courage to insist on separate Acts. Omnibus Acts are neither popular nor easy. Besides all these Acts require money and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, being a mere outsider with a portfolio (symbol of political degradation), will have a word or two to say. Treasury minutes will fly around fast and furious. Moreover—horrid thought—the bulk of these five hundred and ninety Members will not be away at the war or doing war work. They will be in their places and they will talk. Most certainly they will talk. And after them, the Lords !

Never mind! The legal difficulties being surmounted, the War Cabinet gets to work. They first interview representative employers who assure our super-men that if Great Britain is to cut any ice in the world market, wages must be reduced and the powers of the Trade Unions must be curtailed. No doubt about that. So the leaders of the Trades Union Congress are called up and so informed. At this stage a rather nasty spirit creeps in. The Trade Union leaders somehow fail to see the situation from the employers’ point of view and exhibit an ungentlemanly