The house of Industry : a new estate of the realm

54 THE HOUSE OF INDUSTRY

and in private life a distinguished figure at his University, who informed me that I need go no further into the business in his district. He had the names of all those pestilential fellows, and their records. He was only waiting the word to put them all in jail. He seemed surprised when I instructed him to have them all at my hotel that evening. At the time appointed they were therequiet men, rather anxious, knowing their jobs, willing to co-operate. But certainly they were not going to be sat upon. Next morning, I interviewed the general manager. Yes; he knew them all. If they went, the rank and file would simply appoint others. Yes; they had grievances. The best thing to do? Send back that damned pedagogue to his study. I regretted that nothing could be done until he had got the O.B.E. The general manager smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

At another ‘‘ nest of disaffection,’’ it was snowing hard. Women and children were standing in shivering queues outside the provision shops. This time, I examined the shop-stewards in the works. They were the obvious leaders, but they could not hold the men while their women folk were shivering outside the shops, what time the manager's house was a perfect arsenal of foodstuffs, enough tostockashop. It was the manager who went to jail.

When the war ended, the waste, confusion, extravagance beggars belief. But the conditions were unprecedented and the point need not be stressed. The wage-earners were bought-off with