The house of Industry : a new estate of the realm

FOREWORD XXV

unionists, and political economists with plenary inspiration.

Thirdly, the House of Industry is required as the keystone of the arch which carries our system of economic governance. The extra-parliamentary organs of industrial administration and economic policy cannot be left as they now are at sixes and sevens. They must be co-ordinated and subjected to authority. They must be brought together, to work together ona common plan. Weare frankly affrighted, as Socialists, at the prospect of having the number of State Trusts multiplied by legislation in an unreformed Parliament without any precaution being taken to maintain real popular control over them and to bring them into accord with our ideals of industrial democracy. As trade unionists we are appalled at the levity with which the Labour Government is legislating away the sovereignty of Parliament; but we are still more alarmed at the indifference it shows towards the difficulties and dangers in which the Trade Unions will be involved when they have to negotiate with these public corporations (or State Trusts, as we think they should be called) on questions of wages and conditions of employment. Industrial conflict, more embittered and on a far bigger scale, with the scales weighted against the workers, may be predicted with absolute certainty if industrial reorganisation proceeds on these lines and no provision is made for associating the Unions integrally with policy and administration in the State Trusts; along with the subjection of these