Economic Democracy - Tapa blanda

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text, images, or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1920. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII Economic reconstruction the first necessity--Poverty largely artificial--Why war has increased apparent prosperity-- Function and control--Medievalism and Ultra-modernism --The idea of the Just Price--Summary of Analysis of Social Structure--The objective of change--The timeenergy unit--Process, the key to progress--Production to a program--The conditions of economic emancipation-- The incentive to effort--Existing methods--Financial manipulation--Time-work--Piece-work--The baBis of the Just Price--Administration not germane to the idea-- The community already owns the plant--A theoretical solution--Definition of capital--The credit center--The separation of function. ADMITTING, then, that any decentralized Mm. scheme of society must first justify itself economically, it is necessary to grapple with, at any rate, the main features of the radical economic reconstruction necessary, before any attempt can be made to forecast the political aspect. The starting point is clearly a reasonably uniform and plentiful distribution of simple necessaries: food, clothes, housing, etc. Now, the actual production of these articles presents no difficulties whatever. Notwithstanding the diversion of the major portion of the world's energy for four years to purposes of destruction, the actual economic want in the world has been almost entirely artificial, i.e., has been confined either to countries effectively blockaded, or else lacking the mechanical facilities for effective distribution. In fact, it is most significant, that while useful (in a peace sense) production has been enormously reduced in Great Britain during the war, the standard of comfort has been more uniformly high than ever before. The explanation of this is simple: The payments made in wages...