THE CHARACTER OF THE PROBLEM 7

In their minds and hearts the leaders of the TradeUnions know this as well as anyone else. Theydo not want what they ask. But they dare notabate their demands until they know whatalternative policy is offered. This is legitimate.No coherent plan has yet been put up to them.

I have been charged with attempting to applytotalitarian methods to a free community. Nocriticism could be more misdirected. In a totali-tarian state the problem of the distribution ofsacrifice does not exist. That is one of its initialadvantages for war. It is only in a free communitythat the task of government is complicated by theclaims of social justice. In a slave state produc-tion is the only problem. The poor and the oldand the infant must take their chance; and nosystem lends itself better to the provision ofspecial privileges to the governing class.

The aim of these pages is, therefore, to devisea means of adapting the distributive system of afree community to the limitations of war. Thereare three main objects to hold in view: the pro-vision of an increased reward as an incentive andrecognition of increased effort and risk, to whichfree men unlike slaves are entitled; the maximumfreedom of choice to each individual how he willuse that part of his income which he is at libertyto spend, a freedom which properly belongs toindependent personalities but not to the unitsof a totalitarian ant-heap; and the mitigationof the necessary sacrifice for those least able tobear it, a use of valuable resources which a ruthlesspower avoids.