CAN THE RICH PAY FOR THE WAR? 21

same extent. The whole of the real cost ofthe war, it is claimed, should be borne by thericher classes. Nay, more. The increased de-mand for the services of labour due to the war,offers a much-needed opportunity for increasingworking-class consumption above what it waspreviously.

Do the workers really claim that they aloneshould be war-profiteers, taking advantage of thewar to increase their consumption, and that morethan the whole of the burden of the war shouldbe borne by others? Or is it only some of theirleaders who are claiming this on their behalf?This is a political question to which I am notcompetent to give an answer. Nor is it necessarythat I should do so.

For, from the practical point of view, I doubt ifthis is one of the alternatives offering. At anyrate, it is not something which will come aboutautomatically as a result of having no policy anddoing nothing. If we drift without a compre-hensive plan, not this but inflation or shop-shortages will result. And inflation, as we shallsee, will be to the clear advantage of the richerclass and will result in this class bearing not more,but less, than their fair share. I shall have tourge more than once before I have finished, thatmy proposals should be compared, not with someimaginary alternative, but with actual alterna-tives which are happening, or about to happen,before our eyes.

Let us, however, examine the facts. Onceagain the figures which I use are no better than