TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE.

We live in troubled and momentous times. Discordant voicesresound on every side. The social aspirations of daily breadtoilers seem to many to be in direct antagonism to all existingand peaceful relations, to ultimate economical welfare. Theupward striving of the masses appears to many minds to threatenthe very core of whole industries, to sap their economical founda-tions. Capital is jealously and quietly putting on its armour ;Labour is eagerly equipping itself for further fray and thedefence of its already achieved position. Whatever be theoutcome, there seems inevitably close at hand a. period of sufferingand privation for many- - the unavoidable companion of transitionfrom one economical stage to another. And if the result of theagitation should place this country at an economical disadvantagethe battle will at no distant period be renewed, probably manysteps retraced, and bring further discontent and distress in itstrain. It therefore behoves all parties to 1 the struggle to studythe question minutely, to weigh carefully all that can he said ineach other’s favour, all that can be brought forward to showlucidly the position vdiieh ought to’ be taken up for the economicalwelfare of the community in general.

Without committing myself to the whole of the positions takenup by Dr. G. von Schulze-Gaevernitz, I came to the conclusion whilstreading the work that within it lay ihe elements by which thefuture position of our whole industries and economical prosperitymight ho guided to a safe haven. It seemed to me that such anadmirable work should he as widely distributed as possible: that