Observations on the Emancipation of Industry. By George Venue Crosbie.
(Elliot Stock.)—Mr. Crosbie makes some remarks in his introduction which seem to point to confiscation. We spent twenty millions, he says, to get rid of West Indian slavery ; but "the electors of Great Britain and Ireland have power to free industry from the slavery under which it languishes without spending money or sacrificing life." Debt, he goes on to say, is one form of slavery, and it is this that we are to get rid of "with- out spending money "—i.e., we suppose, by repudiation—hardly, we think, without "sacrificing life," for the national and local creditors—local debt is to go also, we suppose—would not yield without a struggle. This matter, however, he does not follow up, devoting his attention to the question of rent. He objects to "fixed rent." But is rent fixed ? Landlords will tell you that it is not ; that during the last fifteen years it has changed con- tinually. As for land lying uncultivated because the owner insists on a fixed sum, we fancy that it is not often the cases Land is uncultivated because tenants will not take it at any price. That much may be said on behalf of proportionate rent we do not doubt; but it is difficult to believe that Mr. Crosbie's proposals are serious. They are too much on the " without- spending-money " principle.
Previous page
