CO-OPERATION AND THE PROBLEM OF UNEMPLOYMENT
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sm,—One is happy when one can answer a question with as fact and not only with an argument in the domain of sociology, where only facts count for much. Your correspondent, Mr. A. Toledano, assistant editor of Le Monde Nouveau (who is now taking an active interest in the educational colonies plan), asks me, in his letter you published in your issue of the 13th inst., first, how it would be possible to get all the land that would be needed for educational colonies for our numerous town-children. My answer, which comes well now we are celebrating the century of the railway, is that they asked Stephenson just the same question in connexion with the development of a railway system. His reply was that he would make a beginning where he could get land, and the demonstration would lead to other lines being constructed, each successive demonstration preparing the way for another, till people were led to recognize that the importance of railways would be so great that legislation in the matter was necessary. He was right as events proved. We must proceed in the same way with educational colonies ; less land will be needed for them than was for railways, whilst their importance will be greater, as all who have studied the subject realize.
Mr. Toledano then asks me whether compulsion would not be necessary to keep modern town-bred lads in educational colonies. My answer is simply that there would be no need to- keep them in the colonies. It would be sufficient if they had turns in them, and few lads would fail to appreciate it few days a week in the country, with good opportunities for games and sports.
Finally, referring to my suggestion that they should remain in the colony organization long enough to earn a little capital, Ire asks how it would be invested. I have dealt with that question very fully in my hook published by the Educational Colonies Association. One plan would be to organize them to help in building the garden-suburbs, that would be of such immense social value. Their capital would then be the shares they would have in these garden suburbs. But it is a big subject, far beyond what I can deal with fully here. —
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