[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR, — In the
Spectator of February 17th Mr. H. W. Massingham, in support of his views as to the want of capacity among Englishmen of the present day, makes the statement that England has been beaten out of the field in the great scientific-industrial development of the times,—that of electrical engineering. Though there is perhaps some exaggeration in this statement, it must be admitted that in the larger applications of electricity this country is woefully behindhand. Having, however, been at some pains in this month's Nineteenth Century magazine to point out the true cause of our backwardness in this particular line, I may perhaps be permitted to state that investigation shows that our com- parative stagnation in electrical matters is, in no way, attri- butable to want of capacity in our engineers, bat is due to quite a different cause. I will not occupy your space in repeating what I have already said in the article referred to, but will merely give the conclusion arrived at, which is, that our backwardness in electrical development is directly, and almost entirely attributable to the obstacles that Socialistic legislation has in recent years pkteed
In the path of private enterprise and to the para- lysing effects of that municipal Collectivism which suc- ceeding Governments have of late done so much to foster. To give a concrete example, may I point out that in the present Session four most important private Bills have been introduced into Parliament dealing with the electrical distri- bution of power on a very large scale in the manufacturing districts of Lancashire, Tyneside, county of Durham, and South Wales respectively. These Bills, which, if passed into law, are calculated to have a most beneficial effect upon the leading industries of the localities affected, and are indeed practically essential to enable these industries to meet foreign competition, are now put down for second reading. These Bills are, however, meeting with the most strenuous opposi- tion on the part of a powerful body that calls itself the Association of Municipal Corporations, who are arraying against them all the forces of Collectivism in the House of Commons, with a view to preventing their ever reaching the Committee stage, when evidence in their favour can be given by the many manufacturers who are interested in their passing. So far as electrical engineering is concerned, it is not to any want of capacity or enterprise on the part of our engineers, but to the fatuous Collectivism that too long has been allowed to strangle our industries, that we must look for our want of progress and for one of the causes of disaster.
CC Victoria Street, S. W. —I am, Sir, Sze., A. A. CAMPBELL SWINTON.
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