58 



CHAPTER VIII 



Some Results of Fiscal Maladministration — The 

 Gainsborough Commission 



IF we put the question of national poverty to 

 the fiscal test, we shall see how much our ineptness in 

 that direction is answerable for. 



In deteiTQining this question let us beware of playing 

 into the hands of any political party. It is one of those 

 cases that a man must decide upon the evidence before 

 him, and not be influenced by pleaders for or against. 

 Because we have listened to those who had some pur- 

 pose to serve, some political party to help, we have 

 suffered as no nation of modem times has suffered, and 

 we must listen to the time-serving politician no more. 



Evidence of widespread havoc is, alas, too manifest 

 on every side ; a ruined land industry and all that it in- 

 volves; a terribly congested labour market; lost manu- 

 facturing industries; dearth of employment and vast 

 masses of unemployed; exhaustion of national energy 

 by the constant drain of compulsory emigration, and a 

 mass of pauperism, the like of which is not known in any 

 civilised country in the world. 



The incident of the 3,000 English dockers at Ham- 

 burg in the spring of last year, shows the ease with which 

 foreign markets can be supplied with the overplus of 

 British labour, while the discharge of artisans from the 

 Woolwich Arsenal about the same period and the imme- 



