V. Principles of social organisation.

1.—The essential Desideratum.—The essential desideratum which it should be the end of every social organisation to secure, is—that as Society has monopolised the use of the Earth's surface, which is the natural right of all men alike, it should guarantee to every individual the opportunity of acquiring by due industry such a share of wealth as to admit of the normal exercise of all his faculties, and that he be not precluded from participation in any natural enjoyment.

2.—The right of property.—The maintenance of the right of property under existing circumstances is necessitated by our essential ideas of justice, and its abolition in any ordinary and imperfect, condition of Society would entail irremediable confusion, and, probably, seriously impair the production of wealth. Should man however, attain to such a state of morality, and education, as to be able to mete out to every individual the work most adapted to his or her capacity, the proportionate numbers of workers in all classes being equalized, and secure the requisite industry from all, an equal amount of remuneration might be decreed: but even then man's desires must be as regulated as his virtues before property could be abrogated. Meanwhile, whilst retaining the institution, Society in its corporate capacity is justified in framing such laws for the regulation of its members as will tend to prevent such accumulation of wealth, without the exercise of beneficial and creative industry, as may be attended with results injurious to the general community.

3.—The Community.—Under the new system the inhabitants of a district, whose extent will be determined by the circumstances of existing localities, will voluntarily form themselves into an organised community for the attainment of certain objects by means of regulations that each one will undertake to observe. The means of effecting this must be accurately estimated, and the amount of persuasive influence required to induce all the unthinking, indifferent, and prejudiced persons of the locality, to voluntarily aid in so novel an enterprise. In any first experiments it is certain that the clearest assurance of accruing page 77 benefits, without more cogent arguments, would be ineffectual. A legitimate use of the power possessed by persons, influential by position and wealth, or by proprietorship of the land, which is the only mode of securing the deferential respect of the great majority of people, in their present condition, must be combined with more rational inducements. The attention of the people once secured by this extraneous aid, wisely directed efforts would convince great numbers of the immense advantages to be obtained by avoiding the suicidal squandering of wealth that results from the lack of Association, and they would soon be prompted to self-initiated exertions.

4 The Committee of Public Welfare. For the carrying out of the regulations of the social organization, and the wise arbitration of all differences, the ablest persons in the locality will be chosen by a method that will secure, as far as possible, that the preference be influenced solely by the superiority of capacity in the elected. The members will be nominated by a permanent magistrate, who shall act as the President of the Committee—himself eventually appointed by a Central Body elected on similar principles;—but his nominations may be vetoed by a majority of one-fourth of the community.

5.—The Register.—All members of the community and their occupations will be registered, and all employers of labour will make an entry of the number of persons for whom they can provide employment. This registration will be conducted under the direct superintendence of the Committee of Public Welfare.

6.—Guarantee of Employment to the Industrious.—The members of the Community having in the first instance been duly apportioned on the soundest, economical principles to the industrial requirements of the district, it will be the business of the Committee to aid, if necessary, in negotiating for employment for such of its members as may be in need of it. Should there be any one for whom suitable employment is not available in the district, they will correspond with other localities with a view to aiding him to obtain such. Such aid will be so given as not to impair the power of self-help and self-reliance in the individual, and will rather assume the form of kindly and impartial advice from wise friends, as to the fittest employment for his or her capacity, and the Committee will not unnecessarily interfere between employers and employed further than directing the alteration in the Register necessitated by any change. It will, however, furnish all with certificates of recommendation, which will be of three classes representing different degrees of trustworthiness and merit; and when any person has forfeited confidence by having been dismissed for misconduct, he would be only recommended for service in a lower capacity.

8.—Payment of labourers.—The wages of labour will be regulated by the general laws of supply-and-demand that prevail in all localities, and the improvement in the condition of the working-classes will mainly spring from the immense benefits conferred on all the inhabitants by the improved circumstances resulting from association. The system of making a certain proportion of the wages take the form of a percentage on the profits of the employer will, however, be as largely adopted as may be found practicable, and this will undoubtedly greatly increase the efficiency and productiveness of labour, it being a wise and legitimate application of the stimulus of self-interest. This system

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[unclear: gely] applicable in all branches of industry, with the exception of agriculture, even farmers could without difficulty partially adopt a similar plan by seeing to give their labourers a bonus on unusually good crops, when they attended with profits to themselves. The proprietors of the cultivated [unclear: nds] of the commune, as members of the Society, will agree, in letting the [unclear: nd], to impose on the tenants the condition that they shall make such arrangements, with the labourers as will permit of their participation in the advantages secured by association, that will so materially modify their condition, and to do as much as possible towards providing suitable dwellings for the workmen, conveniently near the central schools and stores.

9.—Distribution.—The whole of the retail trading of the district, which is at present carried on by such a number of petty dealers, involving, as has been seen, the worst morals, together with a frightful squandering of work-power, and of wealth, and the violation of all economical principles, will, under the new system, be conducted on the co-operative plan. To the assertion that retail tradesmen are, as a class, parasitical and unproductive, it has been objected that they add to the different productions of industry the property of being where they are required. The person who would assert, however, that the causing an article to be transported a few miles has added 50 or 100 per cent to its value, cannot expect much attention. In the organized society the whole of the retailing will be performed for the community in one large establishment, with commodious warehouses for the different departments of trade, on methods that secure the avoidance of loss from waste and decay, each department being superintended by experienced and prudently selected persons. The same prices, with such a slight reduction, only, as will prevent local competition, will be charged at the store, and purchasers will, be assured of obtaining every production of the world of the finest quality, with the guarantee that there have been none of the incentives to adulteration, and to mis-representation of the value of any goods. Local producers, having produce to dispose of within the districts, would receive the market value at the store, but world be at liberty to send it to a distant market at their option. There are other trades which will be similarly carried on for the community by its agents, which do not consist in distribution only: they are those of the tailor, shoemaker, confectioner, livery-stable keepers, &c., and even the builder and painter. The most competent would be chosen as superintendents of these departments, and the workmen paid according to their capacity, or when possible, by piece-work. Due attention must be given to the notorious fact, that the negligence of paid agents, when opposed in competitive enterprise to efforts that are directed by a proprietor, urged by all the impulse that self-interest imparts, almost invariably fails most signally. But this fact, fortunately, presents no obstacle to the co-operative movement: the spur of self-interest is, on the contrary, much more effectually applied, and to the actual labourers, who, under the old system, are mere salaried workmen; and this, too, without entailing results dangerous to morality, and liable to prevent the development of noble aims in those engaged in such occupations. The shopman, or employee who is at present impelled to his duty by the fear of an absent master only, in the cooperative system has his master in every member of the public for whom he may be working; who has power to page 79 procure his discharge if he manifests dishonest negligence. But the difficulty, should it in any instance prove to be serious, can be at once effectually disposed of by the simple method of making the superintendent a partner in the concern.

When the enormous economy effected by co-operation carried thus far (amounting in our small town to several thousand pounds annually,) a sum sufficient to provide the whole population with the best educational facilities, and with improved surroundings such as the rich only can at present command,) has been fully experienced, the system will soon be extended to the details of domestic economy. The contests, lawsuits, and competing rivalries, in which the existing social organisation is so fruitful, once abolished, and men's tastes, and ideas harmonised and elevated by increased culture, it would soon be possible to carry Association so far as to avoid the daily wasteful repetition in a hundred houses of so many separate culinary and other operations; but, whatever improvements might be made in the dwelling of all classes by cooperation in mansions also, every family would always retain its own commodious home,—only—friendship, as well as blood, will constitute the family tie.

To be continued.