The Irish standard., 1914-05-16

three. Control may be in the hands
of capitalists as it is today; or in the
hands Of the State as Socialists pro-
pose; or in the hands of the produc-
ers, the workers. which is what Syn
dicalists advocate. Any two or three
of these possible forms of control
may be blended. The Syndicalist
claim is for the complete control Of
industry by the workers. the produc-
ers organized in their appropriate
unions. All workers in particular
industry will be organized in one un-
ion, and this union will have COM
plete control of that industry, deter
mining the wages to be paid, the
length of the working day, the meth
DDS of working to be adopted, and
the prices at which the prducts are
to be sold. AS far as possible. local
industrial unions will be preferred to
national unions. 1t may be neces-
sary (though some syndicalists dis
pute it, for railway workers to be or
ganized in one national union; tram
way workers can and must be in To-
cal unions. Syndicalism aims at all
the decentralization possible. This
is especially the case in France,
where the autonomous commune and
the self-governing Worship are the
ideals.
Here difficulty is presented to
the Syndicalist. I the state is to be
abolished. and production is to be
carried on by autonomous industrial
unions. how are the relations be-
tween the different unions to be reg
ulated? Is the union of coal miners
to have absolute control Of the guam
tity of coal to be produced. and the
prices to be charged to the commun-
ity? The social dangers of such in
dustrial monopolies are obvious. The
Syndicalist replies that there will be
for each locality and also for the
country as whole, federal councils
industries, which will adjust supply
to demand by telling each section of
producers. each Industrial union,
what products are required. The
federal councils will also adjudicate
on disputes between the unions.
There is a manifest weakness in
<hio CvrI3ool{o% r1ou1oo Eov oi%hor
the federal councils will not have the
power of enforcing their decisions or
they will not. If they have not the
power, the evils of Industrial monop-
oily will not be remedied. If they
have the power. they will merely be
the State in disguise. The recogni-
ton of this fact has led to an alter
native to Syndicalism being pro-
posed. The alternative is called
Guild Socialism and its chief expon-
ent is Mr.. A. R. Orage and the writ
ers of the New Age. Guild Social
ism uses the same arguments against
State Socialism that the Syndicalists
employ, but urges that the total abol-
ition of the State is impossible The
State is necessary institution, not
only because there must be some CO.
ordinating power in industry which
pure Syndicalism fails to provide,
but also because in a civilized soci-
ETY. supreme authority is needed to
perform functions of a non-economic
character. which cannot properly be
entrusted to trade organizations.
Guild Socialism would retain the
State. and would have the State to
be the owner Of the means Of produc-
ton, and in the last resort the state
would be the final controller of in
dustry. But normally the State
would not NEEDLE in the manage
ment of industry; it would lease the
control of industry to the several
unions. each industry to its appropri-
ate union or guild. The name guild
has been chosen for these bodies.
because in some respects their char
acteristics have been suggested by
the type of organization which con-
trolled industry in the Middle Ages.
Every worker in any industry
must necessarily be member Of the
guild belonging to that industry, for
the guild will be a legally chartered
body exercising a monopoly. The
State will determine the kind and
quantity Of goods to be produced by
each guild; but the methods of, pro-
duction will be self-governing, in the
sense that the members will elect
their own officials. managers and
directors. The guilds will be purely
producing bodies, not trading bod
les; they will not themselves sell
their products to the community. In
stead, they will hand over all the
goods to the State. and they will re-
ceive in return from the State a lump
sum of money in proportion to the
numbers of their members. the divi-
at AA