Page:Indian Journal of Economics Volume 2.djvu/469

ADDRESS OF 'WELCOME There was a second obstacle. been in this country a body of 451 . Even if there had economists in the. of high initial to master any strict sense of the term, it is doubtful whether their meetings would in the past have carried an.y appreci- able weight: for the administration was exclusively in the hands of s Civil Service, every member of which was assumed to be competent, on the strength qualifications of a general character, subject he might in turn be called upon to deal- with. In England there has, of course, never been any parallel to that. If anything, the pronouncements-of economists have been listened to with excessive "the Laws of deference; Political and though appeals to Economy" are no longer allowed to close all discussion, as was .once mistaken- than over, and tion is more ly the practice, the genuine value of the advice of the economic export is recognized perhaps moro widely not the loss so because the spprooia- discerning. The views of men like Professors Marshall, Sir William Ashley, BowIcy exercise immense influence; every effort is made to secure their active assistance on committees and commissions--witness the recent inquiry into the cost of living; and they are even put directly at th? head of d?partments such as the Board of Trade, where at this very moment Professors Percy Ashley, Clapham, and Flux preside respectively over Industry, Manufactures and before we got as Statistics. It may be somo far as that in India. But time ho?o too the legitimate influence of the economist is bound to increase. My reason for thinking so is that the world-wide process of democratization which is being hastened on in Europe st sn over accelerated rate, is manifesting itself in Indi? also. Now, an essential feature of regard for the opinion of the democratic expert, The rule is typical