tioned are worked at a profit to the State,” was the reply.
“In some instances,” he continued, “works have to be temporarily suspended, or fewer hands employed, owing to private enterprise holding out greater inducements to employés than the Government.”
“The State, then, competes with private enterprise?” I interjected.
“It might appear so at first,” was the answer; “yet that can hardly be said to be the case. For the remuneration paid by the Government to its employés is always slightly less than that paid by private enterprise for similar work. There are also cases where State industries have to cease operations owing to the supply of the articles produced becoming greater than the demand. But, of course,” he continued, “private industries are also influenced by this law of supply and demand in a like manner.” He went on, “Hitherto we have been speaking of the law of supply and demand in regard to commodities (influenced, of course, by consumption); but the supply and demand of labour is not only influenced, but to a large extent regulated, by our land laws and many other conditions. For instance, no man under thirty can obtain a lease of land from the Government; so
