such nonsense.

'Of course they don't,' answered Harlow scornfully. 'They buy the
things they want with it.'

'Do you think that most of them manage to save a part of their
wages--put it away in the bank.'

'Well, I can speak for meself,' replied Harlow amid laughter. 'It
takes me all my bloody time to pay my rent and other expenses and to
keep my little lot in shoe leather, and it's dam little I spend on
beer; p'r'aps a tanner or a bob a week at the most.'

'A single man can save money if he likes,' said Slyme.

'I'm not speaking of single men,' replied Owen. 'I'm referring to
those who live natural lives.'

'What about all the money what's in the Post Office Savings Bank, and
Building and Friendly Societies?' said Crass.

'A very large part of that belongs to people who are in business, or
who have some other source of income than their own wages. There are
some exceptionally fortunate workers who happen to have good situations
and higher wages than the ordinary run of workmen. Then there are some
who are so placed--by letting lodgings, for instance--that they are
able to live rent free. Others whose wives go out to work; and others
again who have exceptional jobs and work a lot of overtime--but these
are all exceptional cases.'

'I say as no married workin' man can save any money at all!' shouted
Harlow, 'not unless 'e goes without some of even the few things we are
able to get--and makes 'is wife and kids go without as well.'

''Ear, 'ear,' said everybody except Crass and Slyme, who were both
thrifty working men, and each of them had some money saved in one or
other of the institutions mentioned.

'Then that means,' said Owen, 'that means that the wages the people in
division four receive is not equivalent to the work they do.'

'Wotcher mean, equivalent?' cried Crass. 'Why the 'ell don't yer talk
plain English without draggin' in a lot of long words wot nobody can't
understand?'

'I mean this,' replied Owen, speaking very slowly. 'Everything is
produced by the people in number four. In return for their work they
are given--Money, and the things they have made become the property of
the people who do nothing. Then, as the money is of no use, the
workers go to shops and give it away in exchange for some of the things
they themselves have made. They spend--or give back--ALL their wages;
but as the money they got as wages is not equal in value to the things
they produced, they find that they