f
them are objected to upon this very ground by men of the political
school of Mr. Herbert Spencer and Mr. Auberon Herbert. For it should be
noted--

1. Each of these Acts interferes with the freedom of the individual. It
compels him to do certain things--e.g. vaccinate his children, admit
inspectors on his premises--and it forbids him to do certain other
things.

2. Most of these Acts limit the utility to the individual of his
capital, by forbidding him to employ it in certain ways, and hampering
him with various restrictions and expenses. The State, or municipality,
in certain cases--e.g. railways and cabs--even goes so far as to fix
prices.

Sec. 4. State and Municipal Undertakings.--But the State does not confine
itself to these restrictive or prohibitive measures, interfering with
the free individual application of capital and labour, in the interests
of other individuals, or of society at large. The State and the
municipality is constantly engaged in undertaking new branches of
productive work, thus limiting the industrial area left open to the
application of private capitalist enterprise.

In some cases these public works exist side by side in competition with
private enterprise; as, for example, in the carriage of parcels, life
insurance, banking, and the various minor branches of post-office work,
in medical attendance, and the maintenance of national education, and of
places of amusement and recreation. In other cases it claims an absolute
monopoly, and shuts off entirely private enterprise, as in the
conveyance of letters and telegrams, and the local industries connected
with the production and distribution of gas and water. The extent and
complexity of that portion of our State and municipal machinery which is
engaged in productive work will be understood from the following
description--

"Besides our international relations, and the army, navy, police, and
the courts of justice, the community now carries on for itself, in some
part or another of these islands, the post-office, telegraphs, carriage
of small commodities, coinage, surveys the regulation of the currency
and note issue, the provision of weights and measures, the making,
sweeping, lighting, and repairing of streets, roads, and bridges, life
insurance, the grant of annuities, shipbuilding, stockbroking, banking,
farming, and money-lending. It provides for many of us from birth to
burial--midwifery, nursery, education, board and lodging, vac