ding--possibly at different rates. Forty years have passed, ten
remain to us."

For a moment there was silence.

Finally Roberts said, "Possibly you have already discovered this through
your agents, but we have released the information on prolonging of
life."

Peter MacDonald said wryly, "We, too, were pressured into such a step."

Baron Leonar said, "And why not?"

Taller, across the table from him, nodded.

Martin Gunther tapped twice on the table with his gavel. "The basic
reason for our meeting is to report progress and to reconsider the
possibilities of new elements having entered into the situation which
might cause us to re-examine our policies. I think we already have a
fairly good idea of each other's development." His voice went wry. "At
least our agents do a fairly good job of reporting yours."

"And ours, yours," Watson rapped.

"However," MacDonald said, "now that we are drawing near the end of our
half century, I think it becomes obvious that Amschel Mayer's original
contention--that a freely competitive economy grows faster than one
restricted by totalitarian bounds--has been proven."

Barry Watson snorted amusement. "Do you?" he said. "To the contrary,
MacDonald. The proof is otherwise. On Genoa you still have comparative
confusion. True enough, several of your nations, particularly those on
your southern continent, are greatly advanced and with a high living and
cultural standard--when times are good. But at the same time you have
other whole peoples who are little, if any, better off, than when you
arrived. On the western continent you even have a few feudalistic
regimes that are probably worse off--mostly as a result of the wars
you've crippled them with."

Natt Roberts said, his voice musing, "But even that isn't the important
thing. The Co-ordinator sent us here to find a _method_ of bringing
backward cultures to industrialization. Have you got a blueprint to show
him, when you return? Can you trace out the history of Genoa for this
past half century and say, this war was necessary for progress--but
that should have been avoided? Or is this whole _free competition_
program of yours actually nothing but chaos which _sometimes_ works out
wonderfully for _some_ nations, but actually destroys others? You have
scorned our methods, our collectivized society--but when we return,
we'll have a blueprint of how we arrived where we are."

Gunther banged the table with his gavel. "Just a moment. Is