had produced the wealth would be allowed to enjoy it,
which would be something quite novel."[361]

The Socialist Government would not only diminish the working hours
making them from three to five hours a day, but would also double and
treble wages, partly in order to get rid of the glut of money flowing
into the National Exchequer, partly because the workers would
presumably receive the whole produce of their labour (see Chapter IV.)
in the form of wages as soon as the private capitalists were
eliminated. Repairs, renewals, replacement of capital losses, and the
extension of national industry, which are at present effected out of
the savings of private capitalists, would, under the Socialist
_regime_, apparently no longer be required, and direction,
supervision, and distribution would apparently no longer cost
anything. The workers are quite seriously told by the philosopher of
British Socialism, collaborating with the editor of "Justice": "Under
present conditions the total wealth produced would, if equitably
divided, amount to a value equal to more than _200l._ per year per
family. But to suppose that any mere distributive readjustment is what
is meant by Socialism is to entirely misunderstand what Socialism
really involves. Socialism means the complete reorganisation of
production as well as distribution. With production scientifically and
socially organised, the productivity of labour would be quintupled,
and the amount of wealth would be increased in proportion."[362] In
other words, there would be _1,000l._ a year for each family. Another
Socialist more plainly states: "At the present hour it is calculated
that the wealth of the United Kingdom exceeds 2,000 millions per year.
This divided among forty millions gives _250l._ per family. It is said
that the abolition of waste labour and the absorption of the idle
classes would quadruple the production. One thousand pounds per year
per family is a very good standard of comfort under a co-operative
system of living."[363]

The two estimates agree in this, that the Socialist family of five
should receive in wages _1,000l._ per annum, or about _3l. 10s._ per
working day. In another chapter we shall learn that in the Socialist
State only the young and strong would work, and they would work, as we
have seen in the foregoing pages, between three and four hours a day.
In other words, the worker who earns now, say, _10d._ an hour, would,
under the Socialist commonwealth, r