War-time financial problems

72 A LEVY ON CAPITAL

bear in order to make the war sacrifice of all classes
equal. For instance, -the Emergency Workers'
pamphlet, quoted above, states that, " in view of
the fact that the Government has not shrunk from
Compulsory Conscription of Men/1 the Committee
demands that " for all the future money required
to carry on the war, the Government ought, in
common fairness, to accompany the Conscription of
Men by the Conscription of Wealth/'

This contention seems to imply that the con-
scription of men and the conscription of wealth apply
to two different classes; in other words, that the
owners of wealth have been able to avoid the con-
scription of men. This, of course, is absolutely
untrue. The wealthiest and the poorest have to
serve the country in the front line alike, if they are
fit. The proportion of-those who are fit is probably
higher among the wealthy classes, and, consequently,
the conscription of men applies to them more severely,,
Again, the officers are largely drawn from the com-
paratively wealthy classes, and it is pretty certain
that the proportion of casualties among officers has
been higher during the war than among the rank and
file. Thus, as far as the conscription of men is con-
cerned, the sacrifice imposed upon all classes in the
community is alike, or, if anything, presses rather
more heavily upon those who own wealth. Con-
scription of wealth as well as conscription of life
thus involves a double sacrifice to the owners of
property.

This double sacrifice, in fact, the owners of pro-
perty have, as is quite right, borne throughout the