e is absolutely no way in which an official could
possibly make any profit for himself or anyone else by a misuse of his
power."

_III.--Labour's New Regime_

"But you have not yet told me how you have settled the labour problem."

"When the nation became the sole employer," said Dr. Leete, "all the
citizens became employees, to be distributed according to the needs of
industry."

"That is, you have simply applied the principle of universal military
service, as understood in our day, to the labour question."

"Yes. Nevertheless, to speak of service being compulsory would be a weak
way to state its absolute inevitableness. If it were conceivable that a
man could escape it, he would be left with no possible way to provide
for his existence. The period of industrial service is twenty-four
years, beginning at the close of the course of education at twenty-one,
and terminating at forty-five. After forty-five, the citizen is liable
to special calls for labour emergencies till fifty-five."

"But what administrative talent can be equal to determining wisely what
trade or business every individual in a great nation shall pursue?"

"The administration has nothing to do with determining that point. Every
man determines it for himself in accordance with his natural aptitude,
the utmost pains being taken to enable him to find out what his natural
aptitude really is. Usually, long before he is mustered into service, a
young man has found out the pursuit he wants to follow, has acquired a
great deal of knowledge about it, and is awaiting impatiently the time
when he can enlist in its ranks."

"Surely, it can hardly be that the number of volunteers for any trade is
exactly the number needed?"

"The supply is always expected to equal fully the demand. The rate of
volunteering is closely watched. It is the business of the
administration to equalise the attractions of the trades, so that the
lightest trades have the longest hours, while an arduous trade, such as
mining, has very short hours."

"How is the class of common labourers recruited?"

"It is the grade to which all new recruits belong for the first three
years. If a man were so stupid as to have no choice as to occupation, he
would simply remain a common labourer."

"Having once elected and entered on a trade or occupation, I suppose he
has to stick to it the rest of his life?"

"Not necessarily," replied Dr. Leete; "while frequent and merely
capricious changes o