The Economy of Local Rates 185 
taken away from them, and possibly more, to the poor. 
No one has any real doubt, however he may measure 
wants, that wants are nothing like so unequal as wealth 
at the present time, and therefore no one can doubt 
that the present power of production would go much 
further if purchasing power were much more equally 
distributed : hence the almost universal acquiescence 
in the provision of elementary education at the expense 
of taxpayers and in progressive taxation. Measures 
adapted to produce greater equality are, however, 
exceedingly unsuitable for local authorities. The 
smaller the locality the more capricious and ineffectual 
are likely to be any efforts it may make to carry out 
such a policy. It seems clearly desirable that all such 
measures should be applied to the largest possible 
area, and that subordinate authorities should be left 
to act, like the individual, from motives of self- 
interest. 
It is possible that some reader may think that it is 
a reductio ad absurdum of the whole of this argument 
to point out that it can be applied to national areas, 
which, after all, are only localities, and some of them 
not very large ones. It is perfectly true that the argu- 
ment can be so applied. There is, however, no reductio 
ad absurdum, but only a pertinent illustration. The 
smaller a national area is, and the easier a movement 
between it and other areas, the more likely is it to 
conceive its interest in the same way as a subordinate 
locality, and the more futile will be any attempt it 
may make to benefit its ‘“ inhabitants.” That western 
European nations have been as successful as they 
have been in such attempts is to be explained by 
the fact that those between which movement is really