"Socialisation has come," proclaim the Government posters all over Berlin, and when I was in Berlin I thought I'd see if I could find it. First, I went to the special department responsible, where in a commandeered hotel I was introduced by a charming lady typist to an equally charming temporary official. He was an enthusiastic alpinist, and asked affectionately after my brother and other English climbers; and, finally, with the help of the typist we unearthed some pamphlets and propaganda leaflets. It was quite a shock on leaving to find oneself in the Wilhelmstrasse, not in Whitehall. Then I tried Westminster—I mean Weimar—where I found two Government Bills being shoved through in a great hurry, because the Socialist supporters of the Government had, like me, been investigating what was behind the posters and pamphlets, and had found only brick walls and bureaucrats.

And to what does it all amount? Practically nothing, except as regards the coal industry, and so far rather less than nothing there. But the course of events is instructive and particularly interesting for us.

The German coal industry, even more than ours, has in the last quarter-century become a monopoly under control of great capitalist combines. Their power is not affected either by the State-owned Prussian mines or by any possibility of new coalfields, as these are either held in reserve by the combines or are too unremunerative to compete. Already before the war this monopoly had been recognised by all parties as not in the public interest; but "nationalisation" in the sense of State exploitation was prejudiced by the poor results given by the State-owned properties of the Saar fields.

This inferiority was due not to inferior industry on the part of the workmen but to inferior initiative and independence in the management. What effect over-papered, under-paid officialdom can have on the productiveness of a coalfield is shown in the following annual percentages of total production:


Year.		Westphalia.
Private. 		Silesia.
Private.		 Saar.
State.
186026.6 24.7 19.5
188053.0 23.8 12.6
189055.2 26.2 9.4
191059.9 24.4 9.3
191360.2 22.4 8.9

But with the revolution came an alternative to "nationalisation"—"socialisation"—in which all those connected with the coal industry should have an interest in it. An autonomous guild might preserve initiative and energy; while the interest of the consumer and of the community might be safeguarded by representation in the Guild and by State supervision.

A beginning was made towards such a solution in regulations, passed in the first months of the revolution, recognising the functions of the Workmen's Councils and attempting to reconcile their activities with expert administration and official supervision. No progress was, however, made by Weimar during the spring in this practical process of working through a sort of Whitley Council system to a sort of Guild Socialism; and the general strike of March found the Government with nothing in particular to which it could refer its critics.

Accordingly two Acts were hurriedly run through the Assembly. One, the "Socialisation Bill," recorded the right of the citizen to employment or to support (amended to reserve "personal liberty")—the right of the State to socialise all economic enterprises (restricted by amendment to cases of urgent necessity and adequate compensation)—the administration of socialised industries by autonomous guilds—(amended to include the State or other Government authorities). And from this it will be seen that an Act intended to establish general "socialisation" in principle, on a basis of expropriation was amended into one contemplating "nationalisation" in urgent cases, with compensation.

A clause in this Act required immediate application of the principle of socialisation to coal mines, and a Coal Bill has accordingly also been passed. By this the State takes over the industry and entrusts it to a Coal Board, reserving the right to regulate prices. Nothing is said as to the composition of this Board, but nothing is changed in the proprietary basis of the industry further than its organisation in regional syndicates.

There is also to be an Expert Council, representing employers, workmen, and officials equally. The retail coal trade remains untouched.