"The rate is determined by governmental standard. I pay them by having the amount deducted from my balance and added to theirs."
"When you built this house, how did you go about doing it?" asked the Big Business Man.
"I simply went to the government, and they built it for me according to my own ideas and wishes, deducting its cost from my balance."
"What about the public work to be done?" asked the Big Business Man. "Caring for the city streets, the making of roads and all that. Do you have taxes?"
"No," answered the Chemist smiling, "we do not have taxes. Quite the reverse, we sometimes have dividends.
"The government, you must understand, not only conducts a business account with each of its citizens, but one with itself also. The value of articles produced is computed with a profit allowance, so that by a successful business administration, the government is enabled not only to meet its public obligations, but to acquire a surplus to its own credit in the form of accumulated merchandise. This surplus is divided among the people every five years—a sort of dividend."
"I should think some cities might have much more than others," said the Big Business Man. "That would cause discontent, wouldn't it?"
"It would probably cause a rush of people to the more successful cities. But it doesn't happen, because each city reports to the National government and the whole thing is averaged up. You see it is all quite simple," the Chemist finished. "And it makes life here very easy to live, and very worth the living."
Unnoticed by the four interested men, a small compact-looking gray cloud had come sweeping down from the horizon above the lake and was scudding across the sky toward Arite. A sudden sharp crack of thunder interrupted their conversation.
"Hello, a storm!" exclaimed the Chemist, looking out over the lake. "You've never seen one, have you? Come upstairs."