The Economy of Permanence: A Quest for a Social Order Based on Non-violence (स्थायी अर्थतन्त्र)

Economy of Permanence
the industry rich and the other people poor. Thus unequal distribution of
wealth sets in.
This is not so with village industries. There is no question of profit although
prices may be higher. There is a fair return for everybody. This is why we need
not worry even though prices under village industries are high and prices under
centralised industries are low. All we want to do is to prevent unequal dis-
tribution of wealth.
Price Control: It is wrong to treat the large-scale and small-scale industries in
the same way in regard to price control. We must understand the nature of the
industry before we being to place controls. Controls are not desirable in every
sphere. Where an industry is anti-social it should not be a centralised industry.
Thus, the element of being anti-social determines whether the industry should
or should not be a large-scale industry.
As observed earlier, industries are good where there are natural monopolies
and where much capital is required. For instance coal mines, railways and
ventures of that type require large capital, big labour force-every thing on a
vast scale and such industries should not be left to private individuals but
should be managed by the State.
Democracy in industries: Textile-mills are antidemocratic because there are
thousands of people working under a boss who is an autocrat within his little
sphete-the Mill. His word is law, he is the Czar whose word must be obeyed.
There should not be a place in democracy for such anti-social elements.
Democracy must be pure everywhere. From this political aspect also centralised
industries are an evil.
We want a society based on co-operation. Competition means ungle law. We do
not want it in our country. Our aim is to bring co-operation, ban competition
and we cannot ban competition merely by saying that we shall regulate prices.
Just as a doctor prescribes poison in small doses to cure his patients after
careful examination, so also we have got to carefully examine each industry
and see whether centralisation is good or bad.
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