Letter from John Galsworthy, Mont Estoril, Portugal, to a Mr. Shelley, 1924 January 1 : autograph manuscript signed.

Discussing an essay on Mutualism by Travers-Borgstroem, the economics and politics of centralization and specialization, compulsory insurance and currency exchange; saying " Many thanks for your letter. I've read 'Mutualism'. It's beyond me, I'm afraid. The thing is so vast that one feels not even the author has any idea how it would work out in life. Anyway, he doesn't bring it down to earth enough for the ignoramus on economics like myself. Some sort of concrete example of the way the completed plan would function in daily life is wanted. Modern centralisation and specialisation is all founded, of course, on a 'low cunning' which tells us that we can get more of things by producing them in specially favourable ways and environments. Without getting rid of human avidity, laziness and restlessness, how shall we get rid of the results? I think Travers-Borgstroem quite underrates the magnetism of the cheaply produced article hanging before the human eye. 'Back to the Land & self-sufficing State' is terribly attractive to right-thinking people like you & me (!!). But that confounded magnet is pulling the others off their shot all the time. To tell the Englishman to grow his wheat here when he knows it can be grown in Canada so much more cheaply and exchanged for something that he can make in Sheffield much more cheaply than they can make it in Canada, is like bringing your Ford car round to the door, and saying 'Now, damn you, walk to the station.' Recent events have brought in the question of safety. (Loss of European markets and development of flying) But as you know, to ask a people to consider their safety, when it's going to put up the price of butter, is almost fantastic. I'll show the book to H.G. Wells when he turns up here next week. He'll probably say : 'Dear me! This was all in my novel 'The Flight of the Planets' in the last century. I put it into the mouth of Sir Ferrymander Pomegranate!' When all carping is still, however, I daresay Banking could be taken over more or less, & certainly Insurance could and should be. Compulsory insurance of everything in the hands of the state would bring in a nice little income, especially if we could pass an act compelling the insurance of the soul, with a special rate for politicians. By the way, are the prizes based on English or French Standard? 25000 francs is no longer £400 alas! What rot the currency exchange is! Why don't they institute a biennial stock-taking of the raw materials & latent potentiality of every country and base the exchange on that. Then you could have reality and very little fluctuation, & what little there was would be healthy & stimulative. We find this climate wonderful so far. Best wishes to you from us both for the new Year. I haven't yet read 'the Language of the Birds' but I'm just going to."