Land, says Mr. Lloyd George, is a monopoly, just like
a monopoly created by a patent. But the piesent Govern- ment in its wisdom, when Mr. Lloyd George was at the Board of Trade, carried through Parliament a clause declaring that if a man uses his patent monopoly in such a way as to prejudice any industry, the law can step in and do one of two things: it can declare what price is reasonable, or, if it likes, it can cancel the monopoly altogether. If this is fair for a patent monopoly it must be fair for the land monopoly. " That is an indication to you of the principles upon which we con- sider that we ought to proceed." Mr. Lloyd George's impudence in using this illustration is indeed colossal. Our readers may probably remember that during the Marconi controversy we and others strongly urged upon the Govern- ment the wisdom of applying Mr. Lloyd George's clauses in the Patents Act to the Marconi Company when that Company were in effect threatening the Government that they could go elsewhere, and that we should then lose the use of their patents. All the tribe of Marconi advocates expressed their horror. and indignation at this monstrous and predatory suggestion, and we were denounced as guilty of advocating " dishonesty " and "blackmail." Yet apparently what would have been flat sacrilege in the case of that favoured child of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Government, the Marconi Company, is a very proper way of "scoring off" the unfortunate landowner.
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