The Price of Ability It was absolutely essential that the
services of the men who have brought the London traffic combine to the highest degree of efficiency and smoothed the way for the creation of the London Passenger transport Board should be retained for the public undertaking. Lord Ashfithl was the indispensable Chairman, and Mr. Frank Pick was marked out to be a whole-time member of the Board. Mr. Lansbury- no doubt was doing what his party expected him to do when he indicated his intention of challenging salaries of £12,500 and E10,000 a year which have been fixed for the two principal executive officers. They are, unquestionably, large salaries, dwarfing those received by Cabinet .MiniSters. But it would clearly be against the public interest to offer great business chiefs salaries ludicrously less than are available to them in the open market. It would mean that in many cases their services would not be obtainable. There are far too many in. stances of brilliant Civil servants who have been lured into private business by offers of salaries commensurate with their talents. If Law Officers of the Crown, enjoying the sweets of political office, are highly paid on the ground that they are generally asked to give up enormous earnings at the Bar, a fortiori the ablest business men must be secured at some salary not too far below the competitive prices of business.
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