第14章 競争, n.6 - 軍需産業における競争
けれども,今も昔と変わらずに熾烈な,もう一つ別の形の経済的競争,即ち(私が言おうとしているのは)職を求めての競争(就職競争)が存在している。この競争は奨学金取得のための試験から始まり,大部分の人々が働いている間中ずっと続く(引退するまで続く)。この形の競争は緩和可能であるが,全面的に廃止することはできない。全ての役者が同じ給料を受けとるとしても,人は第一の水夫(船乗)の役(シェークスピア劇『ハムレット-デンマークの王子の悲劇』の中の)the First Sailor)よりはハムレットの役のほうをやりたいと思うであろう)。そこで守るべき条件が二つある(注:みすず書房版の東宮訳では、「我々として観察しなければならないが条件が2つ出て来る」と訳出されているが,to be observed の observe は「観察する」ではなく、ここでは「守る」の意味)。第一の条件は,職(やポスト)を求めて失敗した人も避けることのできる難儀で苦しむべきではない、ということであり,第二の条件は,職(やポスト)を求めての成功は可能な限り,なんらかの本物の長所の報奨であるべきであり,へつらい(sycophancy)や狡猾さの報奨であってはならない,ということである。この第二の条件については,(これまで)それに値するよりもずっとわずかしか,社会主義者たちの注意を受けてこなかった。けれども,本題をそれる恐れがあるので,この問題についてはこれ以上追求しないことにする。 |
Chapter 14: Competition, n.6In the sphere of production, competition between a multitude of small firms, which characterized the early phase of industrialism, has given place, in the most important branches of production, to competition between trusts each coextensive with at least one State. There is only one important international trust, namely the armament industry, which is exceptional in that orders to one firm are a cause of orders to another: if one country arms, so do others, and therefore the usual motives for competition do not exist. Apart from this peculiar case, competition in business still exists, but it is now merged in the competition between nations, in which war is the ultimate arbiter of success. The good or evil of modern business competition, therefore, is the same as that of rivalry between States.There is, however, another form of economic competition which is as fierce as it ever was, I mean the competition for jobs. This begins with scholarship examinations at school, and continues throughout most men's working lives. This form of competition can be mitigated, but cannot be wholly abolished. Even if all actors received the same salary, a man would rather act the part of Hamlet than that of the First Sailor. There are two conditions to be observed : first, that the unsuccessful should suffer no avoidable hardship ; secondly, that success should, as far as possible, be the reward of some genuine merit, and not of sycophancy or cunning. The second condition has received much less attention from Socialists than it deserves. I shall not, however, pursue this subject, as it would take us too far from our theme. |