Our government has had too little experience in the operation of industry, to permit of any judgment being formed as to the merits of government ownership. We have conducted the post office with a fair degree of efficiency, and, much to the surprise of many people, the national government dug the Panama Canal at an enormous cost free from suspicion of graft or political jobbery. Could we hope to carry on other industries with the same measure of success? Some say, Yes; others, No. Neither side has much data on which to base conclusions. Those who answer yes, point to the success of the post office as an evidence of government efficiency. Those who answer no, lay stress on the temptation of public officials to be careless with public affairs. They direct attention to the "pork-barrel" practices of making appropriations for public improvements, and from this fact they conclude that industry in general would be in grave danger if directed by the government. Government operation is likely to become increasingly important as a social problem, and for that reason it is our duty to give careful attention to its solution.