The Richest Man on Earth

1931 Dalton, [Charles] Test (1877-1945). The Richest Man on Earth. New York: Lowe Shearon. 256 pp. The PSt copy belonged to the publisher, is by annotated by him, and includes a small packet of letters. DLC, ICRL, PSt

Reformed capitalist eutopia, known as the Plateau Republic, founded in Africa by an American. The basic idea is a voluntary limits on profit that the publisher of the book had developed where “managers of industrial enterprises and all those engaged in trade should state in advance a fee (so much per year) with which they will content themselves and prorate all surplus profits to the buyer in accordance with the amount of his purchases” (5-6). Labor unions are permitted. Workers receive a base pay sufficient to support a family and give college education to children. Single tax on land is the only and is used to pay government expenses. The author refers to Henry George (1839-97) but rejects the specifics of George’s single tax. A strong colonialist mentality pervades the book. Although the eutopia is brought about by a single, rich man, references are made throughout the book to Arthur Twining Hadley (1856-1930), an economist and President of Yale University as supporting the basic theory.