The Political Institutions and Theories of the Hindus: A Study in Comparative Politics c11.t30.3

c11.t30.3

First, the Maurya Empire owned several industries and controlled the production of wealth in certain lines. Government supervision of some sort or other brought the economic functions of the people within the compass of partial "public ownership." The consequent abolition of entrepreneurs or middlemen in a few channels of business was a positive advantage to the community. Secondly, the Empire sought to regulate by legislation the more important branch of a nation's economic life, viz. distribution and exchange, i. e. value. The maximum rate of interest was determined by the government.¹ The market was protected from the ravages of "profiteers". Reasonable prices and fair profits were fixed by official experts after calculating the legitimate expenses of production including the cost of marketing.² The government scheduled likewise the rates of wages and fees for laundrymen, painters, dramatists, singers, and artists.³