Diana

In 1933 Pound published an essay entitled "ABC of Economics".  It is
reprinted in "Ezra Pound: Selected Prose, 1909-1965" edited by William
Cookson and published by New Directions.  I have seen this book catalogued
as "Ezra Pound: Selected Prose, 1909-1965" and as "Selected Prose, 1909-1965
of Ezra Pound".  It is probably safer to inquire with the editor's name
first.

Pound was basically concerned with how Governments' controlled the
availability of money.  He believed that the government should ensure a
ready supply of "money" at the "natural rate of increase".  When some
agency, banks for instance, controlled the availability of money and charged
a rate of interest for this money that was beyond the "natural rate of
increase" Pound said this was Usury.  Pound, although born in rural Idaho,
was very much an urbanite and was concerned with primarily industrial/urban
economics and not agricultural.  In this he was following all of the turn of
the century economists.

Pound in very late life modified slightly his stance on usury.  In the
preface to "Ezra Pound: Selected Prose, 1909-1965" Pound writes in 1972

re USURY:
I was out of focus, taking a symptom for a cause.
The cause is AVARICE.


Rick Seddon
McIntosh, NM