"CO OPERATION-LAND, LABOUR, AND CAPITAL."

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 128, 8 June 1885, Page 4

"CO OPERATION-LAND, LABOUR, AND CAPITAL."

This was the subject of a locturo delivered pursuant to notico by Mr W. L. Rees in the Ponsonby Hall on Saturday night. Not more than twenty persons woro present. Mr T. T. Masofiold occupiod the chair, and briolly introduced tho lecturer of the ovoning.

Mr Rees regrottcd tho paucity of the attendance, in viow of tho paramount importance of his subject am* ' . vital connection with tho real interests of tho peoplo. Political economists had made the mistake of treating tho question of the distribution of woalth as of apolitical character, whereas it was distinctively a part of social economy. In times past proporty wbb hold in common — as in Scotland, for instanco ; but within tho last two or threo conturios tho heads of great clans, such as Lord Macdonald, of Skyo, and tho Duko of Argyle, hnd assorted nnd gained tho sole ownership of thoso tribal properties So, too, in bygone ages, master and workman stood protty well upon on equality, but tho introduction of labour-saving machinory and tho growth of population had altered all this condition of things, and drown a lino of demarcation botweon lubour and capital. Tho result was being evidonced by recurring strikes liko that of tho Molbourno and Christchurch bootmakers, which had tnkon place within tho past fow months. Even now. 100,000 ironworkers wore out on striko in the United States. All this tended to ovidonco a very bad stato of affairs. It proved that capital and labour wero massed in hostilo camps, and at any moment a spark might lead to a conflagration, ending in a thorough disruption of fociol y. So, too, tho intorosts of tho landowner nnd of tho general public wero at variance, ond henco tho nppoaranco of such a man as Mr Homy George to urgo that tho Stato should abolish all individual titlo in land and bold it in porpotuity for tho peoplo. Mr Rees went on to review the saliont points of Mr (ieorgo's contention. Tho fault ho found with that Bystem was that in a wholesale confiscation of tho land by tho Stato largo numbers of pooplo would bo ruthlessly despoiled of tho fruits of their honest industry. A man's oarnings might just ns reasonably be tiikcn out of tho burk in which thoy woro dopositod. It would bo utterly ineffectual to nationalise or to tax land, for that would not crcato wealth, although the taxation of tho land might bo just enough. Tho threo factors iv the production of wealth wero land, labour, and capital, and each of them had a yoarly valuo in themselves, viz., rent for tho land, interest for tho capital, and wages for labour. It was aftor nil tjipsp disbursements had boen mado that wealth aroso and accumulated. That wealth all wont to th.o owners of two of tho threo footers of production and not otic sixponco stopped wif-h the industrial classes who created that wealth. Tho workman spent his wages, but tho landowner had his rent and retained his land also, which in tho meantime had acquired a greator valuo. So, too, the merchant had his intorest, kept his money, and oxtondod tho scope of his business and-the measure of his profits. Why was it that tho lnbouror, wno made tho wealth and who could not bo dispensed with in tho production of that woalth, obtainod not a titho of it ? That was tho social wrong, and it was thoro that tho Inequality manifested itsoll, Hence it was that ns time went on and wealth accumulated, tho rich got richer and tho poor grow poorer. It would be the same hero as elsewhere. As tho colony increased in prosperity the scale of wages would bo gradually lowered, until tho point of bare subsistence was reached. At the samo timo the groat capitalists crushed out tho smaller ones. Even now he had heard that tho Now Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company, with its powerful organisation, was crushing out tho smaller merchants with whom it entered into rivalry. Furthermore, there was a strongo anomaly in the fact that neither the real produce of marketable commodities which formed our chief weal'tl* nor tho consignor of it dorived any sharo of the surplus profit. It all went into the pockets of the owners of the land and tho capital. The problem to bo solved was to give every factor of production a fair proportionate sharo in tho wealth they combined to create, and this was to be done by tho voluntary co-operation of men. Having referred to the growth and success of cooperative schemes in England and Franco, and throughout Europe, Mr Reos went on to say that since ho was last here he had been lecturing at Gisborno, and as the outcome of his lectures there a company had beon formed, styled tho New Zealand Copper!'tivo Land and Labour Company, under the JointStopk '- •■- - — Its objects would be to found a now settlenoptpn the East Coast, within easy access of the sea, where the full benefits of cooperation might bo tried on the most extensive scale. Auckland would derive great advantage from the founding of that community, for most of its business would be done here, and a local board of directors would be appointed. It would, too, be a focus from which other similar settlements would be started. Its effects would bo felt in all directions. Frqm that settlement tho graziers would supply moat to the shareholders in town at from Id to lid por lb cheaper than it was now obtainable. Besides this, tho shareholder would have his dividend of Id or Ud in the pound, and every porson who had contributed to pioduce the commodity would share in the profits, while the land overy year would bo growing in value. The same thing would hold good with respect to milk and other productions. It would help to unite the great bulk of tho peoplo upon one common platform by giving them a common bond of intorest, It would also have the effect of attracting mpn and money here. Indeed, it was for this very purpose that he was going Home to further his scheme. Tho fact of every man sharing in the wealth he assisted to creato would prove a powerful attraction to men of wealth and of skill, and the results would deal a deadly blow to the present cut-throat competition, which had such a demoralising tendency. It was both the duty and interest of every man to assist in such a movomont. He wanted the assistance and the approval of the multitude, and as a guarantee of good faith he stated that there was no fear of the affair passing into the hands of a ring, as the number of shares which any man might hold was limited. This plan would be the surest cure of poverty, and the most efficacious moans of diffusing general prosperity and cbnjwntment.

Mr Rtes resumed hie seat amid applause. The Chairman, after a few remarks upon the beneficial effects of cooperation propoewj a rot. of thanks to Mr i\m,

which was seconded and passed with acclamation.

Mr Rues acknowledged tho complimont, nnd in doing so stated that when ho returned from another visit to Gisborne he would enrol shareholders and havo a local Committeo appointed in order to at onco start co-operative stores for tho salo of moat, farm produce, &c. Tho procoodings concluded with tho passing of a vote of thanks to the Chairman,