THE INDUSTRIAL WAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 138, 12 June 1911, Page 9

THE INDUSTRIAL WAR.

BKOF. MILLS A2JJJ POVmtT-".

Professor -tills had a large" audience at the Boyal Albert Hall last evening, entirely absorbed upon a subject whiett does not, as a rule, appeal to the popular mind. Prom veryi'orce of personality and eloquence he was able to delve into the shadowy past and present the cbaracteris_ics of the ancients in such a way as to make their history palatable -and e-tert-ining even to the moat matter-of-fact man in the street. Prof. Mills dwelt upon the conditions which first influenced man to mak.e<war on his neighbours. Confined to his close territory, he found his race growing so much that in order to provide for his kin, he was obliged to break new ground in sear_o of sustenance. This resulted in warfare a'Tainst his neighbour, and the weakest went to the wall. Consequently the best and bravest men were requestioned to render their services, and in losing their lives, the unfit and the "cripple were leit to propagate their species to the disadvantage of the community. The speaker pointed out how, through the ages, the warlike nations, in losing the fittest amongst them, suffered degeneracy. Continuing, the speaker dealt with the aspects of present day poverty. Said he, "Has the fool yet been to town who tells you that poverty is a blessing in disguise ?" "Say, brothers, if poverty is a blessing you may have my share, and if poverty is really a blessing, how is it, I wonder, that the ___iron_ires of to-day, who have everything that money can buy, don't purchase it? Poverty is a curse, and it means depriving our children of the very necessities of life, and the man who tells you it is a blessing is either a fool or a __j." Prof. Mills proceeded to deal eloquently with the cause of poverty, which, he asserted, was brought about hy the present system of capitalism. The war of industry was capturing more victims than any of the wars of the past. Instead of" the man who was the best soldier getting the best of what there was to be had, th. captain of industry was foremost in the conflict of grabbing that that was not his. The old way of warfare meant loss of life, but the new way was infinitely worse. In the former the bravest and "the best died, in the latter the, weaker suffered. In the old times the wars meant famine, and the whole of the peoole suffered hunger from famine part of'the time; in these days part of the people suffered hunger the whole of the time. Prof. Mills passionately em phasised. the need of rational labour and rational wa-zes as s> means of keeping 'slavery, disease and poverty at arms' ! len-th" He exhorted the people of New ! Zealand to see that the great resources of their country should be devoted to th" betterment of'the community, and ! never allow them To fall into the hands 'of those who would use them for extortionate and selfish ends^