SOCIAL CONDITIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 207, 30 August 1918, Page 6

SOCIAL CONDITIONS.

A lecture on general social conditions, tin , sixth of a scries of lectures on social reconstruction after the. war, was given by the Hon. Ciedrge Kowlds at a meeting of the Workers' Educational Association on Wednesday. In his address Mr Kowlds drew attention to the inevitable risk in tlie groat changes in social conditions that would follow the war. He referred to the breaking up of autocracy in ttuesia, and saiil that before the' war could be won by us the last stronghold of autocracy in Europe, namely (ierniany, must also crumble away. There was no longer room in the world for tho two opposing systems of democracy and autocracy. The war had awakened throughout the world a new spirit of Hclf-siicrilice and generosity which would help in solving the problems that had been uccentuutcl though not created by the war. The lecturer drew attention to the greal development of State control and activity in eaeli of the belligerent countries, and predicted that many of the grenf national services taken over by the various (lovernnicnts would never wholly revert to private control. He la ill down aw a sound principle governing State activity that when a natural monopoly existed the service ought to lie owned and operated by the State or municipality. In cases of artificial monopolies developed through combination, the State ought tn come in .1.1 a competitor in order tn secure the best service at a reasonable <-<>st. Outside these, he believed that private control would -cenre the best results for the 1111 lion. He pointed out how the war had accelerated the movement for iintiliqiinr legislation, and predicted that those countries" which had abolished the Uc-e of liquor during the war would never revert to the old conditions. Mr. I'mvldft made 11 strong plea for milking the condition* of country life attractive in older to counteract the drift townivnrdsi which had heen such a marked feature in most countries during the past