SOCIALISM OR DEMOCRACY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 64, 16 March 1944, Page 4

SOCIALISM OR DEMOCRACY

A correspondent asks who are the authorities on Socialism? They are the Socialist organisations. The New Zealand Labour (Socialist) party advocates common ownership of production, distribution and exchange. As mankind lived for ages in the past in communal states, and numerous tribes alive to-day, the "contention that Socialism is unworkable," is disproved. The theory of Socialism, like all ideas, had its transition, and well-informed Socialists have discarded the complete "Central State" system and adopted the combination of group ownership and control of industry (syndics), co-operative associations producing and distributive, combined with minimum of State ownership of industry and social services. Supervision by the State is allowed for and also private enterprise. Socialists believe in payment from their production and not by rent, interest, profit and dividends, which they look on as exploitation by unearned income owners. They also look askance on monetary reformers, who have some fantastic ideas, that machines (without labour) produce commodities. Such inane ideas on the production of goods and social services are deplorable, where all are literate and presumably have access to the facts of industry. E. A. STOKES.