DEFINITION OF SOCIALISM

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22201, 18 September 1937, Page 16

DEFINITION OF SOCIALISM

* — A Question To The Opposition CONDUCT OP STATE ENTERPRISES Service Sought Before Profit IProm Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, September 17. The Opposition’s definition of Socialism was sought by Mr D. Barnes (Government. Waitaki) during the Addross-m-Reply debate, in the House of Representatives to-day. He asserted that farmers in his own electorate were asking for socialisation of some of the principal community services. Mr Barnes chided the lit. Hon. G. W. Forbes (National, Hurunuii. with being an old Liberal who was now associated with Tories. That was a very regrettable situation, he said, particularly since the member for Hurunui had once been associated with the Seddon Government. Mr Barnes compared the present position with that which existed at the time of Seddon with the Liberals on the side of the House now occupied by Labour and the Tories on the side occupied by the present Opposition. “Mr Forbes talked of Socialism and we are being frequently asked if we are Socialists,” Mr Barnes said. “But what do they mean by Socialism? I might be a Socialist, but I might have a different conception of Socialism from what members of the-Opposition have. There are many farmers in my electorate who are definitely asking for Socialism—they are asking for socialisation of telephones, of electricity reticulation services, and of rural delivery services. Already we are doing some of this socialisation for them. Under the Mortgagors Rehabilitation Act we have been socialising some of their debts for them. But essentially Socialism presupposes a very high degree of intelligence and I do not think that members of the Opposition have it. ■ : / . "The Opposition has accused us of doing away with individualism,” Mr Barnes said, “but is the only function of the Government to enforce contracts? Should it not be a job of the Government to protect citizens from all forms of robbery and to assist those who cannot help themselves?" “Adequate Service” Discussing State enterprises, Mr Barnes declared that they were well run, but he said the Labour Government was not concerned so much with profit as with providing an adequate service to the community. Then the Government had been accused of raising costs by the introduction of the 40-hour week, the restoration of salary cuts, and increases in wages. These steps had been taken because the Government was properly anticipating a return of prosperity. The actual position was that real wages had risen in New Zealand by 9 per cent, since June, 1935, whereas in Great Britain the increase had been only 2 per cent, and in Australia 1 per cent. That surely showed that the advent of Labour in New Zealand had not had the bad effect which the Opposition claimed. Retail prices had increased but they were still below the predepression figures, while money wagerates had reached a record level. Increases in the price of commodities from the farm had played a very big part m the rise in the cost of living, but during the depression everyone had been keen to see these commodities rise in price. Mr Harness submitted to the Opposition that the standard of life in the community had definitely risen. Mere comparison of costs with those of a past period did not mean much to the ordinary man, he said. It was his own standard of life that was of real importance to him. The legislation brought .down by the Government last session had kept costs down and improvements in social services had improved the standard of life in the community generally. When dealing with criticism of the guaranteed price Mr Barnes quoted romarks of the chairman of directors of the Clandeboye Co-operative Dairy Company (Mr W. H. Staniiand), who had spoken in praise of the new figure. That statement, Mr Barnes claimed, had not received the pubi!r Clt £ it deserved. He challenged' (National, Temuka), to tell the House what he felt about such a statement by one of his own constituents. “I will tell you all right,” retorted Mr Burnett.