HUTT ELECTORATE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 223, 13 June 1908, Page 4

HUTT ELECTORATE.

MR. WILFORD, M.P., ENTERTAINED, SOCIALISM CONDEMNED. The Wadcstown district, by the last alteration in the electoral boundaries, has been sovored from the Hutt constituency, and last ovening the electors of that locality tendered a faroweil to Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., who has represented them for a number of years. The function took the form of a social and dance in tlio Goring Street Hall, speeches also being delivered. Mr. A. Neely waij chairman, and there was a large attendance. The chairman; in a few opening remarks, said that it would bo fifteen years on October 17 next since Mr. Wilford's first election committee met. On that committeo there were thirty-three members. Three had passed away, and as far as he knew the remainder wore still faithful followers of Mr. • Wilford. lie then read apologies from the Prime Minister (Sir J. G. Ward) and,,all the mombers of tho Ministry. Mr. F. W. Larkin, on behalf of Wadestown supporters, then presented Mr. Wilford with a oase of pipes. Mr. J. E. Fitzgerald made a fow remarks on bohalf of the Crofton, Kandallah, and N'Kahmirajm electors, appreciative of the way Mr. Wilford had carried out his duties As their representative in Parliament. . Mr.. A. C. Pearce added his quota of appreciation on behalf of the Hutt district and other suburbs, and he was followed by Mr. C. H. Izard, M.P. MR. WILFORD'S SPEECH. Mr. AVilford thanked tho electors for their kindly evidence of .good will, and expressed regret that his wife's health prevented her from/ bOing present. Ho proposed, lie said, to' give a short address on a few important matters. He proposed at the outset to say a few words on Socialism. Many people, in fact neatly all. were unable to distinguish tile aims and objects of Socialists, and fewer wero able to distinguish betraen Socialism and social refara. Btici*l»m could moan nothing else than that'lihr community or the State was ta take *11 the means of ' production into its own huads j that private *nterpriso and private property were, to come to «n end, and all thst priv&t» enterprise and privato property carried with them. ..That was Socialism and nothing else. On tho ot'lior hand, social reform was where tho , SftatO) based upon private enterprise, based npoii private propfrrPr, recognising that the best productive results could only: bo obtained by respecting "private property, and on'coUrag;mg private enterprise, asked the people to odutributo towards some great national social and public object. Individualism. Some preached Individualism. ■ The very existence of a family was an answer to this, .the existence of a State was a negation to it. Every law was a repression to it, all taxation was its refutation, and all organisation its disproof. Individualism denied the brothorlioi>d i of man and tho community of citizenship. It was as incompatible with religion as with patriotism. Equality of mind dr of position would never be brought about by Socialism. Tlio foremen and the Labour certificate distributors (and there would have to be theusands) would cause the creation of a diss, and whoai all wero equal tho best worker would produce no more than the loafer, which would bring about .the grave question of the law of diminishing return. Karl Marx, Yves Guyot, Beville Kaufmann, Blatchford, and others all- differed in their programmo, and Kcir Hardief*iii his book From Serfdom to Socialism," said: "To dogmatise as to what form - Socialism is to take, is to play the fool." If Socialism Came. If Socialism came tho private manufacturer would bo ousted from his factory, the owner of a section of-land would be deprived of it, private enterprise from all sources would c«ase to exist; no longer would tljero be industrial competition; production would bo for use not gain. All products would be warehoused by the State with a daily'distribution among the people as they gave evidence of being in need of them. According to some writers, payment would not be made in money, but in labour time certificates. Tho only private property one, could own, accordihig to Victor Grayson. M.P. for Colne Valloy ( would bo " a tooth brush and tooth pick—if he nsed them." If Socialism were to come international patriotism and imperialism would be dead letters, and tho abolition of Monarchy and Empiro (including tho' abandonment of India) must follow. The repudiation of tho National Debt and the can collation of all financial contracts regarding lands, rents, mortgages, royaltifes, debentures and bonds must follow. Again, said the speaker, all moneys in savings banks would be confiscated, and all heiieht societies dissolved. Next came tho abandonment of the Army, whilo Germany was spending £20,000,000 in building battleships. Then Ivould follow tho disendowmont of all endowed bodios; the revocation of laws affecting marriage, property, inheritance, and wills; the suppression of the independence of the Press. Man Made Unequal. Human nature contradicted equality; nature had made us unequal. Then again 'health, strength, mental powers, stamina, onergy, pluck, endurance had no common level. Inducement to hard work was destroyed, the only thing we would be crtrefill of would bo that our captains of industry let tis down lightly. Would a plan of rlistri r bution be a success if' there was a constant increase of claimants and a continuous decre'aso of things to be distributed? Manual labour was only one element in the production of wealth. We had to consider inventive genius, represented by organisation and administration. Tlits intellectual labour of the most gifted men made tho world illustrious and famous. How would they share fairly between competent and incompetent? A State which was the solo producer must be the sole judge of what it was to" produce, and no labour certificate could command what the State did not see 'fit to produce.' Ho merely mentioned tobacco. No one could go on strike,- for there was only one employer and only a labour certificate for payment. The State would bo Jack-bf-all-trades, and master of none. Supposing citizens refused to adopt the Award of the State, what would happen ? Social Reform. As a programme of social reform Mr. Wilford recommended the following:— 1. The broadening, of the basis of taxation. 2. Tho safeguarding of our productive industries from unfair competition. 3. Tho strengthening of our position for the purpose of negotiation in foreign markets. 4. The establishment of preferential commercial arrangements with Great Britain and securing for colonial producers and workmen further advantages over foreign competition on the British , markets. Ho would, givei. his earnest support to land for settlement, factory legislation, tariff reform to cheapen the necessaries of life and a universal superannuation scheme. He wished to ask the following question of his Socialistic friends:— " If two men earn the samo Wago under Socialism, and one man saves os. a week out of his earnings (presuming ho is paid in money instead of by labour certificate), will that man be allowed to buy anything with it, or will he bo hilowed to save (it, and will it to his children? His saving of tho ss. allows him to commence tho second week with ss. worth of accumulated industry by which he may become a capitalist.' and if he leaves it when accumulated to his children by will, tlie-i we ;iava one man drawing, the result of another's labour even after his death, which is the'esflenco of Capitalism and tho antithesis of Socialism. The three factors of production are land, capital, and labour." Tho Government and Local Rates. ; Speaking on other matters, Mr. Wilford protested against the confiscation by. tho Government of areas of land i'u tlio Centres of population without any contributory return by tho Government to the local bodies. He said that at I'etolie 100 acres hud been taken by the Government for workers 1 homos, aud nothing waa contributed by

that area to the local rates.' It loft the landowners rnoro li.ihlo for the loans than they had 'been. 'J'lio Government should bring in legislation to make themselves liable, as tlio individual, for tlio rates until the land was cut up and taken over by the private i W ' IQ would then bccome responsible. lho Hon. R. M'Nab (Ministor for Lands) replying to a deputation from the Hutt, intraduced by him (Mr. Wilford) in 1900, was reported as having said: —" Ho admitted that tlio Government, having 'taken the place of private owners by purchasing land, ought to take upon itself tlio responsibilities of private ownors. Although that was not the policy of tho Government in general, the policies ? in general sometimes ought to bo altered, and lie was quite prepared to rooommond to Cabinet-in respect to lands purchased by the Department in this way, vrlnch wero simply speculative investments, that the Government should stand upon tlio same footing as private individuals, and be liable to the local bodies for'the rates until they wero disposed of." Mr. M'Nab, said tlio speakor, had no doubt, forgotten this statement. He would remind him of it, ahd ask him to have the matter brought beforo the Government and remedied. It was a subject of interest to every local body. (Applause.) " Othor Matters. He would oppose any increase in the naval contribution, and in'regard to our internal defence suggested that the Volunteer oorps that could not bo readily mobilised at the cfcntres bo disbanded. Afc present we ,wer6 wasting thousands of pounds in maintaining \ oluntcer corps too far away for quick mobilisation. Referring to labour matters, he sain Arbitration Act should either, be niado effective •or bo Tvipcd out altogether. ■But it would bo'a bad tiling if strikes took the place of arbitration. Ho felt that the Act oould be improved. Songs were contributed, and the evening passed pleasantly.