THE BEARING ON SOCIALISM.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1356, 6 February 1912, Page 6

THE BEARING ON SOCIALISM.

Sir,—Thonjfh yon h.iro soToral times inferred it in your columns, I do not think that you hare sufSuivfttly emphasised the

fact that Labour is fighting against its avowed aims and objects in this present, strike. The organisation of Labour is mainly with tho vioiv of controlling the means of public production and expenditure in order to vocialiso or municipalise all the efforts of Labour for the public good. Here we have two such Departments—the Tramways and the Electric Lighting—which should Ix* examples of Labour's objects. They are run for tho people- by the people, with practically no margin of prolit, in order to givo the public their utmost benefit*, and yet a section of the owners are lighting against their own schemes, ierfiting their principles in finite a side issue. The fact that the tramways system is a municipal uft'iiir, and run so economically, necessitates far more supervision and inspection than docs auy other concern where ■ a margin can be worked <ui to cover deficiencies in management, such as want of efficient inspection. The act of inspecting or of auditing is always one of spying out, and none but the dishonest would object to it. We have it in the banks and all public services and everywhere without a single objection, but here you have a body of men of all sorts suddenly entrusted with large sums of money who have never before had such responsibility nnd they object if they are inspected at all rigidly, 'but demand that it should bo purely formal and the sheets initialled without casting a suspicion on the conductor. It makes those , who seo good in tho ideal of Socialism pause when the avowed prophets of the scheme can be so blinded that they are of tho nature of tho birds that foul their own nest, as this is what Labour does when it attacks a municipal undertaking on so small a pretext ami on a question, which if allowed, will wreck every municipal undertaking that will ever lie inaugurated. It is to be hoped that tho council will bo very firm and even be driven out rather than yield now. If they are forced to resign and re-ofTcr themselves for election, I have no doubt the bulk of the citizens would show their approval of their firmness by re-electing them, oven though some may blame them for not being more definite and determined at the beginning. If they were not elected lagain we would havo to give the trains over to the Labour party. When responsibility might sober them or when they had got into irresistible muddles they will realise that large undertakings cannot be managed and run with as much irresponsibility and disregard of facts ns they show on the platform.—l am, etc., G. February 5.