WELFARE LEAGUE'S PARABLE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 62, 10 September 1924, Page 6

WELFARE LEAGUE'S PARABLE

TO THE EDITOR.

Sir,—You published recently an article wo submitted entitled the '"Parable of the Pillars," in "wliich" there was shown how fallacious is. tile current Socialist doctrine "of/production for use and,not for profit": -ignoring the need of creating and . preserving capital—tho ,iOiily means of future production. ' •'-.'• A correspondent signing himself "Unemployed,"- criticises our parable on the ground that ,it allows1 the community pictured the advantage 6r free land, and that he contends is not the state on which productive economy is based now. Your correspondent,.has. really., misunderstood the parable. It does not <deal with the! land question at all,, but' with the economy of: production iii relation to consumption. .. '

By wrong methods of economy the people of .-'Ever Present" suiFered severely-, even with-.the -advantage ofJrco use of tho land. ■ Had .we placed on Inem the burden of rent, payment, it ivoiild only have made their position worse. The parable "might have presented any other source" of, supply besides laud, and tho lesson ■ would ■ bo.' just the same Unemployed" .suggests (hat we should produce another parable taking tho present general conditions of ownership 'and use as the basis. If opportunity^ otters we. will be glad to do so,' 'and will have to show that the instruments of production are not held by so few as i« often imagined; ..whilst'even if' so held the o.vvnership is -largely in trust whilst the use and benefit is very general. iovjr correspondent . appears 'to have the_idea that with free access,to land all could act. on the advice "g O on the land, want. -_Thjs is an illusion: ; Socialist Kussia_has nationalised the land and given free access on. Socialist, lines, yet because of : false methods of economy its P?°S' c '™: y% bee» ."starving;.- and the Union of Soviet Repubhc-s has'appealed to the hated- capitalists outside -to save' them j evlls themselves have produced. Our parable : has more: foundation in fact than your correspondent realises It-is so easy -for-him to write "many kept is"sS^ co-?^ rvatlon'':inacaPitill-

Will he tell us what. proportion of the people in. New, Zealand are so placed? —:We are, etc.,. . . : -

NEW ZEALAND WELFARE LEAGUE