SOCIALISM DEFINED

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 124, 21 November 1931, Page 15

SOCIALISM DEFINED

SCHOOL READER QUOTED

"I believe in Socialism and am continuing to fight for Socialism," said Mr. Walter Nash, Labour candidate for Hutt, at his Eastbourne meeting last night in answer to a question on tho subject. His definition of Socialism ho read from the Standard 0 Eeader, "The Story, of the British Nation," which he said was authorised by the Education Department. The definition was: "Socialism then in its broad sense is the policy or theory that aims at a more even distribution as well as better production of wealth; and the leading idea of the Socialist is to convert into general benefit what is now the gain of a few. In other words, the Socialist advocates that the workers who assist either directly or indirectly in producing the wealth of a country should have a larger share of what is produced than they have at present. He is convinced that if an improved system of distributing wealth in a just manner could be established such a reform would result in the betterment not of the few but of the great majority of citizens." Mr. Nash explained tliat he was not advocating anarchy, chaos, or confusion. Ho believed in reasoning things out and persuading peoplo that the road he travelled was the better road. Things should be done by consent, not by coercion.