SOCIALISM.

Evening Star, Issue 23092, 19 October 1938, Page 9

SOCIALISM.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —Despite the fact that you lun*o at various times -disclaimed your partiality for reactionary party politics in footnotes to many of your correspondents’ letters, in to-night’s issue you blatantly supply us with three leading articles loaded with propaganda, against the present Government. You commence the first, 1 The Blight of Socialism ’ by endorsing Mr Hamilton’s dictum that the issue at this election is Nationalism versus Socialism. Well,. I, as one who has devoted most of my life to the advance of Socialism and the stimulation of “ the growth of public opinion,” which you refer to in your second article, propose to^take you up on that issue. The morning after tho “ Coates and Confidence ’’ election your paper came to light with a leading article under the caption, ‘ A Triumph of Journalistic Enterprise.’ A' little more than three years ago this statesman, who achieved his status as such with the help of your enterprise, made the admission in the House that over 50 per cent, of New Zealand dairy farmers were insolvent., Prior to this the people in power, whom at the time you sponsored, settled some of our returned soldiers on the land. I wonder! if you would venture an opinion on how many of them were “ settled ” in the tragic sense of the term. If New Zealand has sufferedl from any greatereconomic blight than land speculation could you name it? Could you suggest a remedy for this blight short of nationalisation ? If we admit that, duo to public opinion, which journals such as yours have done their best to it would be impracticable, what alternative or palliative have you to offer?; Would it be good statesmanship to allow 50 per cent, of New Zealand dairymen to go on the dole? To operate in land speculation successfully a rise and fall in produce price is a prime requisite. Do you favour the speculator or the farmer—the farmer who farms the farmer or the' man who works the land? Do you believe that the wages of the so-called secondary industrial workers should be reduced to the point" where they wouldl rather the wage the farmer could economically offer them and leave the present speculative value of land intact? Do you! think reduction of the spending power of the mass of the people in New Zealand would help the masses in the United Kingdom to buy our produce? Can we sell to them and not buy from them indefinitely. To meet the above economic problems have you any better solutions to offer than the legislation of the Labour Government? The last sentence in your second article, ‘ The State and the People," sa3 r s: “ There is no room for class government in New Zealand.” Hear! Hear! So say all of us! Elsewhere in this article you say “ the advance to Socialism shoujd accompany and symbolise public opinion.” I am willing to admit that the precincts of an editorial chair and the bottom of a ship’s hold are somewhat diversified! venues, and will affect the symbolism accordingly. To obviate class government' and the party system which you deplore it seems to me you will have to do something about the economic system which the same party system symbolises. Michael Joseph Savage has said that we have a long way to go. You and the class of people you represent say he is going too fast, I say that sooner or later, whether in his time or in the future, the financial dictatorship of industry will have to "be abolished and that industry will -have to bo operated co-operatively by the people engaged in it. If some of . the reactionary editors and politicians would devote a little inore attention to the effects.of the mechanisation of industry and the scientific development of industry generally they might realise this fact before it has to be forced on them.-When the day arrives when industry is operated as I have indicated we will have economic democracy, and democracy will have a realistic meaning and not be a political sham as it is at present. —I am, etc., J.B. October 14. [The leading article headed _* A 1 Triumph of Journalistic Enterprise ’* appears to be imaginary. We have been unable to find it after the election referred to or any subsequent election* —Ed. E.S.]