Socialism and Social Service Not Synonymous

Franklin Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 82, 15 July 1938, Page 5

Socialism and Social Service Not Synonymous

NO LOGICAL CONNECTION ATTEMPT TO CREATE CONFUSION NATIONAL HEALTH SCHEME “Socialism has no logical connection with social service. The words are in no way synonymous and all the social services of this Government have nothing to do with the system of socialism, We are, though, being continually asked to believe that the words are synonymous. Such is a deliberate attempt to create confusion by our socialist propagandists between social service and socialism,” stated Mr B. H. Kingston of Auckland, when addressing a iarge gathering of National Party supporters in the Masonic hall last evening. Mr R. W. Bilkey presided and apologised for the absence of Mr W. H. Hemmingway, who had been called to Wellington on urgent business.

“The increase in pensions is not socialism. It is an endeavour to bribe the recipients into believing that it is,” added Mr Kingston. “An attempt to thoroughly blind the people of this country by taking advantage of their inborn generosity and kindness .\\il Ino ,doubt be made by Mr Savage when lib launches his'National insurance Scheme. This is another attempt to fool’ the people into belie v:jpg that social service means socialism,” continued the speaker. Origin in England

Mr Kingston stated that the National Health Insurance Scheme originated in conservative old England in 1915. The principle of insurance was entirely divorced from socialism and had been established for' many hundreds of years. The speaker exhorted his listeners not to be blinded by Mr Savage’s alleged altruistic aims when he

gave National Insurance to the. country. So far as Mr Savage was concerned. the. scheme was being tactfully left till the end of his term of office in the hopes that sympathetic, kind and open-hearted New Zealanders would return him to office on a sympathy verdict. If the electors did so, they were likely to receive the greatest shock in their lives after November when they would realise that social service and socialism were not synonymous. Bernard Shaw’s Definition Mr Kingston quoted Mr Bernard Shaw’s definition of socialism namely. “Socialism reduced to its simplest expression means the complete discarding of the institution of private property by transferring ii into public property and the division of the resultant income equally among the entire population. Under socialism private property is anathema and the equal distribution cf income is the first consideration.” The speaker urged those present to keep that dominant principle of socialism —state ownership of all property before them, and not to make a mistake as to the extent which the present ■socialistic Government had gone towards assuming the state ownership of all property in New Zealand.

Mr Kingston was accorded a vote of thanks for his instructive ar.d illuminating address. An address on organisttion and a resume of the party’s activities was given by Mr T. W. Wilkes, divisional organiser for Tito Auckland Province, while Mr J. N. Massey, National candidate for Franklin, also briefly addressed those present. ;