Greymouth Evening Star. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1949. Socialism Is No “Bogey”

Greymouth Evening Star, 21 November 1949, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1949. Socialism Is No “Bogey”

pIGHTEEN months ago the LabourSocialist candidate in Westland, Mr Kent, in espousing the cause of Socialism, declared, that it was the only hope of the .world. Today he says that Socialism is just an election “bogey” raised by his opponents. Eighteen months ago Mr Kent was speaking to a Runanga audience; today he is speaking to all the people of the Westland electorate. In that contrast lies a significance that will not escape the thinking members of the community. Socialism is no “bogey.”. According to the membership ticket of the New Zealand v Labour Party, Mr Kent—and every other member as well—has signed a pledge to support the- objective of the party. And that objective, as clearly stated on the party’membership ticket, is the “socialisation of the means of production, distribution, and exchange.” .As the membership ticket shows (see page 2 of this issue), the party has but one objective —one only. No others are given.on the ticket. It does not say that the objective, is to. soCia J^ c this or that. There is no limitation. The . objective is Socialism —complete Socialism. To argue otherwise is to argue that words have no meaning. Either the Government party is a party of pledge-breakers which would certainly be no recommendation as to their moral worth—or.it intends to establish complete Socialism. There need be no doubt as to which is the correct conclusion to draw. 4 ‘Conditioning” The People

Labour-Socialist workers cannot, at this stage, talk themselves away from the stark nature of the pledge involved in party membership. Each time it l\as been elected to office, the party has socialised some new undertaking. Steady, progress has been made towards the objective of Stale ownership of all the means of production, distribution, and exchange. By this means, by acting with stealth, the Government hopes to “condition” the people for the acceptance of full Socialism. It is perhaps not generally known that the country had a narrow escape in 1947. In the last 36 hours of the session of Parliament in that year, Mr Nordmeyer introduced a Supply Regulations Bill. I was stone-walled by the Opposition for nearly a whole day’s continuous sitting until the Prime Minister had eventually to agree, obviously for reasons of political expediency, to withdraw some of the more offensive clauses. Things To Come

This Bill provided that the Government could, merely by regulation, take possession of any property or_ undertaking; it authorised*the entry and search of any premises without a warrant; it provided for the creation of corporate bodies and prescription of their, powers and functions. Provision was made for severe penalties for non-compliance with the regulations and for the validation of any acts which might have been done in anticipation of the regulations. These powers were to be permanent; there was no mention of any time limit. Had this Bill become law m the torni in which it was submitted to Parliament, it would have virtually meant the extmetion of private rights in the country. The Socialist State would have been firmly founded. Its significance lay in the, fact that it indicated so clearly the dominant mind of the Government. That it halted its march towards complete Socialism m 1947, when under pressure from the Opposition, does not mean that the halt is permanent. Given the opportunity, an opportunity which would be created by an increased majority in Parliament, the Government will go to the objective it has set itself. The facts are plain for all to see. Pressure From Left

The Supply Regulations Bill was, in fact a preview of the Government’s programme of total socialisation of the people. It may have been an unwitting revelation, but it was macle. The Government has no more material gifts to offer the peopj e - The next demand it would have to satisfy, if it were returned to power, is fulfilment of the ideological aspirations of the more extreme elements in the party, and it is almost certain that the Prime Minister would be unable to resist the, pressure which would make the socialisation envisioned in the Supply Regulations Bill a political reality. . . . Labour-Socialist politicians can talk as they like, but the fact remains that they are pledged to the objective of comp etc Socialism. And Socialism means complete subjugation of the lives of the people, to the'all-powerful State. .That subjugation is exactly the same, in effect, as the subjugation imposed by the thing called Communism.