THE H.B. TRIBUNE. TUESDADY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1911 SOCIALISM OR CO-OPERATION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 233, 19 September 1911, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. TUESDADY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1911 SOCIALISM OR CO-OPERATION

It iifty be itii crest ittg in view cf the fact that yesterday we referred to Pre feast r Aldi’s mission in New Zealand to (ouch iipmi a few cthti phases i f the l-ibtmr qticsiicii. Tin .Americvi t.fa'. tr has evidently ct me anr.-ngttt us burdened with a. li.xcd I i-iiel that Socialism is the <m!y melhtd ".hereby the ills < f iiie body politic i-i this t.r any <.l her country be properly attended ta. To Itis tnind the ’’pl;ii• ■ ownership cf privatc titt-ii--pi.-lies’ is the p'uiacea to' t'll aihm-pls. I*; iitieai and sitscinl problems me solved by the magic l<wli < f Socialism. When the people own everything which belongs to the pt < pie and lalrmr get:, its full re ard I’: ■ wnrkitig for itself the mill< i'iaiii will l"‘vi- arrived. It is, h;;w-

evi ;. plain •b '.t c ’.eryi.nc does not. agree with the Professor. While Mr. V. . T. .Vidic, MI.A., lias been talkii'g in ti'c "i-i'l h there has been arnthir M.A. lalkiiig m the south. The- Pi oi'e-.s: ; from t'm- St-lies assurcs m; that vve must Irivr >Sm-ial-ism. vvliile his equally learned coll- •. < n»P< r;ii‘y :">ys it is i‘-)t Scciaiism we wphl bt;‘, <■'; iiperat ten. We have bv.aiii recently > good de>l -f Pr<>-b-ssi ;■ Mills’ side, .and a few re-

mtii’ks rcg.aidmg Ihe question oi co(ipcral i n may now be of interest, in Ihe c ;ii ;-e of in ar', iclc to the ■■|)u"edin Stai, ’ I lie Rev. -I. Mliltie. M.A.. covers some int erect mg ground iiti'Hi the ri• lai i< :i <1 capital trid labour. After expressing regret fc • < xi ting dissension and the work of the Arbitration Court ;is a means cl’ settlement, he points out I b it the following suggestions arc Icing rent out tn labimi- erganisat iem; m New Zealaml :■ ID I- ihe arbitration law of ;mv further use to the workers ! (■2’l If it is, whm milted demands slmll hive to make to have it effectively ami jmtly administered I (::) Jit is m-‘ L . what can wo demand

in sal st it til ien • f it .' (1) What anti be the rights of l -.L ;ur unions and federnt ions within the law? Mr. Alible then g -es on to s.ay it is interesting to view beside this the latest opinion on industrial opinion from America (not Professor Mills this time). This comes from a Mr. George Perkins, a one-time narim-r of Mr. Pierpont Morgan. His main <'-intention appears t» be that while compt iit ion in Imsim-ss was .a firnLeah by element as a spur to imhis

try and excellence of output so long hs business concerns were in private hands, now that these have been transferred t<; companies, with the advent of the cot pcration. the trusts ediipitith.il is too harsh and cruel. To quote his own words : Competition under present methods of life ij too destructive to lie ,federated. must be the order of the day. It is the only method that will provide ar efficiency that will answer future conditions of life, and the nation that first recognises this and works out the prcblem will be the nation to lead in the' future. It has been said that by substituting ec-opera-tion for competition you take the virility out of business; that there is a something about competition that spurs men on .improves conditions, and ultimately gives better service ami cheaper prices to

the pulilie. In my judgment this is a mistake. Competition had Io exist at one lime, but all the benefits that were derived from it can be had by substituting emulation in business, under the principle of

co-operation. Ent to have this you must have men of h mciir, ol integrity, of education: men with

red blood in their veins, who believe in humanity and in the rights of all. Civilisation and cdiic.’tioii have brought the world to a slate of development where we have the right to expert men of this

breed in I lie future. Mr. Perkins should be, it would seem, against the arbitrary settlement of a fixed wage for certain trades, or i f raising wrtges, wherever such action might savour of the spirit of giving and receiving a bribe He would lift, raise the whole relaI ionship lie! ween employer and cmph veil through the exercise of ;imlual trust and confidence, and the pn motion of com.mm interest ’>.• tween the two. He points out that the even-insistent demand of our generation as to what constitutes .a fair division of pi t lit.", m; between ('•■pilal am! Labour docs not find its real answer in merely raising wages. He instances the fact that cases may he found of men d ang bard manual labour for small renmncration, yet working cheerfully so long as they are assured the concern for which they labour cannot afford to icmuncrate them better, it is, he maintains, when Lab<nr feels it is net in receipt of a fair share at the profits accruing from its co-or-dination with Capital that l.rbor.r ir dissatisfied and prepared to rebel. So the address continues: If we are going to get away from ruinous-competition to a cooperative or “live and let live’’ basis, we must ec-operate all along the lino, and to co-operative between Capital and Labour there must be a show down as to what the business is doing; there must

be publicity and frankness. t?> ..ho end that the Labour part of the

concern may know what the Capital is doing and making ; aud my experience has b< en that in place of this being a dangerous policy fcr a concern to adept, it is the only safe policy, and that once adopted, ami adopted honestly and sincerely, it would g” far towards adjusting ni”.:iy differences that r.e.w exist. The day of the secretive method of getting away with improper profits is gene : but this does re' mean t lint. tho day of substantial profit to Capitol is gone.

AVe have quoted at considerable length from the article in question with, the object of showing that there are able men in the world (M.A.’s too) w;ho can see some hope for industrial peace without swallowing holus bolus the doctrine of Socialism.