SOCIALISM AND WAGES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12240, 8 April 1903, Page 7

SOCIALISM AND WAGES.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, Mr. John Johnson says ho can show how wages can be doubled in five years. Now, this doubling of wages is simply " bosh" to anyone who understands anything about the question.People can easily understand this question if they lump the earnings of the whole people as "wages," let it be earned by commission, contract, "wages of superintendence," or earned in .any way. \\ e then can see that whatever the earnings of thp people may be over the amount consumed and used to satisfy human desire that amount goes direct into the purchase of privilege" of some sort'. To double the wages would mean that a section of tho people, known as wage-receivers, would have greater power to purchase privilege, unless they consumed or spent double what liiey consume at present, provided that prices of commodities did not rise. If prices of commodities rose with the wages paid in cash, there would really not have been any real rise in wages, although a larger amount of cash would have changed hands. If it were really possible to double the purchasing power of the wage-earners, I do not bel ; that it would be for the good of humanity at present that it should be so. Lunacy, drunkenness, and vice are increasing with rapid strides, and almost in equal proportion to our rise in the average standard of living. We do not yet know how to use the blessings showered upon us without doing injury tc ourselves, and I honestly 'eve that the standard of living is now too high for the welfare of our minds and bodies. If some of us weie forcod by necessity to go out and earn our meals before we gotthem, and had less money to spend on luxuries, (he human race would climb t>e ladder of progress faster. I contend that wage.? represents tho value of products consumed and average cost of living of any community. If wao-e3 are doubled, we must spend double, or the money must necessarily bo used to buy privilege, or, in other words, used to draw on the public capacity to produce.

To narrow tho term wages down to cases where employers pay a fixer! sum to employees is very misleading in dealing with this problem. Take my business, for an example.. The fish are free to all, or should be. The catchers and cleaners engaged in the industry employ me to collect their money for them from the consumers of fish. The total amount consumed forms a fund, from which all are paid. If prices will only allow me to collect enough to pay the catchers and cleaners I get no wages, which is the case at present. Can Mr. Johnson double the wages of catchers, cleaners, distributers, and consumers of fish without rising the pries of fish? Or, if prices rise, will there have been any rise in wages, as paid in cash? This argument will apply to all commodities in demand.l am, etc., A. Sanfoed.