THE CURSE OF GREED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17428, 25 March 1920, Page 5

THE CURSE OF GREED.

POTENT CAUSE OF UNREST.

"RIGHTS" AND "DUTIES."

WELFARE LEAGUE'S GOSPEL. (Contributed by the Welfare League).

TJie Welfare League desires earnestly to assist in stabilising . conditions and bringing about industrial peace and progress, To do its duty in this it must bpeaK plainly to whetner friends, or members 01 the league, or those apart from it. The burden of the nigh cost of living is to our minds a very real burden pressing hard upon the lamilies of the wage-earning ana salaried classes. It is even harder upon those mental workers who are employed at fixed salaries than on the manual workers who gain relief by means of their unions in securing increases of pay. Various reasons for the existing trouble have been put forward, such as the high rates of exchange, scarcity of commodities in relation to demand, labour strikes and limitation of output, and changes in the people's standard of living arising from the plentitude of money during and since the war. All of these have, in our opinion, a relation as causes to the excessively high prices which constitute the burden of the cost of living.' Behind all, however, there seems to us a most potent cause in the non-ethical attitude of mind with which the business and industrial world of to-day has become deeply infected.; There exists a pandemic of personal greed that is as destructive in its way as the death-carry-ing influenza epidemic that swept over our country and carried off many thousands of our people. Wherever we turn we find people of all classes* discussing matters solely from the standpoint of "their rights." The question of what are our duties and the sacrifices we should make in order to fulfil them is being treated as if that all ended with the war. The psychology of our time in business, trade, labour and even social relations is largely non-ethical, for the reason that it is ignoring the bond of fellowship, and the call of duty upon which true morality rests. On the one hand we have men and women, both capitalists and workers, trying earnestly by supporting schemes of social reconstruction, such as " profitsharing," " co-operation," " industrial councils on the Whitley plan," " National Provident Funds," " insurance against unemployment," and in many other directions to improve society. Against this we have capitalists, employers and workers who care not a jot about these things, but, are simply out to grasp #11 they can. . These people claim they are within their rights, and I they are just in the same way as a tiger that meets a man in the jungle is within its natural rights to kill and* eat him. This is the curse of greed which we have to contend with, that there exist in society members of the body politic who recognise no social obligation to work, and sacrifice if needs be, for the welfare of society. v We observe with pleasure that Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., has recently been calling attention to the need for recognising the law of mutual aid. We entirely agree with that view, and if the principle of mutually assisting one another as human beings is recognised in a broad and tolerant spirit the result will be to eliminate something of the canker of greed and hatred which is being so largely manifested to-day. We speak more particularly to employers ahl! capitalists, because they are in more commanding positions and should be first to set the example. The truth has to be faced, however, that the passion of greed is not confined tc any class. In many instances the workers care nothing about the burdens the employer is struggling under, just" as in other instances the employer is utterly callous about the living conditions of those he employs. The curse of greed is the most potent cause of the high cost of living and the industrial upheavals of our time, because it ignores the duties of social relationship and regards trade, commerce and industry as merely a warfare of contending interests. The Socialists rather encourage this internecine individualistic struggle by their constant talk of "the class war." What is required to-day is a constant teaching of the truths that man is man no matter whether he is employer or employed, capitalist or worker; that we are all dependent upon one another; that mutual aid is the true law of advancement, and that the policy of regulating profits, rent, interest and wages should be taken up as a social duty in a true spirit of toleration and fellowship. This will appear to many a hard pospel to out into practice,* but we maintain that it is the only one that will stand'the test; all the teaching of history convinces ns thnt " fellowship is-life and lack of fellowship is death."