NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17753, 12 April 1921, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

THE SELFISHNESS OF STRIKES. Class-consciousness and selfishness were described by Dr. Kelly, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, in an address recently, as the two great obstacles in the way of industrial peace and progress. Unions gave their members the power to strike, and that power was used in some instances without considering the consequences to others. If they were to have rest, the workers must "not bo always thinking of their own interests to the exclusion of every other consideration. Those who worked and those who employed labour should bo as members of one healthy, active body, and the worker should look to his employer as the head of that body. In this wav a reniedv would be found, apart from "Divine help and guidance, for the unrest throughout the world. In the case of a coal strike no one could tell how far-reaching the effects would be. But everyone knew that suffering must come to the victims'of selfishness on the part of the miners or on the part of the mining companies.

THE VALUE OF GOLD.

In his presidential address at the annual meeting of the Sydney Chamber of Agriculture, Sir Joseph Carru there, M.L.C., said prices inevitably roust fall, but no great alarm need be felt at that fact. The main trouble would come when prices fell below the cost at which articles could be produced ; then, naturally tho cost must be reduced or production cease. Few people realised that the pound sterling was not a fixed and determined value, but fluctuated in value according to the price of gold, which was the standard. Gold before the war was worth £3 19s, in round figures, per ounce. It reached £5 19s per ounce in 1919, and to-day it was about ib 5s - In other words, £5 5s to-day was only equal in value to £3 19s before the war in the currencv of to-day A man receiving £5 5s per week to-day, if paid m so much weight in gold, would receive just the same quantity as the man before the war in receipt of £3 19s, so that wages of i,5 5s in 1921 were onlylequal to wages of £o I9s in 1913. Ho did not "believe that many people now living would ever see gold down to £3 19s per ounce again, which meant that prices would not drop to the pre-war basis. But as prices declined, there must be a readjustment of costs—a solid fact which no amount of talk would remove.

HANDICAPS ON SHIPPING.

The last annual report of the Liverpool Steamship Owners' Association states that under prevailing conditions it is taking five ships to do the work that was performed by four in 1913. Attention was drawn to the disastrous manner in which available carrying power had been wasted iL overseas trade of the United Kingdom ; the ship-power available is sufficient to deal with a larger volume of overseas traffic than in 1913; but last vear m the overseas commerce of the United Kingdom imports were 19 per cent, and exports 50 per cent, in weight below those dealt with in 1913. The shortening of hours of work throughout inland transport services had lessened by 20 per cent the carrying power of ships using ports of the United Kingdom, and the aggregate annual loss exceeded 10,000,000 tomT "It is evident, says the report, "that the consequences of revising the hours of labour without first securing by other means the maintenance of the flow of traffic, were never realised either by the men employed ?JF . nati ? n ■* We." The report further strongly criticised Government control, on the ground that overseas trade is being crippled by it. It showed that while there is more tonnage on the oceans than m tyio, overseas commerce sunk heavilv It demonstrated that the rise of waceV coupled with a reduction of work w a condition which threatens disaster to the nation. As the association own 25 per cent, of the British steam tonnage afloat (their holding w over five million tons gross), the report is one which must carry great weight. J

WHO ARE CAPITALISTS?

Discussing the fallacy of the revolutionary theory regarding the capitalist, Mr. J. A. Murdock, president of the Sydney Retailers' Association, point* out that by far the greatest proportion of wealth is owned by the masses, or individuals, who possess bank deposits, investments in property, or some other asset ranging from £50 to £5000. A wealth census in New South Wales has proved that there are only 198 persons in the whole of New South Wales, with its population of 2,000,000, who have £100,000 or more, and their whole total is only £39,328,190 out of the total wealth of £468,944,322. The owners of "camtal" in the State include no fewer than 792,556 persons, which is roughly 90 per cent, of the adult population of the State. "Capital" is but a very broad term embracing the savings of the mass of the people and the aggregate wealth of the masses with the smaller assets is infinitely greater than the combined wealth of the comparatively few whose savings or capital run into large amounts. The basis then from which to start is to admit that Capital equally with Labour has a definite part to play in the scheme 'of social advancement. Both are enemies of society when they do not serve society. Capital and Labour both give a definite service when they are directly enraged in clothing, feeding, housing, transporting, or ministering in any way to the needs of the members of the community, and for that service society is the richer, and both Capital and Labour must receive their reward. Who then is to suffer if the present social system, in which both Capital and Labour are giving such necessary and important services to society, is upset? Plainly, the answer is the whole community, because the whole community comprises the collective owners of the wealth of the State.

MB. CHURCHILL'S POLICY. As chairman at a. banquet given to Earl Reading (Viceroy-designate of India), by the English-Speaking Union, j Mr. Winston Churchill, the newly-ap-pointed Secretary of State fox the Colonies, revealed to some extent his attitude toward the Dominions. "So far as the Dominions of the Empire are concerned," he said, "the new principle which seems to be developing, is that of common consultation among trie members of the Empire in regard to the difficulties of any one of them. Although technically, no doubt, as Lord Itoseberry said jso well many years ago, ' the title-deeds of the British Empire are in these islands.' ' j yet, after what we have been through ,i together in the war, it would not be right ; for any great Imperii! decision, esj pecially one which concerns the status of j any nation within the British Empire, to be taken in a final way as if it were only a British affair, without the consultation of the Cabinets of the whole body. It is only the application of what the French call ' the council of the family,' in which, instead of individuals, powerful States will appear, like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and will' share with the Mother Country the responsibility for dealing with groat and dominant questions, the decision of which affects the common fortune of the whole body. This principle may be found to have its usefulness in relation to countries and nations as far apart and widely different as Iroland and Egypt. We all know how great the. difficulties are, but I remember 15 years ago the difficulties in South Africa seemed just as formidable and just as perplexing as any that confront the British Empire to-night. By action which was bold and at tho same time understanding, by action for which the memory of the late Hir Henry CampbellBannerman will always be esteemed, we j entered upon a course in regard to South Africa, which we have never since had reason to regret Therefore, lam hopeful, and even confident that in a few I years, our present difficulties will W- , j greatly diminished, and that nations I whoso uffairs are a reproach and a J stumbling-block to the cause which the : English-bpeaking Union has at heart may be found, as South Africa has been found to be managing their own affairs and unlolding their own destiny, peaceful Iv and Prosperously, within the elastic circle jOl the Bnti&h Rmpjr<s**