SOCIALISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20900, 16 June 1931, Page 12

SOCIALISM.

Sir, —Mr. Thornes writes in defence of capitalism, and yet over half his last letter is taken up by pointing out that the Unemployment Insurance Fund in Britain is in debt. I may remind him that tho unemployment fund in New Zealand is exhausted; that in the LTnited States, according to figures prepared by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, there were in that country in the first week of December, 1930, unemployed "about 10 per cent, of tho total number of persons with gainful occupations," and that in the United States there is no official unemployment fund and no Labour Government. I could also quote him the figures of unemployment in other countries, also the bankruptcies and capital losses, so far as they are published and available. These matters are the propaganda which is bringing recruits to Socialism, and constitute one of the principal grounds upon which I assert that capitalism is a failure. It connot pay its way, cannot provide the means for its own oxpansion #nd cannot find employment for about 20 millions of people, whom its supporters profess to believe should be at work. Mr. Thornes misquotes mo when he says my "aspirations" for Russia are "to feed all tho people, to employ them all, and to raise their general standard of education and culture." What I said was that if they could do these things their experiment would have beon worth while. If they can do that it is more than any capitalist, or Labour Government administering capitalism, can do to-day. I notice that another writer states as evidence that Socialism is passing that "public utilities are being handed over by these Governments (Labour) to corporations and boards outsido direct political control." If there were any strength in that argument 1 might say that it was positive proof that capitalism, as represented by our New Zealand Governments, was passing, as evidenced by the number of so-called nonpolitical hoards lecently set up. It is a fundamental of Socialism that there shall be "tho complete common ownership and control of the means of pioduction, distribution and exchange," but it is not fundamental and, so far as I know, was never intended that all those functions should be controlled or administered by Parliament direct Tho growing complexity of society makes that an impossibility, no matter what the political creed of the Government in power may bo. In this connection I would point out that the idea of a public utility being administered by a board outsido direct political con trol, and entirely free from the objective of private gain by members of the board, is not now to New Zealand. One 6uch instance is the Auckland Savings Bank Others are the many local bodies and boards, all of which derive their powers from Parliament, but yet in carrying out their duties are not subject to direct poli tical control. Tom Bloodwohth.