LABOUR PARTY AND SOCIALISM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21086, 21 January 1932, Page 12

LABOUR PARTY AND SOCIALISM.

Sir, —Lest soipeone accept, "A Chiel" as a spokesman of official Labour, I wish to correct a few inaccuracies in his statements. He says (hat most of the Labour branches are defunct. The majority of the branches are larger than ever, notwithstanding the loss of members owing to depression, and probably in only one electorate in Auckland is the branch defunct. The second mis-statement is that no Labour candidate mentioned Socialism. During the period of the election I heard at least six Labour candidates mention Socialism —not that the word means as much as the policy advocated. Then comes a statement that Socialism has been definitely side-tracked. In Britain, in Australia, in New Zealand, the various Labour Parties have just submitted to the people ast immediately necessary and practicable the greatest instalment of Socialism ever submitted to the electorate by any of these parties, i.e., social control of credit in the interests of all the people by the medium of a central reserve bank. Certainly, Labour has not promised that if it gets a mandate, Socialism will arrive in a clap of thunder, or with the morning's milk. Its instalments of Socialism are based on the assent of the people and the most essential instalment will come first. Mr. Thornes is correct in his assumption that the rising tide of Labour is definitely a movement to control distribution as well as- production in the interests of the people. John A. Lee.