TRADES UNIONISM AND SOCIALISM.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6487, 6 April 1908, Page 5

TRADES UNIONISM AND SOCIALISM.

(To the Editor "N.Z. Times.") Sir, —As a working man and an old unionist, i. am tired of all this blow and bluster about Socialism. _We find, if the press is any real criterion, that labour is dominated throughout the country by Socialism,. although there are really very few Socialist© in the ranks of organised labour. Is it not ridiculous to find labour conferences committing themselves to such claptrap as “the socialisation of the means of production and exchange,” “the abolition of production for profit,” ’‘the co-operative commonwealth,.” and to forth, when we know that the great mass if workers neither understand nor approve these things P In my opinion the average worker is disposed to lot '‘the co-operative commonwealth” take its time,, provided he can earn good wages, and good pay and constant work is an understandable ideal for which wo can got support from working men. I would not mind advanced ideals a bit myself, were it not for two things—-(1) Socialists have no time for ns unionists nor for our leaders, and they lose no dhanoe of throwing mud at us, and (2) I have listened to Socialistic haiangiios repeatedly, but have never yet lieen able to find what practical tl ingp there are in Socialism ; in fact, its advocates frequently contradict each other. For my part, I decline to regard garrulous denunciation of capitalists as of any account, unless we are shown a practical way to better things. The average Socialist, like the average prohibitionist, is somewhat of a ranter —an unlovely person who rooms to delight in talking platitudes. Tuere is .this important difference, towered, that the prohibitionist hoc a clear-cut, definite policy, while the Socialist lias talk and nothing more—at any rate, nothing more that ordinary mortals tan comprehend.—l am, -te., IllliLAD AND SCRAP! 1 ). April 4th.