NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8295, 5 December 1912, Page 4

NOTES AND COMMENTS

A correspondent asks —“But how can you settle the question of land monopoly f The answer is—Private monopoly in land can be easily settled by requiring the private monopolist to regularly pay into the public account all of the benefits of his monopoly. The only benefit ho can get from land monopoly is by the power to privately appropriate the values publicly created. As he pays these into the public account he loses nothing that he lias earned, and the public gets nothing that it has not earned, and the evils of land monopoly disappear.

Mr J. A. McCullough has been In the city attending Arbitration Court proceedings and sailed last night for Christchurch. Dunedin; and other points in the south.

The week has closed with the record of one new charter each day. This pace ought to quicken. It is your turn now. Gome along. Get in line and get busy.

The fight in the Sydney Municipal election seems to have ' turned on the feat of a class administration, and those who won in the fight did so on a programme which insists that municipal matters ought not to be mixed up with politics.

Education not to be mixed up with politics. The hospital ought not to be mixed up with politics. Municipal matters ought not to be mixed up with politics. Old age pensions, arbitration courts, building of Dreadnoughts, anything which involves transacting the public’s business ought not to bo mixed up with politics. 1

Will someone tell us what they have in mind by "politics," when they are able to go down the list and name every serious public interest one by one and

declare that every one of them ought not bo bo mixed up with politics?

It will bo easily agreed that if the sort of politics which usually prevails in political organisations, in partisan campaigns and in Parliamentary discussions is the kind of politics in mind, then there is absolutely nothing that should bo mixed up with politics.

The United Labor Party is endeavoring to organise the great occupations of the people in such a way that those employed in these occupations can act through a central body in such a way os to transact in a just and rational manner the business which is of like concern to them aIL

It is quite evident that when people say that education, sanitary matters, great financial transactions ought not to be mixed up with politics thej don’t have in mind the sort of politics which the United labor Party has attempted to introduce into the educational, industrial, commercial, and social life of New Zealand.

The Children’s Convalescent Home, which is being promoted by the Mayoress (Mrs McLaren), seems to be taking definite shape. There are few things more urgent in connection with child ,: .fe than a chance for the child, who is ready to be discharged from the hospital, but is not quite ready for tho usual rough and tumble of the home, the playgiouna, and the school.

The Miramar electoral branch, cf the United Labor Party meets to-night in the Town Hall at Miramar. The branch has already thirty members, end is increasing in interest rapidly.

The electoral branch of the Labor party at Greymouth is holding weekly meetings, and is taking np each afternoon for discussion some, single proposal in the municipal platform of the United Labor Party.

This is a splendid idea. The municipal campaigns axe coming. , The questions to be considered then must be determined very soon. In this way meetings grow in interest, and everyone becomes equipped for the actual battle at the ballot box, only a little way in the future.

The bootmakers of Christchurch have provided copies of the constitution and platform of\the United Labor Party for all their members. Every other union in New Zealand should do the same. The party- is* constantly under discussion. It is impossible to discuss what is not understood, and the way to get at what the Labor party is, is to read its own constitution and platform—that settles it.

Mis Cnnningten, of . Christchurch, is in. Wellington for tho week. She has been having a very active week, speaking almost daily. Her name is familiar to the readers of the Labor page. Her services in progressive movements of every sort have been greatly appreciated in her home city. She was elected to publico office by a larger majority than has been given to any other person in Christchurch at any. time.

A well-attended meeting of the Wellington main branch of the' United-Labor Party was held last night, when Mr D. Moriarty. pave a lecture on Arbitration. The lecturer gave a very interesting resume of the workings of tiro Act. A Jbflisk discussion followed, and evoked great interest. Mr A- H. Hindmarsh presided, and complimented members on the progress of the branch. He also announced that the next meeting would take place on Wednesday, the 11th inet, when nominations would.bo received for candidates for the forthcoming elections.