IS SOCIALISM PRACTICABLE?

NZ Truth, Issue 104, 15 June 1907, Page 5

IS SOCIALISM PRACTICABLE?

ARE NEW 2EHAND WORKERS WELL OFF?

The Capitalists Have Captured Labor.

Socialism Opposed to Trades Unionism.

The .meetings of the 'Wellington Socialist party m His Majesty's Sunday nights are full of interest and excitement to the casual visitor, who is attracted by the quaintness of the theories enunciated by this body of irreconcilables. Preaching, and quoting from 'dead and living authors, the doctrine o! the evolution of man, the Socialists, with singular inconsistency, also preaph^ revolution (bloodless, •of course) m their mission ol re-or- . gauisation of Society ; they reject socialistic measures that have been Introduced into New Zealand, and which represent evolutionary , stages m the final consummation of Socialism pure and simple. "flhey want ithe hog, the whole Socialistic hog, and nothing -but the entire porker. Thus they condemn the Conciliation and Arbitration Act,- the Land BUI, " whioh the simple farmers say is the invention, of the city Socialists, and like measures designed to despoil the capitalist, whom they comdemn, and they hold up the iramers of these measures to contumely, and thereby play into the hands of ■the very affluent person whom' they execrate. These are <fche opinions expressed to a "Truth" reporter by a cbatioe stranger sin the ball, and as ''Truth" publishes everything m the shape of an opinion that may Trc of interest to the public' at large, the remarks are herewith placed m imperishable print. A Mr Cooke, the earnest secretary of the Ohristohuroh/Sociattst Party, was the speaker on Suniday. He wad-, ed mto answer the query, v ls Sop--1 ialism Practicable 1" Socialism to be made so must 'be practised on system. Society was at present run on the system of capitalism, whioh ■meant private ovroershiip of the master ials for the production of the necessaries of life. The system exxb society into two classes—the capitalist and the worker— and produced the • goods of society for profit, and as • the capitalist livied on the profit he had «W the best of the 'bargain. It meant the buying and selling of the .workers" for wages, cheap clothin-g., cheap and cheap houses. •Hovels abounded m all our cities, and they were occupied by the workers, .whilst the capitalist HAD HIS MOTOR CAR : and his palace, which were produced by the worker. The worker hiad no "Voice many industry m any country of the world. TJhis "impraotio -able" "Socialism offered to the people the ownership of their own industries, the control of production, v and control of the powers of governr toent as a defence against anyoaw --who desired, to be despotic to others. .Each worker should have the full profit of his labour, undiminished by *i?ent, interest or profit. The Press, and the Judicial Bench, -{whit about' 'the Church, brother *Cooke'?) all -worked for capital. It ■had been said that Socialism " wias "not repaired m New Zealand, as the were better ofi here than m other countries. Capital sat at the table and ate of the luxuries, and the .workers got the bones thrown under 'the table ; and .the workers m New ."■SJealand were asked to abandon a J seat at th© table 'because there was a little more meat on the bones i thrown, to them than on the bones ",throW<tt to workers m other countries. .'(Vociferous applause.) He claimed jfchat the reason why the New Zeal*and worker was apparently .well oS was fljecause it was a young country and he was required to develop it. In Australia and America the worker was.sftnilarlyi well, treated, m .the period of .developing tbose countries. The workers were better off m England m tfae fourteenth century than they Tvere m New 'Zealand to-day. The age of invention and the evolution of capitalism brought penury to the workers of England, as they would >do to th© workers of New Zealand. Mr McNato condemned landlordism as v curse, yet had brought m a Land Bill that would, create more landlords. The speaker spoke lightly of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, under which the workers did not dare to ask for all they produced. That was not "practicable. He claimed that the Post Office and railways were owned by capitalists. A Judge of the Arbitration Court earned £31 per week, and he ed £3 to the worker. It was "impracticable" to give the worker, £31. 3f it took £2000 per year to keep the Premier '^lobe-trotting, then £2000 a year should be given to those who stayed at home and delved and toiled, so that he might go globe-trotting. But that was ,"im-tu-acticable." He sketched facts which were responsible for the absurd rise m land values. In Taranaki. for instance, the land was once at a nominal value, and the original owner sold out at a profit, and that parasite, the land agent, obtained his commission ; the second owner obtained his profit, and another land acent drew his commission ; and so on. The profit and commission m each case was placed on the value Of the land until it was impossible to hold the property, and produce at a profit. They were told that high wages governed prices, but it was really the rise m the price of land. The farm hands were the worst paid workers m the colony. He claimed that the CAPITALIST HAD CAPTURED LABOR through the Arbitration Court. The Government gave the labor leader a soft job, and others were induced to refrain from fiiting, cases before the Court because it was not "policy," The only solution was to place men pledged of Socialism m Parliament, and to obtain control of the Gorernmcnt, There ware 115,009 freeholders m New Zealand, but 24,000 nnlr of these were paying the land tar ; the rest were m the grip of the mortgagee ; that was to say 24 000 people were holding the land ol the colony, and the rest of tlio npnulation, .which was little short of a. " million; were aliens iii their owrt cou* + — Robert Hos*. chairman, stated that hi his evidenec before the h$M 6©m=

mission, as representing the Socialist party, he had stated that the one way to bankruptcy was to cut un large estates. The land should be worked as one large farm m the interests of New Zealand. . Mr. Cooke was asked if he believed m trades unions as a means to the end of organising the people. . ■In reply he said that the trades unions had organised the people somewhat, but like other reforms- thev had injured the workers m many cases. The managers had brought the trades unions into disrepute by adopting wrong methods, and- they had been bought over by the capitalist. In the early stages of its existence the trades union was a . weapon to fight for hi^h wages, but the capitalist had retaliated by raising the price of commodities. The trades union had served its purpose, and was no longer required. The science* of Socialism told them that they must abolish profit ; the trades union recognised profit ; therefore Socialism was opposed to the trades union. There were several trades unionists m the hall, who bombarded the platform with persistent questions, and when the time for discussion arrived two gentlemen advocates of trades unionism occupied a hostile meeting till after the closing hour of 10. Finally. Mr. Hogg offered to debate the nuestion with an individual who did not give his name, m the hall on Sunday week, and the meeting terminated whistling the "Marseillaise."