MR TOM MANN AS A LECTURED,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12414, 25 July 1902, Page 3

MR TOM MANN AS A LECTURED,

AN ADDRESS 08 fHB INDUSTRIAL PROBLEM. The Choral Hall was well filled last night when, at 8 o'clock, Mr Tom Mann appeared on the platform to deliver his lecture on " Tli© Labour Problem." Mr W. Hood presided. The Chairman, in a few preliminary remarks, 'said that as the labour problem had engrossed the attention of the people and of the Legislature of this country probably to a greater extent than in any other country any information of any k,incl, or any light that Mr Mann could throw on the subject must necessarily prove of some value in view of the forthcoming general election. Mr Mann came here ae an accredited Labour leader—(applause),—and came fresh from the great centres of industrial activity. Although ho was personally a stranger to most of those present, he was not by repute, and anything lie might state in regard to the Labour problem they could take as being of an authoritative character.— (ApplauK.)

Mr Mann received a hearty round of applause as he rose to speak, and in clearing the ground said that his subject did not simply include those questions which would enable the workers to find some particular method whereby tlioy could obtain mora from their employer than they were now doing. He was not concerned with sectional questions at all, except in so far as such seetuuial questions bore directly on the main point. The object ho had in view was not to endeavour to show that it was possible for the workcri- to score as against any other class, but to deal with the more general and deep-seated questions that affected the wellbeing of the community as a whole.—(Applause.) In that sense it would be necessary to cover the position occupied by those iu high places juet as much as of those who happened to be very low down in the social tcalc. All through the object would; be to try and understand bv what particular means the various comn.unitics of the world had at various times provided themselves with the necessaries of life, and what effect the particular rystem they might use had upon the general standard, in order that: possibly they might draw sonic conclusion later on that might possibly bo of use to the present community. Those present please understand he was not here- especially to defend workers' organisations as against any diher organi?a!ioins, or to ppeak on behalf of trades unionism or any other "ism," but to deal with those general questions that made up tho social problem. This problem was admittedly the mori stupendous that had ever confronted civilisation. He would nsk his audience to carry their 'minds back to the Old Country, and some of them would have recollections of tho social and industrial conditions wliieh prevailed—perhaps they were not pleasant recollections. Many would have some idea of the conditions obtaining in England, especially in London, and he could assure them that in all tho large centres the conditions were distinctly bad. Many took the view that it must needs bo bad, seeing that the population had grown to 40,000.000 of people. The notion prevailed that there wore 100 many people. He wanted to say right there that there was not one family too many in the Old Country.—(Applause.) He knew that poverty existed, and how very seriously it existed; not. merely in metropolitan areas, but in small towns and village?. The. time and attention given to ihc production of foodstuffs would maintain the population for one-third of-a year, or would maintain for a whole year one-third of the population. There was a hazy impression that it was not to be expected that England could produce enough, but, taking the acreage into con-f-idcration, there was land enough not only to maintain the present 40,000,000, but a much greater population. Still tho poverty existed. What was the cause? There wore 15 to 25 per cent, of the population of metropolitan centres existing under conditions below the poverty line. Yet the people of England, Scotland, and Ireland wore producing more wealth to-day than they over produced before in their whole history. They, never produced wealth so effectively as they produced it now. The fact remained that poverty existed. We knew that, having regard to the acerage and yielding capacity of •he country, and iho mineral resources, there should be-sufficient for all; we knew that it was not because there were too many people, or that the people were dissolute, or idle, or incapable of producing, of was it from tho unkindncss of the deity, and yet poverty was there. It was our place' to find out why. Mr Mann then proceeded with an analysis of wealth and the means used in its production. He defined it as " The commodities we make use of for sustenance and development." Whence came these commodities? They came from one source—the earth's crust. Five hundred years ago the English workers, whether ' artisans or labourers, lived up to a good standard of physique. They had enough to cat, were well clothed, and thev did not work more than eight hours per day. (See Professor Ihorold Rodger's "Six Centuries of Work and Wage? iu Britain.") There was no machinery then. Machinery was introduced in order to produce greater results with a given expenditure of energy, and consequently it should have been so much easier to produce the required commodities. Yet poverty was intensified, and ncnnle. instead of living to 60 and 70, were dviiiir at 20 35 and 10 years of ago. Seeing that'the earth's crust wa? the storehouse for every article produced, was it not singular that'a handfull of the community had been allowed to exercise a monopoly over tho one source of lie. London was originally a swamp on the Thames. A certain section had been permitted to got control of tb« sites of Lon-don-houses, shop?, factories, and mills, and every year they took about £18,000,000 for which they never did a single stroke of work or in any way added to (he of tho community. What was true of London was h-uo of the whole country. The KrlUn rural nnd nrban la,Kllor(,s ™ s £,200.000.000 per annum, which went in recognition of the exploiting power of the

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monopolistic section of tho land-owning people. This was practically the sole cause of poverty in Britain and other countries. j Did the audience think that poverty was caused by an incapacity to produce? The most luxurious extravagance the world had over known was going on all the year round in London, and who was paying for it? How -was an equity of distribution io brt made? To make the necessary changes it was not necessary to cut anyone's throat, or to use the bayonet, or dynamite, mile?? the latter wac necessary to awaken the sleepy faculties of the unthinking crowd. There was a glorious time in - front of the civilhcd world if we could only establish the conditions of fair play. lie had referred to tiio £200,000,000 received by the landowner,-. How much (lid tlmy suppose that the profit receiver and the interest taker not? Why, anotlter £200,000,000 each, These throe classes anion? them look half tho total product of the people of England, without in any way contributing towards the wellbeing; of the community of'facilitating production and distribution, ] Fairplay and efficiency .of production, with equity of distribution, wore all that was required, and tho terrible industrial problem would be solved. Dealing with the labour condition of other countries. Mr .-Mann touched mi Germany, and said that that country was suffering from great, depression. The talk about' her competing, with Britain was absurd. The enforced idleness of the people was appalling. Banks were breaking, and large firms going through the Bankruptcy Court. America was paving 'fno way for a similar state of things. The blame for the oppression of monopolies, Mr Mann contended, was largely duo to Hid, workers for ij.ot being moro keenly alive to the effects of such combinations. He traced their evolution from the joint stock companies to tho limited liability companies, to tho syndicates, to the combines, and finally to (ho trusts. What was to bo the next step? He thought it was for a democratic community in its corporate capacity to relievo the capitalists of thoir responsibilities by undertaking the -effective control of the industrial resources and interests of the community as a whole. The change would come from private ownership to public ownersliip, which would bo for tile general wellfointr of the people, Mr Mann said he looked- io the municipal bodies to give effect to his collootivist views, and said that during the last 15 years there had been extraordinary advences in local government in England. ■ Tho tendency was towards municipalising all public services, and colonial towns were miles behind in this respect. Ho conoiided by asking tho audience to remember that what he was advocating was nothing- other than the application cf the principle of the brotherhood of man.—(Applause,) A number of questions were put to the lecturer, and amongst others cropped up the inevitable liquor traffic. Mr Mann replied that he favoured production of tho material by tho State, and the-distribution of it by the municipality. A vote of thanks to the chair dosed the meeting. Mr Mann will probably address another meeting at an early date.