SOCIALISM.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15825, 25 July 1913, Page 6

SOCIALISM.

TO THE IimTOR. Sib,—Archbishop Redwood eajs that SociaJism will mean " tho destruction of Christianity, the rights of property, and tlie family." It is amaaing. that men of education sudh as he should commit themselves to such unvcrifiablo assertions. Ho cannot prove his words, for tho simple reason that ne will be unable to find a tSocialistic State or community whero t'he pcoplo aro naked, starving, and godless, living like the beast of the field, as they are supposed to do, for there never lias been a real Socialistic experiment carried out yet. But I think that Archbishop Redwood and his supporters, lay and clerioal, will have to admit that each stop towards Socialism is an improvement in the life and spirit of tho poople, and raises than lugher in the march of (human progress, Christianity, and brotherhood. "Bear ye one another's burdens" is a Christian preempt, I believe, and all Socialistic legislation that is given effcct to enables us all to help one anoflher more and more. Our old-age pemsions help us to aid the aged when noedy. Many of them havo toiled to mako better conditions for their successors, but through individualism they were unable to reap their duo reward, We oaro for the weak, the incapable, the bHnd, insane, and others. Wo all aid in tin upkeep of our railways and postaj system. These organisations are better socially owned thorn they would be if run by private companies, and so would everything else; but so far the peoplo are ignorant of the blessing outside their doore, as it wore, and each strives for self and fortune. A few get it; the rest die striving. Tho Federation of Labour has been characterised' as a "huge trust, octopus, or combine." Now, this trust doe& not exact tho heavy toll from the oommunity that commercial combines do. For example, tho Taieri and Peninsula Company the other day calmly announced a 1 penny rise per pound on butter. It did not consult those w!ho havo to pay tho increased wage to it. It said it wns sorry, but fchero was a. scarcity. It is a private company, whioh is w'hat is generally known as a soulles affair, being the exact opposite to the spirit of Socialism. It. did not havo enough Christian foresight to keep sufiicient supplies of butter to eelj at a reasonable price to tho people for the With the knowledge that capital combines represent the. minority of the people, can wo bo surprised if those who laibour and produce all this oapital organise into federations of labour, etc., to demand a little more in return of what they havo produced; nnd as they are in a. majority, thero 16 a possibility, if they persevere, that they will get it, and if they bring Socialism into realisation in tho course of tho strugglo people will have a little more time then to think about Christianity, wfliidi is at presont being killed daily by individualism.— I am, etc., John Stephens. Palmerston. July 24.