COLDS AGAIN PREVALENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18825, 31 March 1923, Page 10

COLDS AGAIN PREVALENT.

Evidence that winter is almost, on us is the prevalence of coughs and colds. An effective remedy is Kofgo, which is guaranteed to give immediate relief to the worst of colds, whilst one bottle will cure. Ask ycur chemist or grocer for it, and insist upon getting it. Wholesale distributors: Mcrccr and Mitchell (Ltd.), Dunedin.—Advt.

LABOUR BEWILDERMENT. •lO THE EDITOB. Sir, —As your leading article under thu above heading will no doubt be read i>y thousands of people throughout Otago, th© assertions and implications it contains should bo carefully scrutinised and discussed by those concerned for the welfare of the country. You stale that instead of being “a set of carefully-selected principles, as th© leaders profess to believe, the Labour platform is a mass of ill-digested proposals thrown together by successive conferences.” I would point out, that primarily the Labour movement is not a political movement, though it is compelled to work through, politics. It is some;liing higher and nobler Unm that. The Labour Party differs distinctly from all other political partiee :n that it liar- an objective, which is conspicuous by its absence in all the anti-Labour parlies, however named. The aim of the Labour movement is the uplift of humanity, while that of its opponents is merely tha retention of power. The planks of a political platform ordinarily moan a number of superficial adjustments of the social and economic fabric, with careful avoidance of interference with the rotten foundations on. which the social structure rests. ' Strictly speaking, the platform of the Labour Party is contained within its objective. What you describe as its platform merely represents a number of tentative proposals for achieving that objective. As the Labour movement proceeds, the road will open out before if, and it would be simply absurd to lay down a rigid prograinmme when the conditions to which it would have to conform are in a state of constant and rapid .change. The Wording and meaning of the objective seem to me to be quite clear and simple—perhaps too clear for some of an opportunist tendency who seem desirous of using the Labour movement for ulterior purposes. For tha benefit, however, of the critics to whom you refer, 1 will ro-state the objective in other terras. Among many other things, it means the re-establishment of (he institution of private property. The development of machine industry in private hands has meant the expropriation from tlie : great mass of the people of everything but the means of a bare subsistence. The universal economic independence that would result through (he at ta.inir.c-nt. of the objective would remove that evil; as. in fact, it would remove all the social and economic evils that humanity is afflicted with. Again, it moans the application of scientific method to collective human industry, or ,in other. words, the systematisation ,of human effort. We speak erroneously of our present" social system. Wo have yet to achieve one. The word system, implies a devised plan, an arrangement in. Which the various parts are contrived to work harmoniously inwards a given end. “Ik’s a mad world, my masters, ’’ but the maddest niadman could hardly contrive or imagine anything so unsystematic as our present social structure. The conditions of the world, as depicted in your columns from day- to day, indicate chaos rather than system. Humanity is at present driving fast towards annihilation or reconstruction, and it is the business cf the Labour movement to direct the irresistible economic forces along the right path,” in order that the transition to » higher and happier order may be made without undue violence. The objective means that the present human motive of acquisitiveness will be changed for one of co-operation —that the devil’s doctrines, “Your necessity is. my opportunity,” and -“Every .man for himself," etc., shall be ■ replaced by "Each for all and all for each.” The attainment of the objective will mean that the terms privilege and injustice, wealth and poverty, master and slave, etc., shall cease to have any significance in human Thero is nothing impracticable or Utopian about the objective. The evolutionary process which is bringing it to fruition is nearly complcted. The new and decisive factor which is destined to clrange the face of society and to lift mankind to a . higher level is the incredibly vast -power of production of the necessaries, comforts, and luxuries of life which ■ man has at his command, and which it is the objective of th© Labour movement” to socialise." Even' with the unorganised and. enormously wasteful methods of production and' distribution obtaining at present, there would in normal times he sufficient ' for all. With efficient organisation (Intro would he production to any required extent. The private ownership cf the tools of production confers irresponsible power on the few, over. the. many, and makes wholly for inefficiency. It is a mgr© tiuisra to say that the capitalist mode of production lives and thrives by waste. As to the means by ■ which the objective will be realised, shall man, whose painfully acquired knowledge, accumulated and transmitted down the ages, has wade those vast means of production possible, not be equal to the task of organising- and applying them for the collective use of humanity?—l aih, etc., A. B. Poweei,. Leith street. March 28.