LABOUR ELECTION EXPENSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22826, 10 March 1936, Page 4

LABOUR ELECTION EXPENSES

TO THE EDITOR, Sir, — “ Citizen ” asks such a lot in his latest letter than it would take a very long letter to reply to. Some of it I iinswered in my last letter, as “ Citizen ” will find if he re-reads that letter. “Citizen” is a class-conscious worker, so he assures me. Then he says: “Meantime, we ” —meaning his co-class-conscious supporters —“ shall support whatever measures we consider to be beneficial to us as workers, and refuse staunchly to support reformist leaders who may lead us astray.” You will notice that “Citizen” in the first part writes of the supporting measures, and in the latter part of non-support'Of reformist leaders. Why the distinction? They would be, I presume, the same leaders. It could be possible (I suppose) for the late ForbesCoates Government to pass a measure of benefit to a class-conscious worker, if it happened to be on. the eve of an election. It appears, however, that “Citizen’s” objection to the Labour Party is • that it is not Socialist (or not Socialist enough), and that it admits those who are not wage-earners (even capitalists) as members, and accepts money from them to finance its campaign in the,interests of allowing it to function as the present Government, as it now is. This “ Citizen ” claims is inconsistent. Then. I am now going to ask him where he gets his wages or salary from. Until I became a member of Parliament I was receiving my wages from an employer of my labour. My employer knew where I stood relative to politics. But he was not buying my politics. He was buying my labour-power. I was selling my labour-power. Out of any surplus I could spare I subscribed to our party funds. If some employer also contributed, and many employers did so, this money was just as good and would pay for as much advertising and halls, etc., as‘the money which I and other wage-earners subscribed. This money was not hedged around by any conditions by anv I know of who subscribed. If “ Citizen ” was up against it, and needed some money to get him out of a hole and I mentioned this to some employer, and this employer sent “Citizen” an amount sufficient to pay his way and get out of the hole, but sent it anonymously, what would “ Citizen ” do? “ Citizen ” then talks of the wageearners who arc confirmed Socialists, etc. I reply and say, What about the wageearners who are not confirmed Socialists? Both classes voted Labour. 'lhe first class wants the name changed and made more definite. The second wants a better spin, and does not care what the name is. As it is a statement that may have some bearing on this matter, I just want to quote from M. Molotov, chairman ot the Council of People’s Commissars of the U.S.S.R.. in the latest statement given, reviewing the 1935 activities. I quote from the London Monthly Review for January, 1930. On page 18. Molotov (quoting Stalin) says: "Comrade Stalin explained the significance of the task of raising the cultural and sectional level of the working class, as a task, on the solution of which depends the change from Socialism to Communism.” On page 20 Molotov says: “ Wc are successfully solving the problem of abolishing classes, and are unswervingly marching forward on the road of overcoming the survivals of capitalism in economy and in the minds of men.” Then Molotov goes on and quotes Lenin as saying: “for the complete abolition of classes, it is necessary not only to overthrow the exploiters, the landlords, and capitalists, not only to abolish their property; it is necessary also to abolish all private property, the means of production: it is necessary to destroy both the difference between the city and village, and the difference between people of manual and people of mental labour. Lenin also pointed out that “this a difficult matter requiring much time. lias “Citizen” read M. Dimitrovs statement to the last Third International Congress? This referred to the present situation and the united front mentioned by “Citizen.” 1 can only say that no political party can go very much ahead of those who support it. The quotations I have put in from the First Workers’ Republic clearly show what the then leaders, and those now in control, realise. We here also know that much spade work has yet to be done. So let “ Citizen ” and his co-workers do their bit to fashion this mass, and out of it his objective, whether you call it Labourism, Socialism, or Communism, will emerge. —I am, etc., March 9 P. Neii.son.