ABOUT SOCIALISM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 111, 1 May 1908, Page 3

ABOUT SOCIALISM.

-Mr. Tom .Maim uddiv-vd a uu 1 y large meeting last liiyliL al the Theatre ltoyal upon "The Kocial I'mblcni, ami how tu solve it," liev. X. CI. Urookc presided. ' The lecturer lirst quoted num ])r. L'lwpple to show that there was in New ' Zealand a social problem to solve, and ' asserted that instead ol' this being nil age iu which social dilliculties were being removed, these were rather being increased, for the wealthy were accumulating more wealth and the less wealthy were being deprived of more of the product of their worlc than ever before in the world's history. Ten per cent of the world literally owned the wealth produced by the other 90 per cent. ill'. ' Mann then traced from the remote ages the development of the economic conditions, from the days when slaves were owned, bought, and sold, through the period of feudalism when the doiniriant classes absolutely ruled the serfs, to the more modern system of wagwLoin or , capitalism. Apart from these revolutions, there had been the great change called the industrial revolution brought about by the invention of machinery until now the real revolutionary was the engineer, and man was to a very large extent merely the appendage of the machine. What was the capitalist system? The present system of society was run in all the essential particulars by a class, iu the interests of that class. The members of that class, whilst estimable men ill private lil'e. were unconcerned about the other class, the workers. They were in business for prolii, and for the profit of whom? The worker? No; the worker produced for a wage, and was not allowed to own the product. Iu the Middle Ages the worker owned both the tools and the product of his labor. Now lle ownen neither, but was merely a. factor in production al Ihe instance of his employer. The basis of the present economic conditions was cheapest production ami the disposal of Ihe product so as to secure the best return. This meant the introduction of machinery that dispfaced the workers. Then came the organisation of the employers, the formation of limited liability companies and combinations to save expense, throwing still more workers out of employment. Tn any country where there had been development of the economic condilions, there the unemployed difficulty presented itself, and the intellectuality : of the workers was being directed towards its solution. The capitalist system hail failed to cater for the interests of any people 011 the face of the earth, ' and there were signs on every hand that a great change was taking place. He predicted that the time was°cOmin<» 1 when there would be no poverty, and ■ when all would get a fair share n'f the ' wealth produced. A vote of thanks was carried on the l " motion of the Mayor and Mr, Kiel,