LECTURE ON SOCIALISM

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1934, Page 3

LECTURE ON SOCIALISM

CAPITALISM CONDEMNED. ATTACK ON THE PRESS. A lecture on Socialism was given to an audience in the Workers’ Social Hall, New Plymouth, on Saturday night by Mr. W. J. A. Famell. After reviewing the world’s wealth, its inventive power, and its progress to a high civilisation, Mr. Farnell asked his audience to contrast with that picture its present poverty and unemployment. The primary needs, food, clothes, shelter and, education, were not adequately provided. Control and direction of goods and services by the people as a whole was the only remedy for such a state, said Mr. Farnell. To-day this control and direction was in the hands of one section, the middle class. The so-called science of economics was futile, the text-books were merely • the text-books of capitalism, and were unconcerned with right or wrong, justice or injustice. Mr. Farnell detailed institutions and practices that socialism planned to abolish. Firstly, socialism stood for the abolition of government by incompetent Ministers, instructed by officials and clerks. It demanded the right of recall of inefficient members of Parliament. Present methods, Mr. Farnell alleged, were useless and time-wasting. Two representative bodies were needed, one for national and the other for local affairs. That, however, was only one of half-a-dozen ways of reforming the present unbusinesslike chaos.

The abolition of money as a commodity was a second contention. Money was solely a means of exchange, said Mr. Farnell, but the present methods were retained because they kept power in the hands of a capitalistic minority. All banks should be State-owned institutions.

A community Press, controlled by the people, was advocated by Mr. Famell, in urging the abolition of the Press. “The Press,” Mr. Farnell said, “obviously supports one side, commonly known as the capitalistic side, though I do not like that term. My k contention is that it has to; it cannot help itself because it is supported by commerce. The Press itself is controlled by a monopoly, the Press Association.” Socialism advocated the abolition of war, said Mr. Famell. All wars were the outcome of capitalism. The Great War disillusioned thoughtful people. “To-day,” Mr. Farnell said, “many heroes and their heroines and. little heroes are half starved. Many were killed in a quarrel they had no interest in and did not comprehend.” The abolition of the churches as “national institutions and political busybodies,” was a fifth aim of socialism. The churches were invariably on the side of capitalism, Mr. Famell alleged, and used their position to perpetuate social injustice. The complete toleration of religion was essential to socialism, but the churches were little concerned with religion to-day. Socialism would safeguard religion and the people’s rights of worship, but it would also make church institutions mind their own business. If it were a fact that they were in the last stage of socialism, what did the speaker propose that they should do next, asked Mr. Fleming during ques-tion-time.

Mr. Famell said it would probably be necessary to do several things. They should first make up their minds what ■they really did want. Next they should “stick” together and “drop” petty squabbling. Thirdly they- must work “between as well as at the hurdles” —they must work all the time. Mr. Famell sate that he could not answer the question in a practical way, he did not think anyone else could. Mr. Famell answered several other questions, after which he was accorded a vote of thanks for his address.