LABOUR AND CAPITAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVII, Issue 1658991, 18 July 1918, Page 6

LABOUR AND CAPITAL.

Tc tlio Editor of tho "Tiiriani Herald." • Sir,—-Councillor Youny provided a. [ text which Ims served two or throe ; cji'rofijKiiidcntb. .t will still servo. ; •There will !jc no pence in tile world until Capital and Lnbi.ar are brought together." It seems Ho mo that tney sire together—necessarily so—while botn uro cnipolyed. file ligation between , them, however, too n.iich resembles that , between two tug-.) I-war teams. Yet we ai*o told that the interests of Capi- , t»! arid Labour arc in reality tlio same Federated unions And employers associations do not in praeiico accent that assertion, which probably expresses a fcc-ling that they ousht to bo tlio same. —that both employer and employed ' 'ought to be pu'llin,", not only on the s;i!tio rope but in the same direction. Is it possible" to find n. point ol' view ii oiii which that assertion can be seen to be true? I think so. From tlio point of view of the ultimate consumer, who in reality pays both mastev and man, it is true. Let it be well m?;mi and understood 1 IH'fc John Doc, boot faetory hand, dues net make boots for Richard Hoe. ft ho pays him his weekly wage: and ■ lint l?!ehard Hoe does not liavr* boots wade in his factory for himself, but' fo-r various persons, probably unknown to him. who will eventually nay for the lwots, .'ind, themso'ves or their do- , pendents, wear them, and in paving for ■ the \:oots will pay for Doe's work and repay TJoe's outlay in wages and capital expenditure. JJr floe's factory is not, ns a rule, a gambling appliance, in which hoots arc made on a mero chanco chat some one, aft.»r paying for tluni, will near thom. He relies upon this ultimate* customer. The boots may tass throuuh tlio bauds of many nare- , housemen and it retailer, yet eventr,:;liy the wearers ol : tho boots nav fo.ilie making and for -ill the handling. Similarly, the owner of the. wool or train storo employs men, not roally to ■"ork lor him. but for tho people—perhaps oil tho utile rsidi! of tho world— , who will wear out the clothing made o. the wool, and eat the bread made < r om the wheat handled in the store: > and in the priees they pay for these •roods will included the storeinen's " ii'/es iiiul I ne 'employer's renmnera- ! i tion and profits. Hanking laeiltie; ! provide for the of time between ibe store work and the iinal piirehase:-.

Awl tho final' purchaser pays for these facilities too. Tin? farmer supposes that he grows whonc for Jus own good. 'J he war has to sank* extent corrected that view, but not completely. Thcfarm owner believes that' his plough.-' man works for him, and tho ploughman :i:is the sanio idea. Remove the fin.il consumer froir. the field, and nether farm-owner nor ploughman would havo any place in tho i-cheme of things. Similarly the coal mine; docs not he"-' ;.nal for tho proprietor of the mill;*, but for quite oth-u- people's furnace* and domestic hearths: and the proI rioter's capital (usually, someone else's capital) and his personal energies are. employed to tht.- same end. From this point of view tho "interests" of immediate employer and employee are seen to be of the same nature and to involve also, an equal duty —the duty of doing one's best for tho real employer, tho final customer. T. may he wrong, but it seemli torn-? thnt acceptance of 'he final consumer's point of view of things would go a long wav towards the peace +o which Councillor Young referred --I am. etc.. -'ONLOOKER. Ail Laboiuv and Capital Corres. . To the Editor of the "Timaru Herald." Sir.—ln reply to Mr Roller allow rao fn .say that Jlr Roller can thank himself if there is an;; sting in "A Tnu Socialist's" letter owing to his strong nud abusive words towards "Colonist." i know not tho man, but h : s let-.cr was ttmperato awl rosivmablo, and truly pointed out that unionism as it- cx.sta cuts out ambition from under tlui workers' feet. Workers in, Britain, the British colonies, and in America havo attained .to the highest positions owing to their perseverance, intelligence, and energy. Mr Roller .must know t<ha>v the go slow or strike policy docs nob harass or impoverish the capiialist proprietor; frequently he profits by it. It is the consumer who suffers, niore*pav-t-cnlarly those who are not earners, especially the very poor. Any thinker Knows that individuals are not born equal cither in pcsit : on, intelligence, or physical capacity. Therefore Mr Roller, who has :: robust -uul vigorous frame .".nd intelligence suttie'ent to ba ;i lender of men, should deal kindlier with thc-ve nob so generously endowed. Mr Keller mu~t be aw:i.re of tho results of so-called .Socialism iu England, whero they have harassed the Ilritish rulers who are lighting for the liberty of th:> subject and it destroy tyranny', and in Hiissa. avlici-" it li.':. tesultod in l?olsl'.evisin, poverty, and crime, with the. despotic Oerinaus running over their |

country to it.< ruin. Trim Sor:iiili»iri sitouid mcaii hqucsty :iml honour. Jf unionists ivero true Socialists • wonlfi have flooded t!.<\ _ Govnriimi'itt 'with petitionsmid "nsolutions dciimitdinn an exnort duty on J'oodstiifl'.«, Uiiip filling ili=o r i rensury with liullioilH nnd t'r»-1 c'.ueing t-ho ccst, of ' ivinp.—T nm, A THUJf, SOCIALIST,