Social Unrest.

Observer, Volume XL, Issue 9, 1 November 1919, Page 8

Social Unrest.

Paper Read before Auckland Farmers' Union,/Ootpber 3rd r 1919.

(By F. W. PEDDLE.)

THIS matter requires immediate attention, and a solution of the trouble must at once be found. The spread of almost universal knowledge of literature, and the rapid means of transit of goods and ideas, together with the ever-grow-ing demand for pleasure on the part of the people, the acknowledgment of all men and women to share in the Franchise, has brought about the ever-rising: demand "for the full results of wages, labour, and a derision and abhorrence of the rewards of intellectual labour. W r agos: Labour have witnessed the ever-growing Capitalist system creating Monopolies for the exploiting of the people, to secure the natural products, such as coal, oil, and minerals, without effort in many cases. The banding together of. a number of Capitalists to create a monopoly in food and necessary articles. The creation of monopolies is the means of transport and distribution Of products vital to the requirements of the people. The bringing about of great trusts securing the monopoly in manufacturing of articles of essential use. The securing of the freehold ot large landed estates for a nominal sum, and the ever-increasing value by the advance of population desiring the means of livelihood. These monopolies have created in the minds of wage labourers hatred to the capitalist class. Many thinkers believe that the wage-labouring class has decided to destroy society, as it finds it has nothing *to gain arid little to lose by the present system. The wage labourers number approximately 80 per cent, of the people, and our Government cannot ignore their claims and requirements. The world has furnished us with examples of similar Empires to ours, where wealth has accumulated as a result of the expansion of the authority of the State, notably Assyria. Greece, Rome, and Carthage. All these have left us. a legacy of their history and downfall. In the case of these States wealth ran amuck, so to say, no extravagance or license was too great to be attempted. Life had little value to the wealthy so long as it did not interfere with its pleasures. On the other hand, there was little for the poor to gam, and still less for them to lose, so the people became besotted with immediate pleasure, and indifferent to the future of the State. The inevitable result was they were overrun by the more numerous and virile inferior races. We should see an object-lesson in the fate of these States, which will be our ultimate end, unless we set our house in order before it is too late. We see the dry rot of a declining birthrate, and the love of pleasure and license growing, also the accumulation of great wealth in a few hands, and the increasing difficulty of the poor to get what they consider their share of the wealth of the State. These are sure indications of the end of our civilisation unless we immediately change our ways. The love of pleasure is natural to women and men, and all are reluctant to labour any longer than is absolutely necessary. Undfr, our system of Government there are awards for nearly every class of employment, setting forth how many hours each day the employee shall labour, the holidays they must receive, and the wages payable. These awards enable the employee with our more rapid means of transit to congregate for pleasure and amusement several hours each day, but there is n« award for the Mothers of the Nation, as: to how long they must labour to preserve the - most precious of the State's assets, "Infant Life."

In the present faniily home life the mother, :. a where domestic help is unobtainable", is almost practically a drudge. She has to be on duty for the needs of the family the whole twenty-four hours. The natural result has beeny mothers have joined the happy throng of pleasure hunters, and decided to curtail the family, or have none at all. This is most noticeable, in the wealthy class, and the great nujmber of moderately wealthy are fast on their heels, while the wage labourers have now taken up the" same attitude.

At the same time,-it is seen that family life is little curtailed in some of the most undesirable of our people. To this must be added the greatly increased labour and cost to keep up the family. Our system of education demands from the parents the sending of their children to school until they have attained the age of 14 years; they must be well clothed and fed, while books and part of the necessary stationery have also to be provided by the parents. This is a heavy drain on the labour and resources of the parents, which did not exist years ago, and has brought about the doubtful wisdom with poor people of increasing the family under present circumstances, besides which the modern economic system of how to live must also be considered. Such conditions must forcibly bring to the minds of many, "I thank God I am not as other Men." This, is the main cause, in my belief, of the great social unrest. The parents of families are the principal sufferers under our modern system of civilisation, and are the great movers of commotion. The Dominion Year Book records that in the year 1878, taking 1,000 married women as an example, between the ages of 15 and 45 years, which may be considered child-bear-ing ages, the birthrate for each 1,000 was 327. In the year 1896 it had fallen to 252, and in 1901 to 244. In 1906 to 243, 1911 to 227, 1916 to 189. In 1886 the percentage of children under one year per thousand of people was 31.73. In 1916 it was 24.57. The Year Book also records the percentage of illegitimate children born as per 100 of spinsters between the ages of 15 and 45 years. In the year 1890, 3.30 per cent. ; in 1901 it was 4.57; and the 10 years from 1907 to 1916 show 4.34 per cent. It further records the marriage rate as having gone down during the above periods from 8.82 to 5.84. We see this rapid decay steadily growing, and destroying the vitals of our race; for instance, the effects of this terrible cancer. The concensus of opinion is that had France kept up her birthrate, the great war would not have occurred ; at least, not so far as the British Empire is. concerned, bringing with it, as it did, awful suffering, appalling misery, and enormous financial loss to the State. America felt that she was perfectly secure when she poured forth her volume of song, "I did not rear my boy to be a soldier," but before long the great war faced her with the fact that her policy would have to be in the opposite direction, and that she would ultimately need all her best and finest manhood to protect herself. We see the industries of our own States crippled and retarded, and the development of our land kept back for .want of population, and our Dominion in an" almost defenceless state for want of sterling women and men. Our land is being steadily invaded by an inferior coloured race, I ringing contamination to our peopTe, and seeking and receiving the employment arid reward that should !;o to sustain ourselves and our loyal no-

ble-natives. There is a steady influx of .males of the poorer class, bad in physique and intellect, which mix with the dregs of our own society, and if this is allowed to continue must result in a steady lowering of the status of onr people. At present this undesirable class occupy a large number of light occupations that could well go to our brave soldiers, who are partty incapacitated. Years ago this class sought to win wealth and return to their own country, but there is now a growing tendency on their part to marry white women, or get them to live with them, and we see with no pleasure the progeny. There is no justification for their presence. The State is only encouraging a "pet lion" that will grow until it destroys us. Let us nip this enemy to our well-being before it gets too strong. In South Africa and the United States they realise they have been too generous in this matter, and are now, when perhaps too late, endeavouring to remedy it. In the United States we see the growth of a great race hatred, and with it occasional flames and the slaughter of lives, which may lead to appalling directions in this respect, and strike at the root of our civilisation in the States.

Across the seas we hear of the teeming millions of people ever growing more greedy for the wealth and enjoyment that the world offers to those who can get it. Have the past four years shown us that the sword can be welded into the ploughshare? Can we say that the spread of our Christian religion has enabled the "Lamb to lie down with the Wolf?" Is it not true that the great war has been fought out with the most ferocious instinct ever exhibited by any people of whom we have any history? This terrible war, Aye are told, was started to enable the victors to annihilate and confiscate the liberties and property of the vanquished. Does the future hold out to us any hope that the greed of the people of the world is likely to be any less? I think everyone will agree it does not. We, the British race, have done more to carry into effect the great words of the Scriptures, "Peace and Goodwill to Mankind" than any other people. In doing this great work, we have given protection and security to many lands and people under the Union Jack. We, and our possessions, are the envy and object of greed on the part of a large number of the people of the world, and our large empty spaces in the Empire are looked on with covetous eyes, and we see other nations growing in great numbers and armaments, and the spread throughout the world of the idea that it's steel and numbers to carry it, that has a chance of getting a nation's ambition, and enable it to keep those things which it loves and values.

Are we, the British people, doing everything possible to preserve to ourselves the great heritage of first our own fair Dominion, and the Empire that our forefathers handed to our safe keeping, and for which our soldiers and sailors so bravely fought and suffered? I think the answer is "No," we are not doing our duty. Wealth is too covetous, and the poor desperate, so our House is divided against itself, and apparently it must fall unless we earnestly join hands, and by peaceful legislation so place the good of the State above temporal gain of class or individual.

The remedy for this sad state in the decline of the birth-rate, and in the brain, bone, and muscle necessary to preserve to us our own Homeland, seems to me to be in an equable treatment of the hours of labour for both sexes. Such seems impossible under our present system of family life, and in the State and Christian Church, realising that the end of our nation is in sight, unless a remodelling of the doctrine that in the home of the parents lies the only possible place where the family can be successfully preserved.

The Christian Church was brought into being about 2,000 years ago, when conditions of our economic life to-day were not foreseen, and there.

fore no provision made. The State at present provides the primary education, and a limited amount Of technical knowledge, wheh is 'of first importance for .fitting the child for its life's duties; but it must go further than merely education; it must help to sustain, or wholly sustain, the child in the case of poor, people during the years of its instruction. This can be done by the State erecting Educational Homes, where the child could be received, by the parents offering, maintained and instructed in educational and technical knowledge free. The children would have to be there long enough to receive the whole benefit of the course of instruction, or at least till they attain the age of 15 years. The parents could have reasonable access to the children, the latter to have certain stated holidays at their own homes.

In the homes of the poorer of our citizens thje struggle to nia'jntain the family, and keep up ordinary decency and appearance, is an almost unbearable strain on the parents. In many cases the parents have given up the struggle as hopeless, and we see the result in the least undesirable of our people. This unfortunate class often fills- our Magdalen Homes, Reformatory Schools, Gaols, and Mental Asylums, becoming a charge on the State, and through their inter-marrying, bring down the standard of the people. Many valuable lives are also lost to the State by the want or neglect to apply the principles of Hygiene.

A Mother has very little opportunity to supplement the earnings of the Father to keep the home. During the great war women have shown what a large part they can take in carrying on our industrial organisation, freed to continue this most useful work, it would add enormously to the productive power of the State. The Mother of a family is much more productive than an unmarried woman.

The great benefit or organisation is seen in our Industrial Institutions, in our Schools and our Hospitals, where method and obedience to order is enforced.

By the application of these rules it is possible for one person to do the labour of several, and by the establishment of Educational Homes on these lines, one woman would be able to do the labour of many. This would free a large number of men, now doing light employment, to engage in the more manly work of producing the primary products, and enable the Mothers, who should be the most sacred of the people, to more evenly share the enjoyments and pleasures of life.

The wealthy of the State should not object to deny themselves of some of the luxuries they enjoy to provide the necessary money to assist and maintain the most valuable of all—the Life and Very Existence of our State.