The Wanganui Chronicle. MUNDAY, APRIL 12, 1948 A HOUSE DIVIDED

Wanganui Chronicle, 12 April 1948, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. MUNDAY, APRIL 12, 1948 A HOUSE DIVIDED

is a doctrine which some men hold with deep conviction. It is based on a material conception of life. Those who have a materialistic conception of life, that is men who want to get on at anyone clse’s expense, who want to make a fortune at no matter what cost to the community, are Communism’s allies. They may be vociferous in their denunciation of Communism and Communists, but that is only because the doctrine that is denounced would mean a transference of wealth from one section, which happens to include themselves, to others. One of the most outstanding stupidities of life in New Zealand is the way wealthy men monopolise the directorates of public companies and never give a chance to a younger or poorer man. This scramble for office and power, which is characteristic of today’s unintelligent operation of the capitalist system, would continue under a Communistic setup of society, but the power would not be acquired or inherited wealth, but ability to influence the few who are in office and by the further ability to gain the support of the many. The motive being material it eannot be regarded as more desirable in the one case than in the other. The menace of Communism is the menace of selfishness, and the elimination of the Communist menace would not mean the elimination of the same disease under another guise. It is as well to remember th’is simple •fact.

The weakness of Communism, as opposed to unintelligent Commercialism, is to be discovered not at all on moral grounds but on a purely economic ground. Communism is not as efficient as commercialism, with all the faults of the latter. A system is to be gauged by its accomplishment and its prospects of achievement. The commercial system has much to commend it. There is no evidence that a centralised control of the community can achieve more and better results than can the free play of the market. The Communist, however, wins success by pointing out the defects of Capitalism, while there is no body of men similarly engaged in pointing out the defects of a directed enonomy, and the actual and real benefits of the competitive system. The chief weakness of the capitalist system is that the privileged are too selfish to act intelligently. The Communist is at a disadvantage in that he can offer no concrete example of the success of his doctrine. Russia, after a quarter of a century of effort—disregarding the effects of the war—and with a flying start due to the repudiation of its national debt, has been able to ♦provide no startling and favourable comparisons with the West. The problem of want has remained acute throughout the whole period that the Communists have been in power in Russia. The people have had to be buoyed up with promises of a beautiful future.

In an effort to secure converts in capitalist countries, the Communist seeks the aid of adverse condition. Unemployment is his chief ally and when full employment obtains his tactics are. by promoting industrial unrest, thereby robbing the community of the benefits that should result therefrom. The wealthier the working class becomes, the poorer chance has the Communist to secure its conversion to his doctrine.

In the two years and more since the cessation of hostilities New Zealand should have been making speedy progress towards a higher standard of living. In too many quarters, however, sections of workers have been non-co-operative in producing the goods that would make men’s wages more valuable in terms of goods. This wrecking of the production programme has been good Communist tactics and it will continue to be so until Communism’s ally, POVERTY, stalks hungrily throughout the land. Those who welcome such a state of affairs will find it easy to blame others for the harvest of want for which thev have sown.

The owner of a business is too often spoken of as an employer, whereas the truth is that each worker employs himself. The business man,provides the individual with opportunities to employ himself. lii the Communist State the commissar tells the worker what he shall do, where he shall do it, and what he shall get for Ins work. The worker may have little control over the provision of work in either a capitalist or Communist set up; but under a free system he can choose his employment, whereas under a Communist system he must accept work assigned to him under conditions not of his fashioning and from which employment he cannot absent himself. The protest is to enter the class called the Saboteurs, and sabotage in the Planned State is a capital offence. The compulsion of Communism is more complete even than the compulsion of slavery.

The Communists have made a bold bid to get control of the State of Queensland, or at least to disrupt it to such an extent that the workers will, in. desperation, turn to a Communist set-up. This challenge has been met by the Government of Queensland with the result .that the air has been cleared and the influence of the Communist has been dissolved. Does not this experience point the way for New Zealand?

There is today in this Dominion a small body of determined men who are working against the wellbeing of the community, lheir success has been phenomenal because they have been allowed to succeed. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet is alive to the Communist menace and the Government is endeavouring to cope with a situation which demands a direct acceptance of the challenge. The Labour Party is not wholehearted in support of the Cabinet. The Federation of Labour actually finances a strike agxinst the Government in the interests of a Communist disrupter, this treachery to the Government is remarkable and reveals more than ever the precarious nature of the Government’s position. , ,| IC at * 011a J I’arty has announced its willingness io support the Government in its combating of Communist disruption. While the National Party is wholehearted in its support of Mr. Fraser and his Cabinet, the Labour Party is not so. Such a situation cannot long continue. The Government will have to meet the situatlon ’ ±° r a house divided against itself cannot stand. The Prime Minister should put the issue squarely to the Labour Party and if it is determined to split into fractions then Mr. eraser should make sure of the details of the support that he can coimt on from the Nationalists and then make his decision and adhere to it.