Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Quarter of a Century.] SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1902. COMPETITION.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 7241, 23 August 1902, Page 2

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Quarter of a Century.] SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1902. COMPETITION.

"Tin* competition of employers is the safeguard of the public. Eliminate that competition and we at once place the industries of tho Colony in the absolute control of the most enterprising, most pushing, and least considerate of the employers." So writes the Ly Helton Times, the most ablo exponent in this Colony, of up-to-dato Liberalism. There is much truth in this statement, for though it may bo easy for employers to raise prices by combination and thus to secure a more easily-earned income, yet in tho long run the strong employer is built up by tho stress of competition and tho weak ono has to accept the penalty of his weakness. The survival of the fittest is an inexorable law of nature which oven legislators cannot abrogate. They may tamper with it, or impede it; hut inevitably the natural law will run its courso. The New Zealand Mrs Partington is now engaged in sweeping back the Pacific with a broom; but we know well onough what the ultimate result will bo. But, logically, can we not paraphrase tho quotation from the Lyttdton Times, and make it read—" The competition of employes is the safeguard of the public. Eliminate that competition, and wo at onco place the industries of the Colony in the absolute control of tho most enterprising, most pushing and least considerate of the employes." How tho Lyttcllon Times can advocato " competition" for the employers, and " no competition " for the workers, passes our understanding. Logically, "no competition " with tho ono involves " no competition" with the other. In Now Zealand wo have, in those matters, passed the sublime, and reached tho ridiculous. Each man is engaged in raising prices by combination against his neighbour. The maintenance of a condition of this kind is impossible in any country in the world!