Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century.] TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1906. NOT UNDERSTOOD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume LV, Issue 8612, 20 November 1906, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established Third of a Century.] TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1906. NOT UNDERSTOOD.

The other day an up-country farmer said to us : "I read all that there is to read in the Wairarapa Daily Times, excepting about Socialism. That I don't understand." Yet it is necessary that both thejjman on the farm and the man in the town should understand what Socialism really means. The coming land campaign, which Mr McNab has promised us, is to be fought by his party on Socialistic lines, and it is for the people of this colony to say whether they have had enough Socialism or whether they want more.

What are Socialism and Individualism ? We will give an illustration, which even our up-country farmer friend will understand. We will say that a good little boy runs an errand for his mother, and receives a whole penny as a reward for his labours. That good little boy is an Individualist, and probably decides to invest his penny in the purchase of an apple. A bigger boy comes along, who possesses tha Socialistic instinct, and claims half of the apple. The smaller boy is mean and a sneak if he does not share with him; and, probably, in the end, the bigger Socialist boy manages to hustle the smaller Individualist into giving him the larger half of the apple which the latter has bought with his own money, and which he considers to be his own property.

Coming to grown-up men and women, the Individualist is the one who worke hard, earns money, and saves it up. The Socialist is the human philanthropist who comes along and wants a share of the wages which the Individualist has earned, and a portion of the money which he has saved up. He makes his demand on some broad ground of humanity, some pretext about universal production and distribution. Still, as the bed-rock of the whole thing, we have a Socialistic marauder wanting the savings and earnings of a more industrious man than^himself.

Why are we working on Socialistic lines in New Zealand ? Is it not because there are more lazy men in the community than there are industrious men, and tne lazy men are in a position to out-vote the more diligent men. Politicians who hope to get on in the world must go where the most votes are to be got.

Of course our own view is old-fashioned, as old indeed as the ancient record which said: " In the sweat of thy. face shalt thou eat bread." Our sympathies are with the workers, not with the agitators. We believe that a good man in New Zealand should thank God for the openings it gives its workers, rather than for the political chances which is offered'to agitators. "Under which King, Bezonian ?" Under Work, which slowly but surely conquers all things, and is the - making of a man, or under Socialism which, as far as we can judge, means the spoiling of a man ? Socialism is so hazy, uncertain, and indefinite, that it is

not surprising that plain men fail to grasp its meaning. It is our Will-o-the wisp in the New Zealand political field, but sensible men are very unlikely to run after it.