The Go-Slowly Policy

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 12622, 19 November 1908, Page 7

The Go-Slowly Policy

TO THE EDITOB.

Sir, — There seems to be a general desire for progressive legislation although some desiro to go slow for fear that anybody should be injured or vested interests_mterfered with, in rescuing the victims of pie will readily admit that the workers our present industrial system. Most peoand industrial classes do not get a fair share of the wealth they create. This surely is an injustice which should be remedied as quickly as possible. Why j should the victim continue to suffer by a go-slowly policy. Those who preach this are mostly in comfortable circumstances, but let them look at the matter from the "under dog's" or "drowning man's" point of view, and they might then perhaps be inclined to hurry up to the rescue. Some think that the people cooperating or their Government or representatives should not compete with private persona or industries without giving compensation. Such statements assume that private individuals ought to stick permanently to the same traders and not deal where they please, or even supply their own wants. It also assumes that the trader that supplies us has some sort of permanent right to demand continuance of our custom, which may be described as the goodwill of his business or ve*.teu interest. This is absurd, and is clearly so when viewed rationally. Any person or pe-rsons or the people have a right to supply themselves. But some ask what are those whose businesses are spoilt by the people or by Government competing to do for a living. We know what happens when the Government allows the trusts to combine and throw numbers out of employment. The trusts take and hold the profits for themselves, but if the Government do so they would have the profits in trust for the people to supply and provide for them and could reduce working hours or prosecute useful public works or industries which would assist to pay off our debts. There would be no need to fear want of employment under fair progressive legislation, but while capitalists hold the land and means of production the workers are powerless individually to better their condition and many of necessity drift into parasitic lines of business. J>ut with the means of production and the land freed the workers could grow food and manufacture a surplus to exchanee for the comforts and necessaries they could not produce. This brings ua to another point. Some say that we as a community must borrow money or find gold currency to provide work for the unemployed. What a fallacy this is. Cannot we work without money. If anyone said we could not get money without work it would be nearer common sense and practically true, for it takes labour first to create or develop wealth and even to make coin or money. No amount of money can of itself create wealth. What could we say of the settler or farmer being on the land who would not grow any crop or do any work because he had no money. The same applies to a community. We could easily employ ourselves or our own people without gold and adjust our accounts for work done by simply paying for it with our own bonds and making them currency Tike bank notes instead of discounting them ou the London market and paying interest. This plan would also solve the immigration question by solving the unemployed trouble. But while touching on immigration I would like to ask, does it of itself cause lack of work? It certainly should not do so. People who come into the country want houses, etc., and cause work. Test the matter by sending half or even a moderate proportion of our population away, and we would as certainly find a lack of employment and business stagnation. The larger the community the more the work. If any person works honestly for their living how can they injure the community. Every man who comes here with money to exploit labour is usually considered a benefactor but is really a schemer or speculator who hopes to make the worker to a greater or less extent his slave and hopes to get rich on wealth obtained by the labours of others. The root of the evil is the worship of the God represented by gold. We are gamblers, each one trying to get more than he earns and our laws assist the strongest to crush the weakest. Although some may get more than their fair share by scheming and speculating other people have to do their own and the gamblers' share of work or they would not all live and many have to go short, although bountiful provision has been made by an all wise Creator, or by a natural source. Like with the totalisator you cannot collectively get any profit from it, for what one gams the other loses. Our present social and commercial system is quite different from honest co-operative work where all- would work to produce wealth in some form and each receive full reward for his or her share of services rendered according to their value or necessities. Under such conditions it would be necessary to work only half the time we now do to obtain the same average results. Hoping these remarks may set others thinking and some abler person to take up this important subject, and thanking you for your valuable space. — I am, etc.,

HENRY TURNER.

No-License Prayer Meeting

TO THI KpiTOR. Sir, — I notice that the No-license party are holding prayer meetings at which they record their gratitude to Almighty God for the success they have obtained in ruining a number of their fellow-men in exchange for a very questionable reform. What I should like to ask is, supposing the party had been badly beaten, would it have passed votes of no-confidence in Him? I think it would be logical to do so. — I am, etc., ANTI-WOWSER.