Dear Sir.
Letters to the Editor mlist be clearly written on one side of the paper-only and where a noffl-de-plwne is used the name of the writer must be included for reference purposes. The Editor reserves the right to amend or withhold any letter or letters.
WHITHER BOUND HUMANITY Sir, —Because a British Officer states that Hitler came to power through the support of the wealthy class that does not mean the statement is true. All over the world socialism has been supported by the masses and opposed by the upper classes. Hitler was the leader of the German Workers Socialist movement
and lie rose to power by the vote of the masses. It is true that Thyssen came to his support in 1929. It is also true that in N.Z. one wealthy industrialist and publisher played an important part in bringing about the return on the Socialist Government. It is just a$ stupid to argue that the upper classes in Germany brought about the return of Hitler as- it would be
to argue that the farmers are the backbone of the Labour Party. Mr Smith questions my statement that there is only one power which the people possess over government and that is economic- power which lies in individual ownership plus the right of the individual to plan what he does with what he owns. Perhaps if I had stated that the wider the. ownership is spread the truer and. fyc-er the Mr Smitji, might have seen the correctness of my statement. 1 will readily agree that ownership is not spread widely enough. When economic power is widely spread no one has any real power at all. As power is progres r sively restricted to a smaller group it is intensified and when it is tralised as under socialism then it
becomes absolute and despotic and it is because of this that socialism is the most reactionary force. I will agree with Mr Smith that all industry and production should be. for the benefit of the people but f am fully aware that under state ownership or control production falls, prices rise and the people stand in queues. The control' is; for the benefit of those controlling. If private ownership is retained under State control which means the elimination of free competition then a system of monopolies is created and industries exist not for the benefit of the people but for the benefit of
the owners and those' employed in the industry. Production and industry can be for the benefit of the people onlj r under the competitive system which can only function under private ownership. Mr Smith is surely not serious when he suggests that there is no unemployment in a socialist state. Hitler and Stalin both used the socialist method as to employment. The latest authoritative statement is that the number of Russians in
concentration camps is 20 millions.
The most obvious fact in life today . is that tile nearer we approach to T socialism or state planning the more ; chaotic conditions become. It never • seems to occur to people that as a result of state interference oyer a long period with economic machinery we have created our unemployment problem, our housing and coal problems and are rapidly moving in an era of shortages with the prospect of spending a great por* tion of our lives in queues. This
became the daily life of the people# of Russia, Germany and Italy under? State control. Production which we had once solved is now our major problem whether it he houses, coal or any of the other numerous things we now lack. It is in the production of things that employment is found. The standard of living consists of the* number of things available to the people. Poverty i s the absence of tilings. For a long time now we have been devoting most of our time to devising ways and means of pren venting people from making things. If we do not scrap our socialist ideas
we will not only deprive the people of the right and the power to change government by peaceful means but will move to a lower standard of living and condemn millions to dip of .starvation as has happened in Russia. Yours etc., M. DARRAN.
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 37, 8 January 1946, Page 4
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712Dear Sir. Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 37, 8 January 1946, Page 4
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