THE DANGERS OF LABOUR AND CAPITAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 221, 12 June 1919, Page 6

THE DANGERS OF LABOUR AND CAPITAL

Sir,—Many thanks for the publication of my letter, which has in return pro- , duceel two most able , replies from Mr. Kenric B. Murray and "Individual." Mi. Murray's study of this vexed question dates tar further back than mine does, and if 1 aan any judge I think Mr. Murray has hud greater chances of studying than I have. But 1 being a firm believer of King Bruce's motto, "Try, try, try again," see no reason why one and alt snould not do their little bit in this great cause. I do not for ono moment doubt thai Mr. Murray is correct when he says that it is quito probabhi the cause of the state of things to-day lies farther afield than Labour and Capital. Nor do I disagree with him that our labourers tire sooner or later going to be troubled over the coloured races. I think the principal stumbling-block between Mr. Murray and I is that I feel ■"that both parlies aro to blame, while Mr. Murray contends that the trouble lies with Labour. Now, right here, I think, is to bo found the great slake at issue. To-day we stand on the brink ot a huge preefpice, and it is only by tho aid of Labour that we are to avoid going headlong over. I am convinced that both Capital and.Labour are to blame to-day, and that being so, it is up to one and all to seek to find a remedy before it is too late. Wo have just spent hundreds of millions of pounds, and countless thousands of our best men, in stemming the tide of the Germans, but the coming struggle is a much mightier ono than ever the German one has been, and being n firm believer that prevention is much better than cure, I say, let us get moving ero it is too late, and it is not by fighting that this is to be accomplished. It is by means of education of tho right sort and sound com-mon-sense, methods for rich and poor alike. It is to the picture ehows that tho multitudes go, and it must be largely through the picture shows that (his rising catastrophy is to be averted. It is coining far too fast to be stopped by fast practices. Wo have now to do as mud in a day as we, in tho past, have done in a year or more. And it is here where Capital can come to the rescue, for while Capital rules (which I trust it will always do until something better is brought about) nothing can be done without Capital. Now, Sir, would it not bo better to expend some of the capital wo havo made than go on blindly striving for more right up to the time the crisis arrives? I say,■ confidently,.that u wo put our shoulders to the wheel in tho same manner as we did with the Germans it is not yet too late; but on the other hand, if we etay our hands much longer listening,to the outcries of labour and Capital, it will be too late. We must all net at once and together. We must work and we must strive to bring rich and poor to think as they have never been asked to think in the past. We must strive to show both sides that it is worse than madness to go on as we stSncl to-day. 1 have pointed out the evils of parly government for the simple reason that it is a primary object in keeping the two parties decidedly apart, whereas I feel sure that if 20 or 30 level-headed, honest, self-made men wro well paid (say, ,Cloflo per annum each), and had to gjvo all their time and brains to tho running of this little Dominion, (and I think they could be found), they would run the country by leaps and bounds bettor than it is run' to-day, for , our politicians of to-day are too frightened of their seats

to say yes or no. They aro frightened to say "boo" to Labour, and they are equally frightened to offend Capital, and to long as this is tho .state of affairs so long will wo be creeping closer to the danger zone. We must have the country run with a firm hand that is out to do justice to rich aiid poor alike, and out to give all and sundry a square deal, and no square deal can be meted out to the public so long as you only stick to-one side. Go straight out from the shoulder, put the "Red i'ed." clement in its proper place, and in the simo breath ttriko the trusts and their like a blow from which tin 1, - , can never recover. The two extreme parties will at once see that the new game is not, as ill (ho past, making fish of one and'llesh.cf the ■ither, and the only way this can bo done is by having an Independent body of men to govern us, free to do as their brains tell them they should do to enable them to give everybody a squnro deal. It is not to be expected, that all these men would 'bo perfect, but thoy would not bo confronted with things as thoy now stand with party Government. A great deal of real good could bo done through our children, now attending school. They could easily Iμ taught the stupidity of the "go slow" policy, and equally shown the disastrous! policy of laying one's self out to take down the boss or mistress, for in the end that method only reads upon the working classes to their own detriment. Much more useful common sense ideas could be taught our rising generation that would much better fit them for their respective place in the world than many subjects with which they are crammed to-day.

Now let us touch upon Mr. remarks re the degeneration of the people of to-day. Now, Sir, is it to be imagined that wo can do anything but degenerate, for not.(i hand is moved on tho face of the earth in tho direction of breeding h better race, while in the care and selection of our animals conntloss millions are spent annually to get the best type of all breeds of stock. No, Sir, it's like the millionaire of Australia that I once heard about. He paid for a ram to breed the best type cf sheep that could be produced, while ho gave his consent for his only daughter to marry a'millionaire .with neither a constitution nor the 'build of a decent man. Apparently good stock comes l)efore good people. However, I hope the whole nation will soon reverse tins state of things arid realise that good people blessed with good health and happiness'is tho greatest good that a nation can ever possess.' And l'ow, Sir, let me point out how I think a great organisation could be brought about by joining ; all the middle classes together and weeding out the extremists of both Labour and Capital, for most folk in this little Dominion work in some capacity or other. That being so, it should be little trouble to join together air the good labourers, business men, and farmers, and with a union of this type one could readily snap his fingers at either the "Red Fed." or the extremist in Capital. Sound, just government would soon bring the first one into line, and the graduated land and income tax, properly "' applied, would soon do likewise with the latter. Many will probably say, fancy trying to unite these three classes of people! But the farmers are alive to the fact that something has to be done to-day, and "once tho business man has it pointed out to him that he has more 'to lose from a revolution than has the fanners he ' will be only too ready to come intoiine. Then, when it is clearly shown to Labour that they, too, We the- chance of losing everything if the ' methods are continued, while if they join the new body they have every chance to gain nnd little chance to lose, then they would dime in. For if we can only govern this country correctly there would be rio need for men and women to talk of being wage-slaves. A matter of a few hours' work would suffice to give us oven greater pleasures than the '

bulk of us enjoy to-day. Now, thanking you for your valuable 6twice, and trusting that many others besides Mr. Murray and I will put their shoulder to the wheel and try to stem the tide ere it is too bte.—l am, etc., F. J. RIPER. Pahiko. •