SYSTEM OF SOCIALISM

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 3, 27 September 1937, Page 2

SYSTEM OF SOCIALISM

"A Practical Policy" MR. BLOODWORTH'S VIEWS ' ' Hocialism^ is a practical policy for New Zealand, and because oi our relative isolation from the. rest of the world, our size and our resources we are perhaps among the best able oi the nations to adopt that policy for our-( selves," said the Hon. T. Bloodworth,' M.L.C.. in an address to the Econoitiie Society in Auckland. Mr Bloo.dworth, who made it clear that he was expressing his own views, not those of the Labour Party, spoke on "Is Socialism Practical in New Zealand?" Socialism, he said, could. be brought about through a system of State control, by voluntary aceeptance and cooperation, as was being done in the Scandinavian States, oi' by a combination of the pxinciples of voluntary cooperation and State control. It was the claiin of socialism that society was now able to produce sufficient to. assure to everyone a secure standard of life in accord with modern times, Mr Bloodworth continued. The standard of livmg he had in mind could be provided under present conditions for an average family with an income of £500 or £600 a year. The Year Book gave the • estimated total income of all individuals for 192526 as £140,000)000. Assuming it to be the same now, with a population of 1.573,000, and assuming four persons to a' family, there would be 393,250 families. That number of families equally tlividing the £140,000,000 would each receive £356, or £144 less than the standard, If production was planned with the object of satisfying the needs of the people, not with the object of gaining private profit through the satisfaction of those needs, Mr Bloodworth said, then it appeared that most of the waste and loss which now occurred could be avoided, and production . increased to . make available the :extra £144. There would be no avenues for private investments in goods or servicea to be used for the purpose of making private profit, Mr Bloodworth added. The means of production having been socialised, investment would be by the community. Surplus funds could be banked with the State.