MR BALDWIN ON SOCIALISM.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 September 1923, Page 1

MR BALDWIN ON SOCIALISM.

LESS WORK AND MORE PAY FALLACY.

LONDON, July 21

Air Baldwin, the Prime Minister, spoke oil Socialism at a luncheon ill Edinburgh yesterday of the Scottish Conservative Club. He said he dill not think there was any subject which they could more profitably consider than the present struggle between Socialism and those who believed with them, that through tho development of the individual and the reaction of that development on society, sane progress could best be ensured. He believed that there weie two reaseons for the interest- taken to-day in what was vaguely termed Socialism. The first was the natural discontent of those upon whom life pressed most hardly. Because of that suffering there were among the advocates of Socialism men of a fine type, who believed in the doctrine, and were filled with a desire for the betterment of the conditions of life.

“With such, men,” lie continued, “we c-an have no quarrel, except that in our view their methods will not lead to tho results which we all desire. But naturally, attached to them, you have a whole army of people who would like to believe that by a sudden transformation you can enter into a heritage where, for less work and for more pay, you will get conditions of greater comfort Ulan have ever been known in the world.

‘‘The preaching of that- doctrine as you get down to the less educated or the unemployed portions of a vast democracy such as ours must lie- attractive in the highest degree, ami its effect can only be counteracted by deliberate, vigorous and intelligent propaganda in the right direction. (Applause). THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.

Tho second tiling that had helped to popularise Socialism was the way in which the State controlled a number of industries during the war. People were saying: ‘Look wliat happened. Work was found for everybody, wages were never so comfortable.” They forgot that the work was performed at so great a cost that our children’s children will he paying for those wages and profits long after wo tire dead. (Applause). To continue that system today would land us in a bottomless pit of bankruptcy. The second point that was forgotten was that during the war goods were produced for a waiting market. Except at such a- time it was useless to produce goods unless you could find someone 10 buy them—and that was just wliat Socialism would Ik* unable to do. The fundamental fact remained that wo in this country must produce goods and find markets before we could feed ourselves. There was that direct relation between the price o.f our food from abroad and the goods wc produced. STRIKES AND FOOD.

Every hitch in the production of goods in Great Britain interferes at once with the reception of food, and is reflected automatically in the price our people pay for their food. Every strike or lock-out lifts the price of food, in proportion to the gravity and duration of it, against the poorest of our people. Industrial disputes, from whatever cause they arise, are of the nature of the most unsocial action which can take place 111 a civilised country. (Cheers). Masters and men in industry arc not only working for themselves, hut to help to get- cheap food for our people.

One of the great perils of Governmental interference was that it sapped the self-reliance of our people, which had made us what we are. So much did people rely on Government interference since the war. that the greatestindustries in the country became perfectly incapable of settling their own affairs and ran in a panic to Downing street, the moment things looked difficult. '

“If the industries of the Yountry on Loth sides prove to he incapable of adjusting their own difficulties and finding solutions for them. 1 say the sooner they put their shutters up the better.” he declared. No man could say what particular direction the continued evolution of industry would take. If we go too last we run the risk of the machine racing and the fiy-wheel bursting. It matters little if the machine is going to he broken, how it is broken, it matters little whether it is broken h.v the sledge-hammer of revolution or whether it is brought to a stand-still hv the crafty and insidious insertion of sand in all the gear wheels. Wliat we have to see is that neither of these processes takes place. (Cheers). Reckless Government expenditure would lead to bankruptcy and hit industry directly and fatally. The ideas abroad in the country to-day eould only be met, corrected ami defeated by knowledge and by work. His ambition was that the country should realise those truths, and should realise that TJnonists wore as anxious any any Socialist could ho for the betterment of tlic conditions of the people.

He wanted to sot- in the next year or two the beginnings of better feeling and unity among our people. If there wore those who wished for a class war, they would take up ihe challenge and beat them “by the hardness of our heads and the largeness of our hearts.”