The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1925 WHEN CLASS WAR FAILS.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 November 1925, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is in corporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1925 WHEN CLASS WAR FAILS.

The failure of the class warfare in the Australian Commonwealth, as demonstrated at the recent Federal polls, has brought home to Labor the mistake it is making in conducting political ambitions along such lines. There are signs already of a searching of souls, and a new political Labour Party is likely to he horn out of the experience. In N p w Zealand something, similar is almost certain to happen. The day of political victory through class clashes has passed. Public opinion in New Zealand is organised very strongly against it. and every attempt to push the clash to a real issue has lieen met by a public attitude which left no doubt as to the ultimate issue. Practically the same issue was settled at the late elections. As the Auckland “Star’’ said : —“Briefly to what extent is the class war involved in the Labour Party’s platform and the utterances of some of its spokesmen ? In Labour's comments on the result of the elections we have seen no mention of the strike, yet Labour leaders must

know perfectly well tlint tlio strike whs a factor in the voting. TJie failure of New Zealand Labour to uphold the principle of collective bargaining, coupled with violent occurrences in Australia, and the hesitation of State Labour Governments to uphold the law, cost the party many votes. Then there is the whole question of Socialism. A party that has its its ultimate objective the socialisation of everything, a party that is strongly imbued with Marxian doctrines, is trying to obtain political power in a country where wealth is more evenly distributed than in most, if not all, other parts of the world: where more 'than half the population have savings bank accounts, and numbers of wage-earners own their own homes. How ior. then, is Socialism practicable?” Any attempt- to push socialistic ideals upon the country is doomed to failure, for it means an at-

tack on private property, and the people are not going to stand for confiscation. There is the disposition of trade unionism to wage a class warfare by means of using privileges gained under unionism against the community. Such an attempt has boon doomed to failure all along, for the masses are against such domination. It is not the form of Government the people appreciate. As the Dunedin “Star” lias said:—“The worker is at heart a believer in democracy, and when lie gets a chance of expressing himself candidly, as he does at the parliamentary elections, per medium of the secret ballot, lie may not be inclined to cast bis vote for those associated with the autocracy which lie has experienced in his particular trade union. Tt is idle for T,al>onr politicians to blame the other side’s distorfion of its platform for the admitted defection of a large number of working-class votes from the Labour cause at the booths on polling day as long as the present conditions remain ill the conduct c.f trade union affairs. 'Were those conditions changed it is possible there would also be a fairly sweeping change in the selection of candidates to bear Labour s banner at the elections." If Labour realises bow its attempted class warfare lias failed, it will take stock of the political situation, and in that sensible

action lies its ultimate salvation. Tint Labor merely as such will have always the leaning towards class associations, and in that will lie an inherent weakness which time alone may not l ine. The political cute is for a union of forces, as ill the days gone by when the Liberal-Labor party worked as a power for good. Labour thought it. wise to cut adrift, and allowed itself to lie led bv extremists who sairiticed the genuine principles of the party for socialistic ambitions, if not worse. New Zealand lias been well described as (toil's Own Country, and as such it should he the happy home of the worker and the producer. They

have equal opportunities here, and

if their efforts are directed !>y sane proposals must attain poliTicel (lower in the end. They compose the masses in the main, but it is all a matter ol

leadership. Labor lias tried tbc fmliey of the extremist and the socialist, and it has been found not acceptable to tbc voters of New Zealand. It is for I abor to look elsewhere lor sane leadership and a sober policy to serve the masses, if they wish to play a real part in shaping the political fortunes (l f the country. Such i- the situation today. to he met hv the. Labor Party with its reduced ranks and personnel. The verdict of the (mils was that class warfare has failed signally.