N.Z. LABOUR PARTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5467, 28 August 1929, Page 1

N.Z. LABOUR PARTY.

THE KEREPEEHI BRANCH. MONTHLY MEETING. Fourteen members attended the monthly meeting of the Kerepeehi branch of the N.Z. Labour Party last Friday evening, when an interesting paper on a subject of economics was read by Mr C. Loving and discussed at length.

Mr I.oving said that the ■ economic question could be called the greatest obstacle to the progress of humanity. Most men would agree with any good doctrine or fall in with any play for the good of humanity until his pocket was touched, when he became an opponent. There were so many evils connected with the making and hoarding of money that the question should be seriously considered. Money re presented human power, and he who had it could control human destinies, exact human service, and, in fact cause human blood to flow. All the value that it represented had been produced in a co-operative or social way, and no single man, though he worked a thousand years, could bring together by his own efforts alone the power represented by the money be may control. Fortunes were built up by the shrewdness of people who did not hesitate to appropriate from other men, little by little, the great surplus. Although this might be in the hands of a few, it was a social product and should be a social property.

The speaker dealt v’ttb the. evils associated with the love jf money—injustice, exploiting, fraud, poverty, class strife—and showed how workers for wages had been forced to organise and fight for a square deal until at the . present day there were two great powers, Capital and Labour, each waiting for an opportunity to secure an advantage over the other. Capital had so long been actuated by greed, and Labour had so long suffered injustice, that neither side was likely to be< satisfied with simple justice, but sought retribution for past defeats. While this spirit prevailed there could be no lasting peace, except that caused by exhaustion or force. After explaining the necessity of keeping desire within reason, the speaker said that one would think all professing Christians would be in the ranks of those who wished to promote reform. The facts showed the reason why Christianity did not progress. Lord Shaftesbury, working for the reduction of working hours in the mills had said : “Prepared as I am, I am often-times distressed and puzzled by the strange contrasts I find. Support from infidels and non-professors ; op position or coldness from religionists or disclaimers. Sinners were with me, saints were against me.” All of this in a fight for human rights. It would seem that at times Christianity did not Christianise, and that it was a failure, and it was no wonder the worker cried out denouncing the Churches as the enemies of the oppressed an ! the friends of the oppressor. Society must turn from petty things and put its hand to the kind of work that would bring real progress and peace. The economic system would not change without a change in the people, and progress, prosperity, and security would only come to the extent that the people adjusted themselves to right living. When comments on the paper* were invited a member criticised it as a typical economist’s address in that it pointed out the cause and the ideal, but not the means to the end. The paper spoke of strife and industrial war, and asked why the leaders of Christianity were not in the Labour Party’s ranks. In his opinion the aim should not be to advance by strife, but by education. .Another member pointed out that the presen* state, had been arrived at very largely as the result of strife, and though educat ion was undoubtedly the better method, it appeared to act so slowly. This view was endorsed by other speakers, who agreed . that strikes were, and to some of them had proved to be, undesirable,«but it would probably be a long time before their usefulness as a weapon was displaced as the result of education. Tn reply, Mr Loving said that he did net believe in fight, but if necessary he would fight. While people were content to submit themselves to any force that came along they would always be subject to oppression. He did not believe in force, but the preparedness to fight was the greatest preventive of strife. While there was poverty on one hand and affluence on the other there would always be fight under the idea that it was better to fight and perhaps win than to remain inactive and in the same state as at present. The speaker was accorded a hearty vote of thanks. Mr H. D. Jamieson agreed to read a paper at the next meeting. Many other subjects, ranging from hospital service and national insurance to the co-operative movement and current politics were briefly discussed. It was decided to procure a supply of booklets on sundry subjects connected with economics, to be distributed among members and read as a basis for future discussions.