Q AND A

Industrial Unionist, Volume 1, Issue 8, 1 September 1913, Page 2

Q AND A

Q. : Is the I.W.W. out for Socialism ? It must be either for or against it? A.: The worst type of so-called Socialist politicians, seeking only to discredit the 1.W.W., are heard to say “ the I.W.W. is antagonistic to Socialism;” what they really have in mind is that the I.W.W. won’t waste time on their political reforms, death-bed pensions, etc.; because industrialists criticise such side-tracking they will say the I.W.W. is out to “ smash Socialism . ’ ’ The I.W.W. aims at establishing a society where the workers will together operate and own the industries ; where things will be made for use and not for profit. This can onty be brought about by the workers gaining control of the means of production, and the I.W.W. points out the way: Organisation; the fight in the industries for more and more of the product, and for more and more control of conditions, until, finally, the workers will give the ex-em-ployers an equal chance to become producers. If that is Socialism the I.W.W. is for, not against it.

Q.: How does the N.Z. I.W.W. stand on the question of de-central-isation ?

A.: To answer briefly: There is a conflict of opinion on this allimportant question, with a-grow-ing section in favour of de-central-isation. The workers alone can settle it. Circular charts have been published, but only as an attempt to concretely show how the growth of Capitalism is grouping the workers in the industries, and to provide some basis for organisation ; such charts are anything but final. Also we must beware of paper-constitution worship. If it were possible to have a perfectlyformed organisation with a perfectwritten constitution, without an intelligent membership and a fighting spirit, it would be merely a corpse. It would seem that some centralisation and attention to form is necessary for the otherthrow of Capitalism, the danger being in an uneducated or apathetic membership. It is a complex question which we hope to have more fully dealt with in a future issue.