NEW ZEALAND SOCIALIST PARTY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1075, 27 July 1912, Page 3

NEW ZEALAND SOCIALIST PARTY.

Mr Frank Freeman, Secretary of the Wellington Socialist Farcy, gave an address upon -1 What is this Socialism?” in the Masonic Hall last night. Cr. Richmond occupied the chair. The meeting was well attended and the subject attentively listened to. Mr Freeman, in the course of his remarks, pointed out that socialism was torciug recognition ol its principles from press, pulpit, and politician after twenty years of silence. During the late German elections, the press throughout New Zealand had no word ot condemnation for the return of the German Socialists. Capital being international, a European war would have affected the financial Interests of New Zealand. The lesson to be learnt was that when the workers realised their power, the peace of the world was assured. Socialism was based upon the recognition that previous civilisations with their methods of producing goods and distributing them had passed away. Primitive communism had been broken up by the tribes making their captives slaves rather than eating them. Slavery reached a period when it was too expensive to equip armies to add to the slave population. Then slaves had to be bred. This paved the way for the introduction of serfdom. This system of production was broken up by the freemen ot the towns finding their powers of making use of their wealth restricted by a lauded aristocracy. The enclosing of common lauds, ihe forcing of the peasantry to seek an employer at all times gave the opportunity for modern capitalism to arise. This present profit-making system could no more endure for ever than the other systems. Socialism had either it or barbarism. The socialist recognised that throughout the ages, the man, the tribe or the nation that possessed the superior tool of production, froze out those with the inferior instrument of production. Hence, our monopoly with its far-reaching evils. The aim of every nation was to create a surplus of commodities for exportation. When every nation reached this point — and events were proving this to be so —then the inevitable crash ot social production with private ownership must come. China was already becoming a formidable competitor with New Zealand, in respect to food-stufis, upon the British market. The latest invention mr tiax-stripping, used by the cheap coolie labour M India and China, would be felt in New Zealand when the machines were installed hare. Mr Freeman answered a number of questions and expressed the hope that a Socialist Party in Foxtou would soon be established.