ORGY OF GREED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2030, 18 September 1919, Page 1

ORGY OF GREED.

A STRONG INpICTMENT.

THE SPIRIT THAT IS ABROAD

Some months ago I -published a little book of notes on the war as I had made them at homo, and I was taken to task by a eritie for painting too rosy a picture of the national spirit and activities, for omitting what shadows there were upon (hem (writes G. S. Street - in a London daily journal). ■ / .The criticism was well founded. My explanation was in pari that most of what I had written was for a particular, purpose, which would not have been served by making

much of qualifications, and that the collection made no pretence of being comprehensive. But beyond that 1 did not, at the'time of writing, and do not now in retrospect, see any intensity of shadow. Jealousies, intrigues, self-seeking, humbug —of course they existed, but they seemed and seem to me as little in the balartCc against the courage, steadfastness, and voluntary sacrifices of, the country. There was more to be said of profiteering, which was by no means confined to capitalists and traders. Even that, however, was not much in comparison. Besides, the subject was complicated, and my pen was inexpert; in line, I let it alone.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MEDAL.

But now that the intensity of national feeling and energy has been —whether wisely or not, anyhow inevitably—relaxed, I am strongly impelled to make amends for partiality, to gratify my critic and to add a pendant to my little book. The other side of the medal rather fixes one’s gaze. National characteristics —hut lei us lie kind to ourselves and call them also human —of an inferior sort to those I dealt with before are deplorably in evidence. A very ugly figure partially obscures the light, and it is well to-have a ■throw at it, with however feeble an arm.

I would not make too imudi of what is obviously, for the mosl part, mere reaction. There is a groat deal of dissipation and extravagance, and a spirit of idleness ahroad. All this is reinforced, no doubt, by people, who have no sort of excuse but opportunity, hut in the main there is the excuse of lighting, campaigning, or at least hard work at home. Dissipation and extravagance comes to an end with ready cash, and I do not feel ('ailed upon to frown very horribly on them —so long as they are confined to this country, and do us no harm abroad. The spirit of idleness is fairly strong at all times; there is a dash of Bohemianism in the English character, which responds to it. “I ? ates work and kites them as.likes it” was the remark of a philosopher much quoted and approved in my youth. The trouble is that it should be —however naturalh —so strong at this particular time, when, if it prevails, Ive risk losing our export trade and starving, and with my reason I stand with the preachers against it; otherwise, I confess, I am not one to talk about it, as they say, and prefer to pass to something else. THE POOR PURCHASER. And that other something needs any vigour of assault which any writer may have at command. “Profiteering,” “high prices,” are complaisant euphemisms. What we poor and compartively honest people are disconsolately looking at is an orgy of rapacity, greed, and sheer impudent robbery. “Man is a rascal, and always will be,” said Byron, and Dr. Johnson believed the only protect ion against robbery, in a general way, to lie in the law, or failing that, in the fear of hell; he would not trust the-aver-age conscience.

Well, the law gives no protection against the sort of robbery from which we suffer, and the fear of hell is on the wane, and it appears that Byron and Dr. Johnston were right. Until the intelligence and ability for organisation of the rest of the community are equal to our protection we must expect to be robbed on opportunity. The word is not exaggerated. We have heard the excuses, the' cost of material, the cost of wages, and so on, and they do not cover the ground. The wretched purchaser by compulsion makes all that good, and in innumerable instances pays an enormous percentage of profit as well; in many instances he buys at. double and treble, their pre-war cost goods which the seller possessed before the war.

Dr. Johnston would say it is human nature, and happily the English have no pre-eminence in the matter. French restaurateurs soar to heights of impudence never readied by ours. But there"has been a tradition in our trading which checked

preposterous greed; there have been maxims about fair prolits 'on which' the trader of’average honesty whs supposed to act. They have gone by the board. EXCESSIVE PROFIT-MAKING. This picture of shamelessly excessive profit-making is in truth a sad pendant to that other picture of national virtue, such as I was able truly to paint when I wrote about the first response to Lord Kitcheners appeal. It-is, I am afraid, a national picture. The profit-making is so widespread; it goes up and down' and everywhere; you cannot limit it to a class.

It is not as though there were a speeial gang of malefactors on which the rest of the virtuous community could look with dissociated horror. The robbers of the community are, after all, the same sort of men, in the rough, as (he saviours of it. In some cases they may be actually the very same men —men who have done their effectual service. Anyhow, the brothers and sons and near friends of the personal, active profiteers have been serving. It is a national shame. Now, like the spirit of idleness, this spirit of profiteering, running into sheer robbery, comes at a most unfortunate moment. It is a particularly unfortunate moment for the champions of private activities as against the nationalisation of (his and that. For when they allege the comparative inefficiency of Slate officials it may ho answered; Wind good to (lie community is the etiiciency of the private trader if, as .soon as lie gels the chance, he plunders it without shame/ It is really not a good moment for the hitter to gel himself an evil repute. And those who fear the sanguinary class-war, which is loosely called Bolshevism (I am not one of them, believing my countrymen to be too civilise.d for (hat), might well add a warning to the trader when they send an .unwilling cheque. In their view he may he risking his 'life. 1 think I shall point that out when next I pay four limes its pre-war price for a bottle of poor wine or a pair of unserviceable hoots.