THE CANT OF SOCIALISM.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 2481, 16 September 1922, Page 2

THE CANT OF SOCIALISM.

“PRODUCTION FOR USE AND NOT FOR PROFIT.” WHAT IT REALLY MEANS. The Red Party known as the N.Z. Labour Party stands for “socialisation.” Wlhen pressed to say what socialisation means the members become most vague in their replies but generally succeed in affirming that it means “production for use and not for profit.” That, of course is only one cant phrase of socialism for another. It is not really an explanation at all. The Brisbane Labour paper —-the “Daily Standard” presents the matter thus : The objective of the Labour Party will compel the cane-grower to grow without profit, the dairy-far-mer to make butter without profit, the draper and grocer to sell goods without profit, the baker to make bread without profit. They must all produce and distribute and exchange without "rofit, for production and use will be the order of the day. All business people as business people will be out of a job. Parliament will be abolished and a Supreme Economic Council will take its place. In order that the present overseers, superintendents and managers may be superseded, Labmu- educational institutions are to be set up in which the workers will be trained in the management of na t ionalised industries. TOUCHSTONE OF COMMON SENSE.

It is marvellous to find how many minds are enchained with the phrases of Socialist propaganda which, when analysed, are seen to be nothing more than mere cant terms. The application of ordinary common sense will indicate that production only for direct use entails the entire abolition of our whole present system of economic ownership and control. There is only one country that has put this to the test of actual practice, Russia, and with what most deplorable results’? The Russian Communists destroyed capitalist production and exchange and we find that under their system of production for direct use the people have much less to use than those of other countries. Famine and general want stalks abroad amongst them. They are engaged in beg-, ging off the people of other lands and their leaders are pleading for the hatred Capitalists to return in order to help them out of the deep trouble they have got into. We offer this suggestion to our readers, and, specially to the wageearners, that whenever they come across the catch phrases of socialist advocates they take full time to think over just what they mean: analyse them; apply them to practical conditions; take them down from the clouds on to the firm earth ni.-d they will discover how much delusion is attached to even the most plausible sentence. (Contributed by the N.Z. Welfare League.)