"What's Wrong with the World.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 11, 19 May 1911, Page 14

"What's Wrong with the World.

NOVELIST WHITEING (OF "NO. 5 JOHN STREET") INTEiIVIEWED.

'"Well," ho said, when we had found a secluded corner in the smokeroom, '•What is it that yon want?" t; I want to know what you think is wrong; with tho world/ said tho representative. "Why is there all this poverty, and sorrow, and suffering?" ; I take it," replied Mr Whiteing, '•that the thing that is at tho bottom of all the trouble is simply this—that a minority of persons get too much of tho produce of the wealth of the world and the hup;o majority get too little. Wo want a more equal diffusion of wealth. 1 Use tho word diffusion carefully and advisedly. I do not mean partition, which is'tho bugbear of the anti-Social-ists, but a series of measures which will result in the more equitable disvribution of tho yield of the labour of the world. Until that is done poverty and social misery will remain; all other things are mere palliatives. To put it bluntly, tho poor want more money and the rich ougiit to havo less; that is the whole -problem in a nutshell, and if tho rich were wise they would ,bo yhe first to face it and admit it. Nothing that you can do on tho basis of the retention of tho present system will ever bring peace or any permanent solution. Factory legislation, the feeding of hungry school children, old age pensions even, are only palliatives. Such measures oxe, of course, better than nothing, but they come so far short of tho necessities of the case that while yoxi are speculating on them there is a danger that tho root evil will be forgotten. If it were not so tragic tho existing state of our society would be a colossal joke."