Organiser's Notes.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 51, 1 March 1912, Page 4

Organiser's Notes.

By E. R. HARTLEY

ft "as a great pleasure to mc to see the audiences in the Opera House grow steadily larger each Sunday. Win.tithe audiences became used to my ways, we got on very well together, and I approached my last meeting with genuine regret. L-et mc here thank those friends who have sent mo balancesheets of various undertakings. Any others will bo thankfully received; those of shipping and mining companies specially wanted. Also of butter factories, freezing works, but especially ilourmills. By means of the balance-sheet of tin* Auckland Gas Co. I was able to use the. blackboard to show how, on a paid-up capital of £237,6-19 and a dc-bcntu'-e loan, of £00,000, they had in the last three years made a profit of £13;.V>51G; in other words, that five yens' profits equal the whole of the capital subscribed. One man has written to say he will never forget my lecture on Messrs. Profit and Co. He cannot quite accept Socialism, but he's beginning to think we are the only pool ].-> with any conception of how to deal with present-day things. Hurrah! If you aro beginning to think, Janes, that is all we require. "It's thinking as duz it," the Yorkshire man said. « • » Now I'm not so busy moving about I p oposo to give a special column to Messrs. Profit and Co-, which comrades win: take tho platform will find very eseial to show even non-Socialists how they are being robbed. Our trouble is that we cannot persuade the ordinary man or woman that they are being n lj!;ed. They don't believe it. Neither do they believe us when we call the v Vi age-slaves. , • « » I hr;d a good lesson in my early days as a speaker. I had been speaking on Woodhouso Moor, Leeds, to abo it, u-Oi) people. An anarchist, who con d not get a.n audience, challenged us to allow"him the platform, when he wot Id show tho crowd their foolishness. 1 was \oa;iger in those days; and believing then—it was in 1893—as I believe 10-day, that Socialism is invincible. 1 insisted on his having a show, lie g .1 «.ii the platform, and putting his thumbs in the armholes of his waistcoat, looked at the crowd with infi-iiUs scorn. "Fellow slaves!" he be-g-n , in atemto-rian tones—but that w i.: all he said. In a moment the uproar bi'gan ; not another word was he aiU ■■•■■] v> speak. A burly drayman tin -.-uea-'d to "break his sanguinary jaw ■.; !-.• called him a slave, and the mc :lii.-:_ ended in confusion. I'rom that day on I have refrained fro'ii calling the- workers slaves, only io be thought or called a liar. I have ear 'fully explained how free the workers are, and how much liberty they cat have when someone else owns tho land and tools, without which the workers t.annot live. It k far better for the workers to begin to think themselves thst they are slaves than be told they are, and not to believe it. The Saturday meeting in Karangahiipe "oad is good for propaganda, but is somewhat difficult, owing to Auckland ii.-d being a dry district. When a man has got.one or both eyes wet he is (iiiitcult to deal with ; argument is impossible. The poor fellow who pushed to the front and demanded to feel my hand to find out if I was a worker would never dream of asking the same roFt from his parson, his lawyer, his dai tor, or his employer; it is only the villainous agitator who spends his life :n i!'\iug to get the working-man to n'vh'r.itaud how to get the results of his labor power that is suspect. My litl'e sarcasm, "that some people had haul's on their hands and .some on their heads, because some people had wilt, hands and some had soft heads," hit the crowd, but missed him, though Via not without hope that ho may begin to think. On the Tuesday night I gave "A Talk About Books" in the Federal Hall. ;-V comrade was astonished that I never once mentioned Socialism, though the meeting lasted over two hours. It just didn't come- my way, that was all. But p •■■ -onson for giving such a,u address • it [ find too many of us read too b ,m ono line; wo only read books ut Socialism, and only one typo of • -c. Concentration is excellent, and cannot bo too well grounded in • ■ nomics. But there aro a few things ■ aide, Economics. Hie lovely skies, wonderful stars, the ever-living, • -•.,:•-restless, evor-changing sea. The . ely smile of a woman ; tho clear, : l"'ss gaze of a little child. The c nic love of comrades, both men and .- men. Tho bluo of tho Gulf Stream. 'b; marvel of an ancient crater. Tho , vcr-present miracle of a beautiful :,ve. These and a thousand other ' -igs are part of our very liws; and ,:■■. b'ife without a material basis on which

:o rest, they must be a failure, the workers can least of all afford to dwarf and cut down any part of their lives. I have no regret for having spent nearly the whole of the past 2U years in trying to make Socialists, but if I had, ■;,' would be because this work has taken mc largely away from my books. I must 'have taken the platform live times each week for 20 years, and this liaa meant specialising and wading of innumerable newspapers and similar unedifying things. Still, one of the best things life has brought mc hits been my love of books. "0 for a bonke and a shadie nook, Eythor in-a-doorc or out; With tho greno leaves whisp'ring overOr the street cries all about; Where. I maie rede all at my ease, Both of tho newo and olde; For a jollie good booko whereon to looke Is better to mo than goldc." This old English song fairly expresses my feelings, yet how seldom does the opportunity come. I'm no complainin', yo may ken; and in my earlier days I did a good bit of reading, though with a taste somewhat raw. I want the Socialists to widen their outlook, and to know something of tho beauties of literature and tho thoughts of the great ones gone. It will take away some of the sourness one finds at times, and incidentally improve tho language and widen the horizon of our speakers. Oh, yea! Mr. Editor, this is not an essay on books, but the Organiser's Notes-; but the life of tho ages past is so richly poured in books that I could not help noting these facts. Y\e had an hour's questions at this "Book meeting, and even then most of the audience were loth tc go. Wednesday night found mc at M««rrinsvillo. where three comrades iire keeping tho Bed Flag flying amid considerable difficulty. I appreciate the difficulties more since the meeting th.--n before it. My very much better halt suggested that such ignorance needed cutting with a knife. Well. I used the bludgeon a bit with little effect. When I found the type we had to deal with. I ran them a bit; that is, followed them and tried to make them see that to get up to ask a question, make a little speech, ask at least half-a-dozen questions, then while the speaker was trying to disentangle their questions tojmnn up and ask more questions without waiting for tho answer to the ftrat would lead us nowhere. But this merely let them get rather ont of hand, and gave a chance to a section ot the mectni"- who had shown more than once an inclination to be rowdy, to show they didn't- agree. However, we succeeded in making them think, for I heard there was a little crowd dicussing tho meetina after midnight. A curious specimen of muddy thinking was given by a reverend gentleman who prefaced his question by a compliment on what he tcnued "one of the most lucid and clear addresses he had ever listened to." Later on, in moyin«' a vote of thanks, he said ho could not understand and did not know where he was. If lie had asked a second question and helped mc to prevent another questioner from raising a second point before we had dealt with the first, we should have avoided confusion. As it was, tho rowdy element shouted that 1 wanted to evado tho question, and seemed to think so every time I tried to keep them to one point. The great objection was that I didn't lay down a scheme and tell them how much money there would be under Socialism and how much each would have. Still, it was a great time, and I hope to go to Morrinsvillo again. When you are playing long bowls, the second game is often the best. Anyway, that midnight discussion was bound to do good. • • » Thursday took mc on to Waihi. where, after speaking to the children at the first Socialist Sunday school in New Zealand, we had the Miners' Hall filled while 1 talked on "Socialism and Common Sense." It was a good, nic-et-inr, and easily the largest meeting held in" Waihi on' Sunday, which may account for tho fact that some of the religious leaders arc beginning to attack a bogey fhoy call Socialism, and are uniting i'o get a Sunday meeting of the men. "Their only hope, is in music, and we must get some better singing at our meetings. « # * I'm at Waihi until Easter., going from there to the conference. I want to meet and make arrangements with comrades who are delegates. I suggest that, from Wellington I go to Nelson, calling at Ticton if arrangements can bo made. Then forward to the West Coast, where I'm to spend at least two months : on to Invercargill and Bluff; a week at Kaitangata; Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru, Christchurch, and district to follow ; then Wellington again, and Wanganui, Palmerston N.. Foilding, Wood'villc, Pahiatua. Napier, Gis-bor-ne. » • ■ If it is thought best to take from Wanganui to Gisborne before going to the South Island, wo had better begin to make arrangements now. From Easter to the end of my engagement loaves only 22 weeks, and I've just boon reading Hyndman's letter, iv which he hopes I'll not allow myself to be persuaded to stay mor© than tho year agreed 'tpon. "By that time wo shall want all our besrt men at home," Iho writes, and I an* very proud to

think Henry Hyndman puts mc among the best. Victor Grayson assured my girls that once I was got out to Now /calami, I should never be allowed to go back. "They'll never part with you, Edward I" he said. * » * However, home 1 must go, even if we stretch the visit a month; and 11. E. Holland and my old friend Mrs. jMontcfioro insist I ought to give Australia a visit, while I'm under more than half a promise to go back via America. Some women iv Waihi say that, if I won't promise them another visit they'll never let mc get away at Easter. What is a poor unfortunate — or fortunate—organiser to do? My girls at home were wise. They said: "Let us send mother with him : she']] bring him back all right." Kismet! « * » * MORE "COMICS." What a "wale of terns" this world might bo but for the newspaper" and the politicians. Here is tarmei William, Bill Massey, telling us that his Government will be "stronger, more liberal, and more democratic" than ever tho so-called Liberal Government was or could be. 1 always thought Liberalism was a kind of yellow Toryism I Mr. Massey says their land reform means "every man his own landlord." Nothing but Socialism can bring this about, Mr. Massey. Are v<e to understand that your little lot will be better Socialists than the Socialists? Why not at once declare for Social Democracy? * c * A CHINESE PUZZLE. A powerful British-American syndicate (the capitalists are lapi'liy gelling (heir One nig Union) has i;ll'< red lethe Revolutionist Go\crnmeiit of China .LoO.lK','!) !),>() for a metope!/ el the oil and mineral wealth oi China. 'lalk about cheek! China has what :.rc known to be-the best coalfields in Ihe world, and wilh cheap Chinese labor in leys than ten years this syndicate of liritisheis and Yankees, many ol them from Palestine, would bo .get! in;: back £.",().(}.')().W'O a 'year. If only the new Chinese Government are revolutionary enough they will syndicate their coal and oil for the nation, and get more for the Chinese every year than these bounders olfer for all time. However, Russian and Japanese financiers are on the look-out. and threaten int :'iT< iem c if preference is given. Let the dogs light it out. « . » "AUNT SALLIES." One of the deadly dull, but supposed to bo light writers of the newspapers, who, writing under the name of "Mercutio," makes one think his wound is in his head and that it is both wide and deep, prints a verso of what he calls "The Song of the Socialist." He says he has it from Glasgow. Here it is; Tho Socialist creed says, in plain word and deed, No one shall have more than the rest, And each one can see —it's as plain as can be — A system like this is tho best For those who have nothing, and that is the grand. Great aim of tho Socialist plan. To rob your rich neighbor and live without labor As long as you possibly can. Chorus: Then up with that rag. The red. red flag, In its track will come ruin and pain, Yet shout and be glad, Though all goes to tho bad, We have nothing to lose, but will gain. This is one of numerous instances where a man who knows nothing of what Socialism is or means puts up a bogey, calls it Socialism, then ";ielts it about and thinks he's kicking Socialism. He is not! He's only kicking his own bogey. Then another ignoramus joins in kicking ihe bogey, waving BtieJi long cars that oven a lion's skin could not hide them. Look at the gem : "To rob your rich neighbor and live without labor As long as you possibly can." The object of all rich men is "to live without labor," at least their own labor, and Mr. "Mercutio" Herald will praise this as a laudable thing, but even " Morcutio" may, with an effort, perceive that someone must labor or none of us can live. Another .absurd fallacy is that Socialism means robbery of the rich. The rich \-~vvi nothing of which they can bo robbed, except their power to rob and exploit the workers, who build all their houses, make all their machines, and, further, work tho machines thoir own hands and brains havo created, only getting enough of the product of their labor to give them a bare livelihood, all the surplus going to the idle rich who do no labor. If it would be robbery to take from the highwayman the pistol with which ho took from you the main purt of your earnings, then we are robbers, not otherwise. # • » 'Tis post time, or I've a lot of good things. They must wait. Will secretaries and co'irades in the list of places previously mention**! write at once saying what they arc prepared to do about a, visit? "What would bo the most convenient time, how long, and at what places anywhere near them a meeting could bo held where seed could be Bown for tho future? In dv« time 'wo shall reap, if we faint not.