IS SOCIALISM TOO GOOD OR TOO BAD?

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 54, 22 March 1912, Page 4

IS SOCIALISM TOO GOOD OR TOO BAD?

Sir Win. P. Hartley is a jam-ina-kor at Liverpool, in England. I don't mean that Sir Wm. rnakce jam—you could

hardly expect a knight to do anything like iliat- 1 mean Sir Win. cnij>U,ys oilier people to make jam, pays them a Jut lr.ss than tlifir labor is worth, then sells the j a 111 for a lot more than it is worth j and thus gets n lot of prolit nnd rich. He is really a pro-iit-taU<T.

Sir Win. is very pious. From hii (■■OMimenciiii!; business lw has given 10 per opnt. <>i' tin , profits 1o the cliurohei lor t'iKi lsuiUliny ol oliapels an J floaring of tk'bts. otc. To the <'<'oi!oiiiic mind it would seem that if Sir Win. had U.l per cent, less lor tlie jam, thiv iani-oatcvs could qtiito as easily li:>ve built their own diapels aud kept .:lear of d<-bt—lo per cent, on your jam to .cet it returned for your ehapei semis ratlier a clumsy way of getting your own money 13ut, you see, Sir Wm.'s were £ifts wi'h a jiurpose. They were good for Itadf\ for the ehnpel-n;oers bought a lot of lii?—that is, his work-people's— jams, and Sir Win. <j;ave so many of I'he peonlr's 10 pej- rent*, back to tie people tint Kdward l\io Seventh made him a knight.

His Kniu;lil!iood lias lie<>n talking about. S<xi-ili.sni. Says h< , : "Much wan said m some quarters in praise of Socialism, but to those who wej'e tempted to think that Socialism was a cure for labor troubles he would supgest that Socialism as generally understood, namely, that the of production, distribution and exchaiv , :" .should bo taken out. of the hands of the personi at present responsible for it. and piaoed in the hands of the State, would not work. Tin; theory was excellent, but; th.-'v reckon with human nature as it is. If the nation were composed of aiu'vls. the theory of Socialism would have a much better chance in. practice."

Paste this in your scrapbook, or. if a speaker, put it amongst your not-eg, and when someone telH you Socialism is wicked and would make the world .1 bnil place. toll thorn that Sir W'm. Harlley, a pillar of tiie church and one of the most prominent Christians in Europe, says that. Socialism is not too bad. It is too mood, and only fit for angels. Now, where are Bishops Julius and Redwood? "J'is not that Socialism is not good for them. They ar* not enough for Socialism.