WHAT IS WRONG WITH LABOUR?

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10284, 20 May 1919, Page 6

WHAT IS WRONG WITH LABOUR?

To the Editor "N.Z. Times."

Sir, —Mr James O'Brien made a point, and some admissions. Tho admissions would, naturally, be against himself—so, also, was the- point. He went through the Bible in order to find an appellation for his people, and found it, and very few will feel any inclination to dispute its correctness. In the term Philistine we find a wealth of light on the hidden moaning of the dark unrost that troubleth the modem Israel. Labour leaders, instead o/ lending: a hand toward recuperation after the war, occupy themselves blowing bubbles of hot air. with which to buov themselves into, positions of monocratio ppwer over constitutional government. Their aims are false. Their methods are wrong, air Wright is moving in tho right direction with his motion, but the schoolmaster abroad is the pressing essential at the present juncture, and. the cables have had several references recently indicating that conterences arc taking more- the form of didactics than discussions, and the first thing Labour has to learn is that wages don't exist without capital. If they want more wages, they must make more capital. Efficient labour is always worth face value. Non-efficient labour is a drug on tho market. The deadly trend of Labour movements has been in tho direction of exalting non-efficient labour and casting down efficient labour. Then, while the wage-earning question looms largo, wage-spending looms larger. This is new ground, but if it were examined the discovery might be made that a community benefits mora hy its spending than its earning. The man who rams £lO and spends it in twoup, beer, and billiards is as the man who buried his talent in tho ground, while the man who treats his family well, and puts tho overplus into useful investment, will soon find himself in a position where ho will want to say "To hell with Labour loaders." 1 don't mean to say there should not bo Labour leaders at all, but Labour must be led along tho lines of economic law, and no one is doing that in our midst. At Home there are some of the right sort apparently coming forward, and it is within tho range of obvious possibilities that their numbers will increase. HENTtY B0DLK1".