PROFITEERING.

Otaki Mail, Volume 26, 1 August 1919, Page 3

PROFITEERING.

REV. J. CL CHAPMAN’S CHARGES. AN OUTSPOKEN SERMON. In the course of a sermon at Taranaki Street Wesley Church, 'Wellington, on Sunday evening last, the Rev. J. G. Chapman, who has been interesting himself on the conditions of the working classes, made some strong comments on tho profiteering which, he alleged, is going on at present. “There is nothing wrong in making money if you make it honestly and fairly, ’ ’ said the preacher. ‘ ‘ But what is wanted to-day is more principle in the acquirement of money more justice and human fellowship in the distribution of money. The acquirement and distribution of money that is the vital problem that is agitating j the whole world to-day. Where is the social justice in a system of government that allows the Marquis of Bute +o live luxuriously by drawing £109,000 , cr year in royalties paid on coal dug from his estates, while the men who make his fortune breathe coal-dust, destroy their lungs, and are paid a mere pittance? Where is the social justice in a system that gives bread and dripping to children whose fathers’ brawn and brain have provided the wealth that furnishes other children with all the luxuries of the luncl? “Someone may tell me of the ‘sacred rights of property.’ Who owns these liwhts? Wc have the answer, in tho Bible: ‘The wealth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof.’ There arc other riwhts than the ‘sacred rights of pro- | V—the rißht o£ tllC honest ’ hldUS ' trious worker to fair play and fair pay, tho right of the poor to hopies where they can at least have a chance of decency and health and the other good things with which this glorious world j s so abundantly provided. “During the last week we have read of two prosperous and reputable business houses iu Wellington adopting systems of profit-sharing. In all fair- | ness, wc must credit those firms with honesty of purpose in seeking to pro- | mote better /feeling between Labour and Capital. But wo all know that systems of profit-sharing uill never solve the industrial and social pro-. I,lons of our day. As the Hon. X. M. Wilford remarked only a few days ago, profit-sharing and co-partnership are a the best only partial palliatives, f c arrangement benefits the employees of the business, but it in no way benefits the public. In fact, the tendency of profit-sharing is in the direction of profiteering. It stands to reason that the employees, having become shareholders, arc desirous of making m creased profits. Tho buyer and the consumer get no advantage. “I have been told'that I should not discuss this matter of profiteering in the pulpit, that I am not an expert, am glad of that; there are too many experts.. I have been told that I have *o business training. I certainly knowmore about business and business methods now than I did before I began to discuss profiteering. The infoun.i tion that has bccu placed before me in letters and other communications would fill a book. One nian who wrote to me sard he knew personally where towels costin'" Os per dozen were being sold at 30s per dozen. I am informed that in j some business horses tho stuff that Ims deteriorated on the shelves is pushed off upon customers by the hrnl tke employees a commission to get r of it. Yesterday I was shown some gold medals. Each medal contained “ fid worth of 33-carat gold, and costas *o make, a total cost of l_s 6 - A 1 outside Wellington has sohl these medals quite recently or - * Wellington house, before 1 ‘ ’ Sied33sfor them. That was a profit of 2°s Od on an outlay of 1-s bd. it does seem incomprehensible to me that fiour ground in the south can be bought, cheaper m Aucklam * the district where it is produced. “You Tcad iu the newspapers of ai increase of 5s a week in the wages ; »< “ d p “f “t", h «” „ Innd The workers got tm money, and the public had to pay, as it always does. The small cakes formerly retailed at Is per dozen were raised to Is 4d per dozen, pics went up 2d to -Id. and block cake was in-, creased from lOd to Is per pound. These increases haye been decided upon by the master'bakers, one of whom explained that owing to the mcrcas prices of sugar, eggs, butter, and a s Lour.’ the public had to be charged more. Sugar has advanced very- slight--Eeas have not gone up lately, j Butter has not gone up. Then there £ s the increase in wages. An official of the union states: ‘I am willing to admit that the master pastrycooks arc - entitled to Some advance in prices, but not to 40 or 50 per cent, mcrease of 5s a week wages represents, on the output of a journeyman pastrycook an extra charge of less than one farthing per dozen cakes. In other words the employers pay the workers an extra farthing per dozen, and charge tho public an extra 4d per dozen., he are told that labour is the cause of increased prices. “What is the effect of such an increase on the employees? The workers will argue that they should have a share of the employers’ increased proPf This is just what has happened in Australia. A Queensland bakers' union received an increase of 5s a week in baek to UlO a further 10s per week in view ot the LSU P...SK ™ao t > h " cri f:;; "' The Lurt granted tic ,0.0,d .aJ, w The Judge said the employer, were well aide to afford it. In our own Arbitration Court the other day. dur ing the hearing of a tailoring Mr Reardon said that in ” t . h wages had not been responsible for the vast increase in prices. Eor every ditional shilling giV. cn . stated, the employer took ~ - ' is true, there is only one fitting term for such a proceeding — iniquitous.

* . / , “I have in my possession a large t'amount of evidence of profiteering. J What I marvel at is the long suffering of the public. How long will they endure this condition of things? Surely it is the duty of the Government to protect the public from these prices? The greedy capitalist s digging his own grave. He is the cause of nearly- all this unrest and ferment, and he is inviting trouble. The time will cornu when the worm will turn, and when it turns it will be found to - be a reptile with teeth.

“Tho root of the evil is the love of Mammon. The great need of the times is to give wealth its right position and hold it as a slave, not as a master, to be used for good and not for evil not for the gratification of greed, but for raising the standard of human existence, and causing to every citizen and every- child a full, secure and happy life.”