CORRESPONDENCE. THE FALLIAC OF SOCIALISM A. AND P. MATTERS

Otaki Mail, 10 May 1922, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE FALLIAC OF SOCIALISM

A. AND P. MATTERS

To the Editor.

S>ir, —At aii evLi-ueceiciuttug rale, on Uiji plalloriii, in Furliamem, ana in tne press, manors affecting the genera 1 wefi-bemg ui Uie community owain precedence over aii otiiera. May i, through lire medium ui your paper, be imowed Lo aeai wim cue oi liie matters, to wit, Socialism, and try to point out liie iallaey oi its doctrine “We are an socialists now,

de dared a great sUitesmau many years ago, and i! iic tueaui iliat men of alt parties nowadays are keenly anxious to mipfuvi social conditions and recognise more fully that men cannot ditest Uiemselves of all responsibility lor their leliorvs, his '-e----mark is perfectly true, n we. rank as .-ocialists every man with any leeltrgs of pliilautlirophy, or any cfitliiisif sin lor life betterment ol tne .at of mg toiling masses of tfie land, die number is large indeed, socialism, say ns advocates, is silently permeating all schools ol thought; and, even while >v.e inveigh against its advent, it is a'ready upon us. Individual espousibility is coj stantiy being dimiuished, -collecU.e ' responsibility -s cor=d.ntly being augmented. And i Sir William Ilarcourt had meant that, one or other ol the systems ol society intended to dispiace that based uumi 'private property and individual comi pet:ticn, claimed us all as adherents. I lie would have erred, for, separated I from what is 11 ere declamation and i rhetoric as appropriate to the tem--Ipe rnre reformer, the essence of cm- • cial -'m is: (1) Tim collective admirnstratio i of all rent and interest, so that to ilie individual accrues only the reward of his labour ol hand ci bravi; and this reward is assessed and made effective by certificates showing the amount ol labour rendeied, which certificate on presentation at the Government warehouse would release goods pioducd by an equivalent amount of lobaur. the distinction between wages and profit and rent would disappear, for all wouid be ss’aried officials of the State. i~) The control by the State of all instrument.: of produ.l'on and distribution within the community. The collective authority of the State to be substiti.lorj .for the actions of capitalist em, oyers. Socialism would impose on an already over-weighted Government duties which need, not alone ! per red wisdom and absolute omniscience, but also the most unquestiou,ng obedience, active and passive, « n t the p' rt or those wlio compose the I sqatc. We may leave one side the elo--1 quence spent on Uie recognition I fraternity, and the universal obh.iralion of personal service for the common good; for these are equally con--1 siskin*, with the capitalist system anf pror'ibly quite as liltelv to be foum. therein. We may, for instance, be exit we.refuse 1o treat as serious argument, the picture that Henry George paints or one single collect, vv ist aim, the nationalisation of land, tor raiher the appropriation of rent bv the simple. effective and piratical method of taxing rent at twenty shillings in the pound. As another mean? towards tins end,

onp bram'li of Ihe Collectivists adv»v,tp -tlie i'iii>'fl extinction of tbe av lionnl debt,” and when tire ma«v thousf mis who heartily approve >' settling debts a.- speedily ns may oe, along with the many thousands vbo have invested their modest savings m Consols, inquire as to the method o ndainuip that desirable end, they dm it is a very simile one. It is an ?,■- like that for which Charles il. * iustlv held up to ignominy, the chc.i ling of the nation’s creditors by ti.e rep. diation of its debts, since it is a preposterous assumption that one gem eJaUon should te hound by the da > * of predecessois.” His rnailta ' t 0 ii ink that such dishonest pf'd'"«a!s cannot command the adhom.ee ( of manv who have really grasped then A m ‘ti ling and their certain resnim. Tim mere advocacy or such b> a j W h-m people took seriously, would , 0 .i eke security and shatter credit that industry would perish. f the time becomes ripe for tbe m I to enter into its sphere as tbe univerI sal Icndlord, tbe universal manufacture.” and the universal shopkeeper, I che land would have become wil.l-?i-ness and the capital old iron. Most I men who at first have been led away bv the eager cries of visionaries proclaiming a panacea for all ids or suffcr'ng humanity have probably, deeper study of the problems involved. become in eyes of m ■ old comrades “los 1 - souls, like Mi John Burns. Like bis. their palmodes are frequent and most entertaining. U was a really dehghtlul stroue of irony 1c make that gen .. man President the Local Government Board, and so responsible for the thriftless of England. Lor it was he who assured the Trades Union Confess at Norwich that “thrift was invented by the capitalistic rogues w beguile fools to destruction and deprive honest folk of their diet and their proper comfort.' I tru- • - • that 1 may be allowed to continue tJ.iletter in a later issue of your e1 ' I u by doing so I am able to set a ide I some of the arguments used by thwho advocate Socialism with all itJ I attendant evils. —l am. etc., ‘i il attenaam e raTIONTS.

To the Editor

sir —I am sorry that your report of the meeting of the committee of_ the Horowhenua A. and P. Society, nela cn the Sth of April, should so annoy Mr Sisley as to so far make him huger himself that he should call the members of the committee and myself who do not see eye to eye w >'h hint, such names as “extremes ou- Mr Siffley is quite right when he <nvs that it was "on the motion of Mr TuHV that the disqualification turtle Hawke's Bay Association of a certain lady was endorsed, but be does , not give me any credit that. <uter further considering the matter coming to the conclusion that the tetm

oi disqualification was earner severe, 1 ueuiucu to aan me nieumig io a now rue, with tne consent oi me seconuer oi me original motion, Air neaiey, to iiate me motion resciiiueti anu me disqualification reduced lo two years by the Horbwhenua a. and I‘. so- ( ciety. • i Now, sir, Mr Sigley siiows just licre where ins sense oi jusnee conies m, , as lie tries to make the public believe that pressure was brought io near I upon me io make me withdraw my I original motion. If that was iiis idea j oi iorcing me, 1 am afraid lie made | a very great mistake, and had i lied , any idea that sucii a thing was con- | templated, 1 would have ret tire original motion stand and asked-to have n rescinded later on, and would have defied Mr Sigley to' get it altered, as, he was deieuted on the Slh ol April, after gathering, in all the supporters lie was able to get to attend the meeting, although live who voted lor ihe original motion were not at the meeting on April 8. Mr Sigley goes on to state a certain young lady who has been a teiy prominent figure in the show ling thoughtlessly made a breach ol ibe regulations by competing in a ciass at the Hustings show,'for which she was not eligible. Now, sir, 1 will show how easy it is to be thoughtless, according to Mr Sigley, and will quote from the letter sent to our so--1 ciety by tire Hawke's Bay A. and I*. ' secretary. The following is the paragraph:— “Before the competition doubt was expressed as to whet tier the lady hi question was eligible to compete, and the steward in charge drew her attention to the conditions, bui she i assured him that she was eligible, and on that assurance she was allowed to compete, and eventually

won. II was owing lo a subsequent inquiry that the information Burn tlie Marlon- Society was obtained, ami it. was in view of the fact that the lady deliberately competed 'n a maiden competition, knowing at the. time she was not eligible, that ni> committee took .such drastic action.- ’ Now. Mr Sigley heard this letter read, but I doubt if some ol his supporters did, and then lie tries to tell ns Hint the lady “anted thoughtlessly" i|p also admits Hint acts such as there deserve some punishment, ami I think it would be interesting to have some idea of wlia.t- he considers a fil punishment for a deliberate act of this sort. If one A. and P. Society is not going 10 help other societies in putting down these corrupt practices then all I can say is good-bye +o the proper control of all shows held in tills country in the future.

Well. sir. I am going to give Mr| sigley a little bit of advice, and llial j K when lie is beaten on a motion, to 1 take his healing gracefully, and not ; insult those who are opposed to him in such matters, and also not to go about talking lo the man to itie street about, what happens at cmr different ilieeings. 1 think, sir. in fairness to myself, il would have been more I, ,nest of Mr Sigley had be stated (bat it was not so much a matter of \ justice to the lady as a good >• picjl- * p.niiy to try and get one on to Mr' T illy. If Mr Sigley has any grievance J a rainsi me. and has anything lo say, | I hope lie will come lo me openly and ..y i|, as I would do so Io him. Ap<>- J I .,,,isim• • for taking up so much ol I vour valuable space.—T am. etc.. {Y TELLY. 1