The Daily News. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1912. PRACTICAL SOCIALISM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 178, 14 December 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1912. PRACTICAL SOCIALISM.

An intelligent side of Conservatism in American politics is taken to bo officially represented by President Taft, and during the recent Presidential campaign the President authorised the publication of an article in which his views on Socialism were given to the world through Mr. C. D. Hilles, chairman of the Republican National Committee. Mr. Taft's destructive criticism is framed on singularly familiar lines. He says that collective management of all industries is impracticable, because the State has shown • itself incapable of management, "Compared witli private enterprises, no service rendered by the . Government pays," he says. "Great Britain has *ever made its telegraph and telephone service pay expenses. The large majority of the experiments in the municipal operation of public utilities in every land have proved economic failures." But Mr. Taft does jiot present a purely destructive criticism. He offers as an alternative a "step by step" process, which he considers will eventually obliterate the economic equalities against which Socialism is directed. The building up of monopolies must be checked, and Mr. Taft claims that his Government has taken very effective steps to cheek the process. The iniquitous system of railway rebates which enabled great corporations to crush all competition has bocome "an abuse of the past." To prevent the acquisition of streams and water power by private owners 1,800,000 acres of laud have been set aside in State reserves, which may be leased, but not sold. The creation or extension of the coal monopoly has been prevented by the withdrawal of 68,000,0€0 acres of coal-lands from sale, and the provision that these and other mineral lands shall only be leased. The President has also •insisted that the title of phosphate lands, oil lands, forest lands and other resources, which in private ownership would contribute to the upbuilding of monopolies, shall remain with the Government. But his approval of this particular form of State ownership does not extend to the land. It was stated j some little time ago that President Taft intended to pay an extended visit to Australia and New Zealand, and if he does so he will find many of his ideals

very rudely scattered. He will in New

Zealand, at any rale, find that our Stateowned railways and telegraphs, our State land occupation and the Goversment control of many branches of transport and industry are not the economic failures that he suggests. He will find that our municipalities can make paying propositions of their tramway and lighting facilities, and that district administration of such matters as irrigation has even been proved more than successful ia some districts of New, Zealand. The tendency in the Dominion, in fact, is towards a greater conservation of transport and public services and the food supply of the community, in the hands of the State and the municipalities. This i 3 practical socialism as opposed to the academic and theoretical variety. And our history has certainly been much more convincing and satisfactory than that of the American continent, which has grown hundreds of millionaires to our none. As a matter of fact, there is only one method of breaking down monopoly, and, if we may be permitted the paradox, that is by creating it in the hands of the servants of the people. If the public services are administered by the representatives of the people, the people naturally reap the profits and the conveniences. Private enterprise, of course, is the life of the country, but only so long as it is subject to unfettered competition. The moment it degenerates into a trust or a monopoly it ceases to be a commercial benefit and becomes a menace. We can still teach our American cousins by example something in the gentle art of practical economics.