THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1899.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume 29, Issue II, 3 August 1899, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1899.

Socialism is a name much used now-a-days. Many people have no very clear idea what it means. Yet it is a very powerful element in politics in many countries — notably Germany, Italy, and France. The French Ministry just lately formed is, confessedly, strongly socialistic. New Zealand, wonderful as it may seem to some, of our readers, has the reputation of being the most socialistic country in the world, and yet we believe that the bulk ,of^New Zealand people would, if told sq, deny the allegation with vigour. . This seems very strange, but the explanation is simple. It is due to ignorance — simple ordinary ignorance. We do viiot know exaptly what socialism is. We only know it is something that has lain under the bari for a loiig time, and we conclude iti must necessarily be something very bad, and wicked. And all the time we keep on passing Socialistic measures, and know it not. We propose, to tell our readers very shortly what Social; ism — practical Socialism — really means, and also to explain what are the scientific objections to the system — that is so far as the limits of our space will permit. What practical Socialism says then is this': We find in every country a small number of very wealthy persons, and a very large number of pooy, people. As a rule- the poor'people do the bulk of tlie^ hard work, while the .wealthy people -do little or nothing, 1 and, still gro'vV wealthier. That seems wrong. Why is it ?, v The answer ia ( that under modern, economic conditions, three things are necessary for the productiori of wealth, namely : Land, means o£

production, and labour. By means of production is meant machinery, railways, ships and steamers, cod'l, and everything in short that is' necessary for producing or manufacturing products of every kind under modern conditions. Now, Socialists say that land and the means of production have got into the hands of a comparatively few people, a small class or num* her of the community. - Labour without land, and the means of production is little or no use. It has no material to work on — no scope for its energies. What is | the result ? Wfiat else could be the result but that the worker? must sell their labour to the owners of the land and the means of production ? There is nothing else for them to do. They must work or ' starve. They cannot work profitably without the use of the land, and the means of production. They must therefore sell their labour to the class thai owns these things. This means that the owners of the land and the means of production practically hold the 1 workers in the hollow of their hands. Well now, a Socialist is a man who says that the State, as a whole, should own all the land and all the means of production.. There we have Socialism, in its most modem form, in a nutshell. The Socialist says that if the State owned all the land and the means of production,- all would have an opportunity to work, and the profits of their labour \yould go to, the workers themselves, and not to the- email class that has monopolised, these two important tilings.' Under such a system the enormous waste and surplus work ' that we now see every day .would be entirely avoided. Now we see ■ firms competing with . each, other which can sell tljie cheapest, and cutting down by every means in, their power the price of labour, the wages of their workmen ,and workwomen, and yet the waste is frightful.; i Huge quantities 1 "' of , goods are manufactured that' lie on hand for ever so long, and finally have to be sold to anyone at any price — of course involving gr.eat loss to the, manufacturer or the shopkeeper. Fabulous sums are spent on puffing, travelling agents, advertising, and other practically unproducing work. All this woul^l, be done away with. Only what was required would be produced, and the State would see that the worker got a fa)r return for hi§ labpur — a fair -share of the profit that he himself creates. If only what was required wae produced, > manifestly, ' feours tof labour migKt be 'shortened, _an#" manifestly also, ( 'under such a system, .th^e workers' expect very, much more, in. the way of wages thai?, they, get,} now. New Zealand "has* beep.-* travelling, on Socialistic lines," unknown probably to the bulk oft

{he people, for* some- t^me mm] The perpetual lease system, 't^B advances to settlers' scheme, tm resumjkib.n by the State of l;n|B-. estates, the old age t pensioiaH nearly all the labour legislation^^ all these are practically Sociftlisjiw measures. It well behpves u» therefore, to enquire what tti|B Socialism is, and we trust tIJB shoi'fc sketch, inadequate for AVauM of space, that we have given, ittiJH be of assistance to our readerJH The opponents of Socialism sail that the system can never succeed™ because it is scientifically unJS sound. The law of Nature is tliaM there can be no excellence -with-M out competition — that without thisM struggle for existence there conljS be no life — that when tliere is ncM battle for iife the result' is mvari^ aMy stagnation 'and death. Sos eialis,ts reply, that under thei'rl system there can be and will bs? as much competition as you lik^ but that work and a comfortable'! living shall be secured to,! every-i one willing to do a fair share ofs the community's labours, outside^ that there may be competition"] galore. And so the battle goesj| As far as this country, is cerned, it must be confessed' tha|;| the Socialistic measures do, Aot^i so far, seem to have done iiyuch l^ serious harm — in fact, rather *the''4 reverse.