THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1901.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 131, 2 April 1901, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 1901.

Many months ago we published an article setting out the arguments sometimes used in favour of a scheme whereby the State should supply to the people the various necessaries of life, such as clothes, food, boots, etc. The idea was that the State should establish a shop or manufactory for some specific article where people could obtain this article at a fair price, avoiding middleman’s profits. It was argued that the State, not being desirous of becoming wealthy by the sale of its wares, but only desiring to supply people with a good article and to pay fair wages, would be able to do business much more satisfactorily to its customers than could the ordinary shopkeeper or manufacturer, whose main object is simply to make money for himself. Since we wrote, explaining these ideas, events have marched rapidly. The Government has, apparently, actually resolved to go into the coal trade at all events. It has been determined to obtain a coal mine, and, presumably, any one who desires will, in a few months, be able to buy coal from the Government. When we think of the advantages the State has in a matter of this kind, when we remember that it can command the capital necessary for the venture at 1 or 2 per cent, cheaper than any private person or company, when we consider that little or no advertising will be necessary, and little or nothing in the way of commercial travellers, that no profit is looked for and that there will be no necessity to pay any big rents, certainly it would seem that we ought to be able to get our coal in the future very much cheaper, and that, in addition, the coalworkers can be paid very much more than they now receive. If this should turn out to be so, we imagine that the-great majority of people will hail the innovation

with pleasure. The latest step in the direction, of the State supplying its own requirements is, vve hear, the estab.ishment by the Government of a manufactory for 1 t lilt ring purposes. There has j for a long time, been trouble in some places over the volunteer | uniforms. Sometimes these were made in the celoify,^.sometimes they were impbfctedlf • util last year there was a duty on the imported articles, but last session a clause was inserted in one of the Acts taking off this duty. Then there arose an outcry from the manufacturers. Here was a deadly blow struck at local industry ! Here was the working man’s Government deliberately helping to throw large quantities of work into the English market instead of keeping it in the country! On the other hand, the volunteers said it cost about 10s a uniform more if made here, and sometimes, too, the local article was not so good as the imported. We understand the Government proposes to solve the difficulty by taking the matter into its own hands. The Cabinet proposes to set up a tailoring establishment to make all' these uniforms and do whatever other tailoring work may be that in this will be produced* as „qan be got from Homo, and at a§ cheap a price. It is to be hoped that this will be so. To extend the State tailoring establishment so that it should supply ordinary clothes to civilians as well as uniforms to volunteers would not appear to be a very difficult or even dangerous step. The elimination of the middleman’s profit is a point on which much stress is laid by social reformers. In every .town you can see men—even in Waimate you can see them—growing wealthier and wealthier year by year, by stepping in between the consumer and the producer, buying cheap from the latter "slid selling dear to the former. These middlemen produce nothing. They are no benefit to the community except to facilitate exchanged,’ and yet, spine of them we fitid growing so fat and -pros-' perooa.oa their knack of tioyihg

cheap and selling dear, that thejr manage to get almost the whole community, if they be hard' working people of moderate means only, into their clutches financially. Well, why should not the Btate undertake the exchange business, for that is practically what it means, at cost ~ price ? If this suggestion: could * be practically carried out it would mean a great boon to the people of the country.