The Socialist's Selfish Outlook: How the Australian Labour Party was Affected: Socialism in Practice: Revolutionary Propaganda From Our Own Correspondent.
Sydney, N.S.W.
The present day socialist, as ex-amplified in the extreme wing of the labour party, leys special stress on the fact of receiving benefits from the materialization of his schemes of what he conceives to be The other side of the question—the giving—is totally neglected in his programme and yet real socialism contains or ought to contain both these ideas. Not only ought the socialist to say "How can the community benefit me?" but also How can J benefit the community." In fact the latter is the one which ought to be stressed the more Tae Gospet or "SELF."
We have only, however, to listen to the speeches or read the manifestes of the so-called socialists to see that the "getting" part is the only one they care about. Industry of all kinds must be nationalized, we are told, and the reason given, or at any rate understood is that the worker may receive bigger wages, work shorter hours and enjoy better conditions of employment.
Nothing is said_as to his giving better value for his money or of fitting himself to take a more intelligent interest in his task. The labourer is exhorted to gain better terms but he is not exhorted at the same time to lay himself out to serve the nation more than he is doing at present.
Capitalists have been accused of selfish designs and materialistic ideas, and in many cases the acensation has been warranted but two wrongs do not make a. right and socialism, however plausible it may appear when viewed through the writings of its theorist propagandists, is, when translated into practice to-day, as materialistic, soulless and selfish as the most blatant aspects of capitalism. Its exponents really declare that each little section of the community should lay itself out to gain all possible benefits for itself regardless of any ill effects it may produce on the rest of the nation and what is worse, without in the least considering what benefits 1t may confer on others in return for material gains.
We must not blame socialism for this. The fact is that there is nothing wrong with the creed rightly understood, but. its soi-distant believers look at it from the wrong angle. socialism demands that men shall consider the quality of their work first and the financial rewards of labour second. What it means in the mouths of present day orators is that those sections of the community which control large numbers of votes shall squeeze all the wealth they possibly can out of those whose smaller. voting power is Avsrrauian Lasour Party Crists.
For years Australia has been looked upon as the Paradise of the working man. In the Island Continent the manual labour has received higher wages than have fallen to the lot of his brethren in most parts of the world. Here trade unionism has exercised an immense power for a long time and the members of a union have as a rule been quite certain that their interests would be well looked after by their representatives and ddlegates.
Some of the men who started the labour movement in the continent are those whose names are now known throughout the English speaking world: to.quote a few, the Hon. W. M. Hughes (the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth), Sir Joseph Cook, the late John Storey, the late James Me-Gowan, Andrew Fisher, William Holman. Such men as these endeavoured to build up a stable party that should stand for a fair deal" for the employee while at the same time recognizing that capital has rights which ought not to be ignored. Labour, led by enlightened and moderate men this type, succeeded in obtaining office on more than one occasion, Loth in the State and Federal Administrations, and passed a number of laws which were for the benefit of not only the artisan classes but of the community at large.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.