The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-11-26
BY WALTER THOMAS MILLS.
Especial Correspondence,)

Especial Correspondence,)
ROCHDALE, England. Oct. 25.-
Briton Ferry is a typical Welsh manu-
featuring town Some Of the things
it Is doing will become typical of
many towns. =; -
The Socialists are great power in
the town, and they are very soon to
become the power of the town.
Some of the methods for gaining
and holding public power are worthy
of notice and Of imitation.
They adopted the plan of making
canvass for voters, not votes That
Is, they said, we do not care to be a
football knocked about between other
parties We do not care to be factor
or annoyance only. If We can get
votes enough to elect we will name
candidates In each ward as fast as we
nave voters enough pledged in ad-
vance for their election.
Then they adopted a similar idea
In the matter of selecting candidates.
No candidates are named by caucuses
or conference, or by a majority vote
Of those pledged. No candidate was
admitted to be candidate unless $50
names were on his paper, pledging
their votes, not only for the party, but
for this particular candidate -Four
hundred votes elect in most Of the
wards.
Elected Before Election Time.
The result was that the first man
named under this plan was elected
and the method of his election made
MIN at once a strong man on the
council. Every new man since nomin-
ated has been nominated in the same
way. He has been elected in every
instance and has become a power in
the central body. denominations are
secured in the same way; that is, $50
names must again be on the papers
IN order to become again the party
candidate.
The opposition has a very healthy
appreciation of this program. It is
coming to be understood that when
the Labor party dominates, a nomina-
ton Is equivalent to an election.
This Welsh manufacturing town is
close to the day when the whole
power of the city government will be
IN the hands of the workers. Already
things are happening.
A little while ago I was speaking in
this aggressive city, and I had care
fully argued that all the great mono
polized Industries could be purchased
by the public, that the purchase would
never cost society anything as COM
pared with payments now made to
private monopolies, but instead the
public would be making money, all
the while the purchase would he
being made. =. .
How Glasgow Bought Street Railways
l had explained that the monopoly
price now being paid is so much in
excess of the cost Of production that
This excess could be cut in two, one
half devoted to the purchase, the other
nalf be saved at once to- t1epurchas-
ers. had shown how Glasgow had
purchased her trans (street cars) by
an issue of bonds and then paid off
the bonds out of the earnings of the
trans, while at the same time the sys-
tenn had been greatly extended, the
service greatly improved, the work.
ers given shorter hours and better
pay and the car fare greatly reduced
while all this was being done.
The people had not paid as much
while buying the trans as they would
have paid if they had not bought
them and they had gotten g. better
service for smaller fare into the
bargain.
When had finished a gentleman
in the long gallery at the side asked
a question. He said: ''Mr. Mills, you
have argued that we could buy all the
monopolies, that it would cost US