The Washington herald., 1915-12-20
Scott Bennett.
By JOHN ID. BARRY.

EngGshman. 1t is only when one has talked with
him that one perceives some differences in point
of view and in accent. Like most British radicals
he takes sturdy attitude toward life. There is
nothing sentimental about his socialistic creed. He
deals with realities and he is not afraid to look
them in the face. Now in the middle thirties he
has long been before the public of New Zealand
and Australia. For long period he has been
ia kind of lay preacher in Auckland. not unlike
our own Charles Edward Russell. whose close
friend he became during Russell's visit in New
Zealand several years ago. He is perfectly frank in
his expression of disappointment that the social
and economic conditions in New Zealand arc not.
from the point Of view of the workets SO inspiring
Jas many people have been led to believe. His
comment is not unlike what heard from Rus
SELL who had few illusions shattered in his New
Zealand experience.
During our talk Bennett kept imprcss:ng upon
me the distinction between New Zealand and Aus
traia which l., like many another American, was
inclined to confuse. do you realize that New
Zealand is a week off from Australia by fast
ocean liners?" The fact had been mentioned TO me
before, not once but several times, without really
penetrating my consciousness, however, or stir
ring my imagination. "Wc have some magnificent
boats, assure you" Making that trip was like
crossing from New York to Liverpool South
ampton In the South Seas there great
world that most OF us knew very little about.
And yet spiritually it very close to us.
Through the war it was feeling the economic de-
preston that ultimately bound to affect every
civilized nation There a tremendous war
feeling out there, Bennett explained intense 10y
atty to England. Many thousands young men
from Australia and New Zealand had gone to fight,
mainly in the Dardanellcs, and among them there
had been terrific slaughter Naturally the war was
the subject of transccndcnt interest there. As
Bennett talked about it | kept thinking OF the
prophecy made by Jane Addams year ago that
the would put back those great movements for
the bettcrng of conditions that had been the most
hopeful characteristic OF the first dozen years Of
the twentieth century.
1t was refreshing to find this New Zealand
radical with SO many kinds OF interest. So often
iradicalsm even while it tended TO deepen thinking,
led to concentration on certain subjects. perhaps
on one subject only, that in itself limiting.
Bennett was saved from this disaster by his sturdy
humanity and by fondness for study along purely
scientific lines. The subjects OF his lectures rang
led from economics through rationalism and Oar
winsm. But his greatest enthusiasm, it was plain
to be seen lay in the work that had for its object
the encouragement OF a more humane and sane
civilization He had a great deal to say the
subject of the arbitration and conclliation act
which, more than dozen years ago, was believed
by the New Zealanders to he the means OF settling
in reasonable way the differences between capital
and labor. Introduced by Richard Seddon, long
New Zcaland's prime minister liberal who was
really radical. it apparently meant great victory
for labor. Designed ostensibly TO prevent waste
full strikes, for about ten years it looked if it
was an unquestionable success. Then, in 1906, the
record was broken by a strike OF some magnitude.
The next year there were twelve strikes. In 1913
IL, ,hnr rIaIt
So the act as a preventive OF strikes was not
an overwhelming success. However, it unques-
tonably did some good. Labor disputes first went
ito the court OF coneation, where, by series of
compromises, with laymen appointed by the gov
ernment acting as lawyers, about one case out Of
every five six settled. The other cases
went to the OF arbitration The investigating
included searching inquiries into the Of living
for the workers. as well as other inquiries Of an
intimately personal nature. Each new contract re-
sulting from the decision had 10 be sanctioned by
the court OF arbitration. Refusal to abide by the
decision led to punishment by fine Besides fixing
wages, the court decided the hours of labor and
many other conditions directly affecting the wei
fare of the workers. But the workers were in
clncd to be rebcllious account OF the difficulty
in getting first prompt hearing, and then =
prompt decision The laws delay operated here
as we'll as in all the courts of tradition and. as
fell much more heavily on the employed than the
employers. What seemed the most serious objec-
ton to tho act from the workers point of view
was its tendency to weaken the power TO strike.
II made less effective the weapon jealously
guarded by the workers in this part Of the world.
the force which is OF the few forces capable
of resisting tho cncroaclImcnts of capital.
The state insurance introduced by Scddon,
Bennett did not seem TO be enthusiastic about,
though he obviously in sympathy with its
purpose. Perhaps the explanation that, as
he declared, the government was careful not to
compete too strongly with the private companies,
though it maintained rates that were low. There
was also state life insurance and national prov
ident fund which helped delinquent men out Of
work terms that were astonishngly easy. 1t
seemed to that if they did not make a
very great improvement in the lot of the workers,
they represented efforts in the right direction.
They were in line with the work done in the more
enlightened countries in Europe for the people at
large and with the legislation agitated for by the
more enlightened economists in this country leg
slation still waiting for chance to make its ap-
pearance on the statute books. In listening to
this New Zcalandcr l could not help feeling that,
in some ways, we far behind the times in this
country. We knew the theories we'll enough but
we were slow in putting them into practice.
Germany's Weak Point