Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-24
BRITISH LABOR PARTY
BIDS FOR LEADERSHIP
Manifesto Calls for Naturalization
OF Railways, Land, Mines and Pro-
ductlon OF Electric Power.
"REvoLUTIoN IN nee"
Arnold Bennett, Writing About lie,
marknble Document, ID e nj Il
Educational Reform-Einds Fault
With Teaching Of History.
DY ARNOLD BENNETT.
international New. Rurnanl

international News Burcau.l
mere mas Just been !ssued publica-
ZION OF frsc-rate Interest and hrst-ratc
social Importance which everybody can
afford TO buy, which everybody ought
l" read, and which almost everybody OF
average intelligence would read with
pleasure. il Is serious, but not dull ::
short. but not scrappy: broad. but no,
superficial. II concerns the individual
lives OF all OF w. Yc, undertake that
II you went into IA booksellers shop to
buy it In ten cases out OF twenty the
bookseller would not even have heard
Of II. in nineteen cases out OF twenty
he would not have 1t in stock. in fifteen
cases out OF twenty he would not be
able to supply it without delay OF from
four to seven days. Tens OF thousands
Of people will not read this publication
simply because they cannot get hold of
X easily enough. Its price Is one penny.
II may be obtained from the Offices Of
the Labor party. No. !. Victoria street.
S. w. /, London. Its title Is Labor
and the New Social Order" And it f..
draft report on the Reconstruction
policy OF the Labor party TO be sub
mitted to the Nottingham conference.
hope this is clear.
The document, however. is more than
report II amounts 10 a manifesto
Of the whole policy OF labor. And as
tho official manifesto Of "A political
party II is, in my experience, unique
II any other modern political party has
ever issued statement OF aims com
Dlete, or halt SO complete. l should like
10 see IL. for l have not seen H. Nor
have ever seen a party manifesto OF
any kind which exhibited at once such
courage. such statesmanlikc vision and
such technical ability as are here dis
played The Labor party has set pace
IN propaganda which seems likely TO
spread eagle the field" And I should
greatly like 10 know what the Liberal
party is going to do about 1t.
AS tho pamphlet is in itself able cS-
ample Of compression. II ia extremely
difficult 10 summarize. Who can make
an extract of extract OF beef? ] must
therefore, he content TO indicate rather
man 20 state its contents. They are
divided under four heads.
The mrs, head IS the Universal En-
forc.ment Of National Minimum
Mage" This principle has been nib
b.cd u. IN al! Kinds OF acts. and the
exceptions to it have hitherto been
scanda!ous The Labor party is out TO
make 1t universal and. incidentally, to
make proper conditions Of industry uni
versaL 50 ;nat every citizen willing to
,ork shall have. in good times and in
hAd t!mcs the requisites OF healthy life
and worthy citizenship. The principle.
~ course. involves the prevention o..
acknowledgements by the state. and when
the stA.c fails in such prevention. state
insurance against unemployment The
manifesto pcrcriycs that the first pinch
viii come with rehabilitation, and Il
gives special attention to a policy OF
rehabilitation. pointing out that on
this grave question the present gov
eminent has formulated no plan and
come TO no decision, and neither the
Liberal nor tho Conservative party has
apparently deemed the matter worthy
o. agitation"
CALLS FOR DEMOCRATIC
CONTROL OF INDUSTRY
The second head is the Democratic
Control OF Industry" and under this
head are demanded the Immediate ma
Humiliation OF railways. mines and the
production Of electrical power; 10 be
followed BY the naturalization Of land.
and later by the progressive elinina-
ton" OF the capitalist individual or
Joint stock from the control OF in
dustry." The manifesto makes the de-
mand largely on the gro OF the need
OF scientific organization wards an
increased productivity and u anreven-
ton OF waste due TO "a jostlins -owd
OF separate private employers" APP
prehend that the Labor partys troubles
will gather chiefly under this head. for,
as capitalist said to me the other day.
Capitalists are very adaptable" They
are. This section is full OF suggestive
sentences. For example: There is no
reason why coal should f1uctuate in
price any more than railway fares.'
And indeed there is not. Also: The
people will be extremely foolish II they
ever allow their Indispensable indus
tries to slip back into the unfettcred
control OF private capitalists. who are.
actually at the instance OF the govern
ment itself. now rapidly combining.
trade by trade. into monopolst trusts.
which may presently become Is ruth
less in their cxtortion as the worst
American examples"
The third head Is a Revolution in
National Finance" This simply means
the--heavier taxation OF all incomes
above the necessary cos: OF family
maintenance; that is, suppose. above
the universal minimum demanded un-
der the first head and increased duties
on mineral rights. land values and in
hcrited estates. In phrase. as TO the
last: The National ENchequer should
normally be the heir to all private
riches in excess of quite moderate
amount by way OF family provision"
The manifesto rightly foresees severe
Eshting in the struggle to prevent cap
!tal from inseniously Juggling the
nfter-war taxes on to the shoulders of
the laboring masses. In every way up
10 now capital has succeeded wonder
fully in this sleight-of-hand
The fourth head Is the Surplus for
the Common Good" This section deals