Evening star., 1923-03-21
SOCIALIST PLAN.
VOTE POSTPONED
Parliament to Get Another
Day of Debate on Snow
den's Proposal.
BOOSTED BY LABORITES
Would Supersede Capitalist System
By Order Wherein Labor
Would Be in Saddle.
BY the Associated Press.

ny the Associated Press.
LONDON. March 21.-The test be-
tween labor and the government over
Philip Snowden'S motion for legisla-
ton designed to supersede the capt.
! tallst system by a socialist order has
oeen postponed to allow another day
OF debate after the Easter recess.
Last evenings discussion found the
government solidly supported by all
parties in the house except the Ia
boriteS. The debate was largely aca-
denic. and there was no unusual in
cident. Many of the most prominent
labor leade"S were unable to take
part. having gone to Paris as dele
gates to the socialist conference on
the Ruhr situation.
Says Capitalism RcsponsibIe.
MIR. Snowden, asserting that capital
Ism and not socialism WAS called to
account. said that the existing order
had failed to make the mos, of produc-
tive power and natural resources.
He suggested that the condition Of
the people could hardly he expected
10 improve, in view of the fact that
between 1874 and 1908 the income
rom capital had increased twelve
Told. whereas Dor had been reward
ed only by 10 per cent increase in
wages. He asked how system could be
defended (which. while claiming a.
monopoly OF the function of finding
employment is unable to find work
Tor million and a half mployed."
MT. Snowden reminded the house
that the labor party in parliament
mad grown from four members to at
least l40 members. He added that
tpS
efforts.
The significance of Mr. Snowden's
challenge is that he. with j. Ramsey
Macdonald and other leaders of the
party. belong to the independent la
Dor party, wtich is the socialist wing
OF the parliamentary labor party and
mum berS eighty out of total of 142
labor members of the house. This
wing represents, however. not revo-
iutionary socialism. but rather what
Is generally termed intellectual So
cialism, aiming at gradual socialism
Wage Increase Cited.
In the course of his speech intro
ducing his motion, MIR. Snowden said
that between 1874 and 1905 wages
had increased by only 10 per cent,
while incomes received by those who
made no contribution by their labor
had increased twelve fold; therefore,
he was justified in saying that under
the capitalist system an Improvement
tn the condition of the people could
not be expected
Mr.. Snowdens motion having been
seconded, Sir Alfred Mond moved an
Independent liberal amendment set
ting forth various reasons against
socializing industry and asserting
that existing evils can and must be
remedied, not by sudden and revoIu-
tionary changes, but by a wise and
beneficial economic policy, which the
Amendment outlined. He admitted that
Mr.. SnoWden had delivered q very
carefully reasoned and. clever speech,
but had failed to show that under
the socialist system no such evils as
complained of under capitalism would
occur; the speech was a formidable
Indictment. not only of the capitalist
system, but of civilization from the
creation of the world
Capitalism had been the system
almost since the world existed. The
world was imperfect. Did Mr.. Snow
people to the level of the stupid?
The key Of industry was manage
ment; it was impossible to carry on
the industry of the country through
could not be organized by such a de-
partment on any national scale which
would give increased efficiency, but
rather the reverse.
COnscriptiOn of Labor.
If everything was to be made by
the state, would the labor members
be satisfied with one state news
paper, and would their wives be sat
isfed with state-made blouses?
Socialism meant conScription of
labor, it was contrary to every in
stinct of human nature-an illusion.
He challenged Mr.. Snowden to prove
that he could deliver the goods.
Sir Philip Lloyd-Greame, president
of the board of trade, replying for
the government, said the ministers
would be glad to meet the main is
sue raised in Mr.. Snowden's speech
in the house and on every platform
in the country. The motion was i'm
possible en- two grounds--economic
and physiological. If the motion We're
carried into effect it would result in
foreign capital which had come to
England, because of security, being
sent abroad, and industry would
suffer.
The debate was adjourned.