On the Labour Problem 1903

Lecture by E. T. Kingsley at Meeting of Socialist Party

Labor hall was filled to overflowing last evening at the regular meeting of the Socialist party, when a lecture on “The Labor Problem” was delivered by E. T. Kingsley, of Nanaimo. After a song from the Socialist song book, a recitation from Mr. Oliver, and a few introductory remarks from Chairman J. C. Walters, the lecturer introduced his subject by going back to the beginning of man’s history, and showed how he evolved from his primitive state to the so-called “civilization” of the present day. He showed how empires grew and fattened at the expense of the chattel slave, how the Babylonian, Grecian and Roman empires thrived, and exerted their lordly authority always at the expense of the worker. After chattel slavery came the feudal system where they worked a part of the time for their feudal lord and a part for themselves. When, however, the feudal King George III, attempted to exercise his authority on this Western continent the oppressed colonists soon gave him to understand they were going to run their country their own way. Society has evolved since then to the present wage system which the Socialist party is organized to abolish. In the earlier part of this century the wage earner was little known. In the private ownership of all the means of wealth production lies the root of all the misery of the worker.

What shall be done with the tools of wealth-production was the question the wealth-producer had to solve. To own the tools collectively lay his only salvation. This is forced upon the workers owing to the social character of the tools of wealth-production. Being social in character they must be owned socially or collectively in order that those who operate them may enjoy their benefits. The Socialist party had the key to the situation, and was organized into a class conscious political body all over the civilized world. The Victoria Socialists were affiliated with the other comrades at Nanaimo, Seattle, New York or Berlin, knowing no national bounds.

At the conclusion of the lecture, a song was very ably rendered by Miss Amy Kneeshaw, after which questions were asked the speaker.

Next Sunday evening G. Weston Wrigley will speak on “The Evils of Government Ownership.”