STOCKTON NOTES

Grey River Argus, 11 August 1931, Page 6

STOCKTON NOTES

‘Millerton Bangers played Westport Old Boys on Saturday at Millertoia, the game resulting in a win for Millerton Rangers by six points to three. The result places Stockton, Old Boys and Rangers on a par, and consequently some keen foo'ball- will result i n the remainder of the games. The Hector Male Vo ice Choir intends, paying Stockton a visit on Friday next. August 14th, 1931. In addition to the Choir, it is expected that Miss Mftrgaret Kerr, of GranUy, will accompany the Choir to give us an exhibition of her dancing ability. M-ss Beth McFarlane will also assist in making the visit) a success. The following Soccer players represented Stockton in their game with Granity on Sunday at 2.30 p.m.:—Goal, Peggie; backs. Miller and Steele; half-backs, Pollock, Rieharson, Fiaunagan; forwards; Robertson. Brown, Anderson, Miller and White. The game was a very evenly-contested one, but the ground was wet and somewhat militated against fast play. The •Stockton goal was netted by Flannagan, who had to retire at half-time owing to an injury to his ankle. The game ended in a draw, one goal each.

The Miners’ Union Executive met on Sunday morning at 9.30, and discussed several matters of, vital importance to the organisation. .I n the ■-,b--sence of the President. Mr J. Mcßride, the chair was taken by the Vice-Presi-dent, Mr A. Merritt. In the report dealing with the recent Disputes Committee’s finding, the Unions had very few results in their favour. A large portion of the time was taken up with a discussion re compensation to injured workers, and it seems, if all reports to hand are ture, that the insurance companies are endeavouring to evade their responsibilities under the Workers’ Compensation Act. Profi's must be on the decline! Why the insurance companies are permitted to handle the business at all, is beyond any right-thinking person. Their system, or lack of system, seems to follow a squeezing process. After a I worker has been receiving compensation for 'industry, they stop payment, and force a setitement by this method. What is really wanted is a Board to be established for the sole purpose of administering the Act in the spirit in which i*- was originally intended. The case of Carmody should have been an eye-opener to any Trade Union Secretary. In the first place the widow was granted a sum in the vicinity of £l6OO. The • insurance company appealed against this because the man was injured i n doing other work than for which he was employed. Ultimately the widow lost her case and received nothing. Not so With the insurance companies. Who gets the spoils? A summary of some of the insurance companies’ profits ■will answer the question. A tabla shows the increase I in value on the amount per share ac'uI ally paid by original shareholders were as follows in the case of the companies named:—New Zealand Insurance Co., 640 per cent.; South British Insurance Co., Ltd., 1500 per cent.; Standard Insurance Co., Ltd.. 266 per cent.; cent.; National Insurance Co., Ltd., Queensland Insurance Co., 1600 per cent.; National 600 per cent.; Colonial Mutual. Fire Insurance Co., 450 per cent.; United F. and M. Co., Ltd., 550 per cent. On the amount credited as paid up they received as I follows:—13, 13, 161, 16}, 124, 10 and 110 per cent., respectively. This means I that the original investors in one com--1 pahy receive £B2 per year for every • £lOO invested, and in another case £79 ■ per year for every £lOO invested. And , this means in one instance that for ! ever or : ginal investment of £lOOO a re- | turn of £975 if*. paid,. £975 every year ‘ for an investment of £l,OOO. and 10,000 shares originally purchased for £l,OOO are worth £16,000. Just sheer exploitation of the workers, whoever they may be. And yet insurance companies are not prepared to do anything else but squeeze the workers in the majority of compensation claims. “ Money is the root of all evil,” is an old saying, and the insurance companies have managed to become fairly efficient in rooting! You can’t have your cake and eat it, is another old adage. But here again, we find an exception proving the rule. In a Christchurch paper of July 30th 1931, I,find quotations which should interest the housekeepers on the West -Coast. If it were possible,,a trip to the. “City of the would do their eyes good, to see meat marked at such low prices. Meat quotations are: —Mutton: Shoulders, 4jd per lb; stewing chops, 3d; rib chops, sd; legs, 6d to 7d;; loin chops, 7d. Lamb: Fores from 6d per lb; hinds, from B}d. Beef: I Shanks, from 3d per. lb; brisket, from! 4}d; gravy beef, from sd; skirt steak, from 6d; shewing steak, from sd; ribs, . from 7d; beefsteak, from 7d; sirloin, j

from Bd. Living on the Hill is very much more costly as. far as the above items are concerned. In fact there is a great disparity in prices between Stockton, Millerton and Denniston. There is very little co-ordina-ion as far as prices of commodities to the consumers i n the various localities. The chain store system seems to be getting a footing in New Zealand, and I suppose it is only a matter of ini'?, when wo shall see chain, stqres-in other lines opening out. As Marx pointed out, the small shopkeeper must inevitably be forced back into the ranks of the workers,, by the ever-increasing development of wealth in‘o fewer ami fewer Biands.. Tliere seems to be quite a hubbub over the various happenings in connection with the commodity production, etc., in Russ : a. lye are told that lumber camps are conducted by slave labour, forced labour, etc. Some of our New Zealand unemployed could do with some forced labour at the moment! It is better to be forced to .work, than bo forced to starve. But, I forgot, Mr Forbes has stated: No one will bo allowed to starve in New Zealand! But, I wonder. The Prince of Wales has been guilty of the ineffable crime of selling cattle to Russia! Mr Stanley Baldwin, ex-Premier of Britain, his < ■' .

I been denouncing the Russians for i dumping goods into Britain. That was a political form of eye-wash. On the industrial field his firm was dumping goods into Russia—and if, paid them to do so. They made a profit by so doing! Mr Bernard Shaw was against the Bolshies a few years ago. IT. now sings the'r praises, and, incidentally tells the British workers that. they should bo ashamed 'of themselves fe’ n not emulating ;tlic Russian workers. He states, further, that, Stalin is head and shoulders above any ic statesman in the world. llowevm-, time is a groat ally on the side of truth. In spite of all the conniving of capitalist governments, the Russians are plodding along, with the hope that the ingenuity of man will overcome’ all difficulties in the path of progress, and that this earth will be remade as beautiful as the fabled Eden—-an earth where poverty will not exist, where crime will be reduced to a minimum, where man shall not have property in man, where wage-slavery has been destroyed for ever, and where the commonwealth of the future, will, after all the countless struggles of suffering mankind, be q reality. To the day!