UNDER CURRENT

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17750, 29 June 1929, Page 6

UNDER CURRENT

IN THE DRIFT OF LIFE -

(By “ Seeker.”)

SINNING BY PROXY. Report of discussion on Good Friday bowling tournaments at Auckland Bowling Centre’s meeting: “Mr T- R. George (Epsom) . . . thought that playing on Good Friday made no difference to the bowling. * The few who did not play engaged substitutes for the first day and played themselves on the Saturday.”- •

To play on Friday isn’t orthodoxy— There’s the rub— The good ones never do, but if you’re foxy,

Not a Dubb, You’ll save your soul and only sin by'. proxy. j Get a “sub.”

But when in heav’n your cup of bliss you’re filling, If you smell Your sinful substitute in torment grilling—

Hear him yell— To "sub." for him you doubtless will be willing, Down in hell. « » « •

BOBBY ON MARRIAGE. Bobby Piper, paying his Saturday morning visit to Aunt Selina when the smell of baking pie was fragrant, came in singing—

Guriy locks, curly locks, wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash dishes nor yet feed the swine; But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam And feed upon strawberries, sugar and cream.

"Auntie Lena,” he asked, “is Auntie Gwen going to get married?” “Yes, Bobby.” “When I’m a man I’m going to marry Winnie—she just loves me.” “And do you love her?"

“Oh, yes,” said Bobby with enthusiasm. “Auntie, why can’t we get married now?”

“Well, six years old is just a little too young. Y'ou see, you’d want to have a nice little house for Winnie, anil carpets and tables and chairs and beds, and money to buy strawberries, sugar j and cream, and all that.” I

“Daddy could give us all that. He’s got more than a thousand pennies in | the bank—really—he told me.” i “It would take thousands and thousands of pennies, and then Winnie might get ill and want the doctor. And sometimes she’d want her mother to tuck her In."

“Oh, well, couldn't we live close enough for her mother to come over?" “And then she’s so little, you know, you’d have to help her wash the clothes ’’

"Gee, I love turning the wringer—" "And wipe up the dishes and chop the wood and clean the shoes ’’ Bobby’s love was oozing. “I hate oleanlng shoes," he said. “And I. don’t think Winnie could make nice apple pies for you,” Aunt Selina added, opening the oven doorand letting out a warm rush of fragrance. "I don’t think I’ll get married yet,” Bobby proclaimed, as one who had decided upon a great renunciation. He added winsomely: “Auntie, did you make me an apple tart to-day?

* * * • THE SAFETY VALVE. Maude Royden tells the following: A man was trying to erect a red flag in Trafalgar Square, London. A policeman came up. The crowd expected him to warn the radical against seditious speech. Instead he helped him plant his flag. An ardent patriot protested: “He’s a Bolshevist.” The policeman sagely remarked: “We better let ’em blow hoff than blow hup.

• * * * SHILLING-A-WEEK INSURANCE. The editor has permitted me to see the note from an Insurance office in criticism of my remarks on shilling-a-week insurance. The criticism is on cage 11. Naturally a company conducting that kind of insurance does not like to have its wastefulness pomted out. But it can’t be denied. Tho letter from the company states: “Were it not for the cost of the service of collecting the premiums from the policy-holders, the expense rate and the general results of the industrial department of this office would be identical with those of the ordinary department.” The expense rate of the office concerned for industrial insurance, we are told, is 8 per cent, less than the average 31.67 per cent, which I quoted. But my figures were from the Government Statistician’s report, which will hardly be questioned. If this particular company’s expense rate is so much below the average, the rate of some other companies must be very much above the 31.67 per cent. —whilst for ordinary insurance the average expense rate'is only 10.93 per cent. I have seen the balance sheets of more than one company doing both classes of business, and the tremendous cost of collecting renewal premiums on industrial insurance is there shown very clearly. In a previous note I pointed out also from the Statistician’s figures the large proportion of industrial insurances that are allowed to lapseIf one company is better than the average, others must be worse. It is very sad for the 23,533 people—poor people mostly—who in one year (1927) lost what they had paid in on their policies. However, I need not repeat the figures already quoted to show how much higher Is the lapsing rate on industrial insurances than on ordinary insurances.' But my plea was not on behalf of the ordinary insurance policies but on behalf of the people who feel that the only way they can save is by the shilling-a-week plan. I wrote: “That is the only kind of insurance many people can ever hope for” and "the shilling-a-week plan meets a need.” But we want a less wasteful way of collecting the shillings. I suggested that payments to insurance and various other provident funds might be made through the savings bank. If it became a general practice for employers to pay wages through the savings bank and for wage-earners (that is to say, nearly all of us) to allow necessary payments to be deducted and simply draw the clear balance, saving would be made much easier, and the system should cost little for ■ management. Some companies have their own sickness and superannuation funds. The employee’s contribution is deducted out of" the weekly wage, and the cash is hardly missed. The benefits are enormous, and the expense insignificant. Is it not a pity that some similar beneficent plan is not available to those whose employers make no such provision 2.-.- •