ROUND ABOUT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 153, 29 April 1940, Page 5

ROUND ABOUT

(By Aitchel) Of course when the people of Russia rose against the Czar and the minority Bolsheviks seized the reins of power that formerly had been in the hands of the minority nobles, it was said by the new leaders of tbp U.S.S.R. that henceforth Russia would be the material example io>f every man's conception of the Socialistic State. Glass distinction was to be abolished and the people were to work for one master —the State* Their reward was to be the satisfaction of serving the State, which, it was argued, was the people, and thus they were to be rewarded for working for themselves by the satisfaction that they had worked for themselves. That, of course, is the ideal. What a wonderful world it would be if everyone worked lor the satisfaction, of doing the job; for the joy of bour. There are people enthusiastic enough to do this even after they have learned the bitter lesson that it is not appreciated in this hard and matter of fact world of to-day. Greed usually takes hold of those in the position to reap the profit of enthusiasm, keenness and the detfr** to labour for the sheer joy of the (ob and while those willing to work, for the interest promoted by anil derived from their employment are content, material reward is usuaUy lacking. The whole business is vici<ius and denotes a complaint beyond mv powers to rectify—the lack of common justice. We appear to be wandering a little from the straight and narrow and it seems that we are not in accord with the usual style in this column. What I was approaching in such a round-about sort of way was the recent announcement that two thousand of the Russian Forces in the Finnish campaign have been given the title "Heroes of the Soviet Un+ Ion," despite the ban on rewards (tnd class distinctions. And the real kernel, now that we have got to it r is a proposition to institute sucli an order in Whakatane* The only drawback,, as I see it,, is that there might be as much backwash lapping the keyboard as there was last week after the treatise on the Baby Contest.

I was thinking of making Claude one of 'the foundation members for his recent bright suggestion. Apropos the report of the W'hakatane County Council's discussion on the necessity for a new cemetery, he sai*% "Now they're talking of a new cemetery, when they say that the old ope will do for another five years. If rand here he thumped the table) these chappies would take notice of ; the quarterly statistics dealing with such things, and which were published a short time ago in the BEAVCON, they would see that the death rate'is declining and probably no one will be dying in five yeaps. time'. On the other hand (he thimped the table again) the birth rate is rising, and I think they would do? better to consider the establishment of a creche." * m » * Another who merits the honour, and who would have been our per sonality of the week if we had incorporated that distinction with the new order, is County Councillor H. C. McCreacJy, who demonstrate# a sense of fairness and all that is just, when he opposed the striking of a special rate as security for the Rural Housing Loan. The grounds for his opposition were reported on Friday. » • » * Another we could recommend Is the acting-Chairman of the County Council for the stand he took in regard to the conscription question, which again reared its head. His statement that the Government is in the position to know the requirements, shows that he is not one of the local body members considering themselves part of the Government. More than a few o? tliem are inclined that way. * * * * And before we finish with the"Hero'' business it might be just as well to recall that although Stalin has honoured two thousand officers for their part in the Finnish campaign, he made no mention of the two hundred thousand who died m that effort. He has conferred no honours on them. Perhaps he considers that their ultimate destination! a Communist Heaven —will be suf- , ficient reward. ■ • * m My telephone has called me six times in the last ten minutes. It's driving me grey. In fact it has got . me knocking. Some men -have to go to the it. They are beset with a ringing in the head and ! voices calling from a far distance. v Their index fingers grow stiff ami } weave small circles in the air. (Continued foot previous column!)