NOTES OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 227, 20 June 1921, Page 4

NOTES OF THE DAY

When a man not excessively wealthy insures himself for .£15.000 for no particular reason, and undertakes fo pay the considerable sum of Jttlfi a year in premiums, insurance companies are justified in taking precautions. The proceedings in the Smallfield case suggest that the proper time for caution is before accepting- proposals for such large amounts, and not after the insured person is dead. The financial circumstances of the late Mr. Smallfield at the time of his deafli were apparently regarded, in view of the heavy life insurance, as suggesting a possible motive for suicide, and it seems to have been mainly on this ground that the order was made by the Attorney-General for the first exhumation of the body. At the same time the evidence made it plain that if the death .was not due to heart seizure while bathing—the Coroner's finding at both inquests—it could only have been a suicide long premeditated, planned with the utmost ingenuity-, null executed with an unflinching determination that was almost incredible. At the second inquest counsel challenged its legality until the first was quashed, and also expressed the opinion that the exhumation of the body was illegal. The Coroner admitted doubts as to his powers in the matter. The body of this unfortunate man has twice been taken from its grave, a deliberate intention to defraud has been imputed to him. and after what has been mainly an exploring investigation the whole affair ends ns it began. Opinions will differ as Io how far the insurance companies and the Government, were justified in acting on mere suspicion. Most people will incline to the view that such proceedings as at Hamilton should not have been begun unless the evidence in hand was so overwhelming as to make ths result a foregone conclusion. A feature of the case—which may, however, have been due to the zeal only- of an agent—was that just before his death Air. Smallfield was being canvassed to take up another policy for .£5OOO.

A matter of comment of late has been the remarkable number of defalcations and thefts of money in the Public Service. On Saturday, two young men from different Dopartmentfl were sent to gaol for six months. A few weeks ago there was before the public a painful case in which n senior official had been able to divert to his own use no less a sum than J 13500 nf public moneys before anything was noticed to bo wrong. Cases of embezzlement have become a matter of almost weekly record of late, and few De- , partments seem to bo exempt. Thia is a state of affairs that calls for searching investigation. It argues either that there is laxity in admitting dishonest people into the Government service, or else that laxity in Public Service bookkeeping is so great that ordinarily honest persons are unable to resist the temptation to become dishonest. The public hears of the cases in which those' who "borrow” public money are found out, but there is no certainty that this is the limit of wrong-doing. Most of these people seem to hare been unable to resist taking temporary loans for gambling or speculation, and have been heard of only when the money has been lost and they cannot repay. It is to be expected also that a certain percentage have made good their deTalcations before discovery, and others may have concealed theirs successfully. No system of checking will make dishonesty absolutely impossible, but ■ tho Public Service at present is providing a quite exceptional number of cases of deTa'ciulons. It is a case in which the cooperation of all in it is needed if the fTerVfce is io retain the high reputation for probity it has earned in the past.

Is there a conspiracy to make Wellington the dearest place to live in in New Zealand? For some years past coal has been discharged in different ports from colliers by tho use of skips, or large trays, and a marked saving effected. Wellington watersiders aro under the eame Waterside YVorkers’ Federation that controls the Auckland men, and their working agreement is practically the same. The agreement permits the use of skips, and does not confine their use to Auckland. Yet when they are used in Wellington on the S'exles Line ship Alice B. Leigh the Waterside Workers’ Union executive forbid Lhl men to work her. The men themselves, it seems, made no objection, but slopI>ed work at the order of a union official. It is alleged hero that, skips are unsafe, and endanger the lives of the men. If this is so it: seems that the position is that the Waterside Workers’ Federation does not care whether its Auckland members are killed, or considers that the skill or intelligence of the Wellington men is not high enough Io warrant the use of appliances that have been found safe in Auckland and elsewhere. The real trouble,-of course, is that, it is feared that if one shipowner can land coal more cheaply by the use of skips all will be obliged to use them, and consequently not so many men will be required to work the cargoes. Labour’s complaint ia that the capitalists do not serve the public interest; but how much regard is shown for the public by a union which seeks Io loud the handling of an essential commodity with unnecessary expense and delay f

America’s decision to exact payment of the debt due to her by the Allies makes her interest in the German reparations a very real one. Europa owes the United States 11,000,000,000 dollars in

wiw loans, and the total is likely to amount to 12,0(10.000,0(11) dollars before interest payments begin. Germany is the real source from which this money must come. If the Germans, are allowed io default in their reparation payments the Allies will be so embarrassed that America will have to wait in her turn. Recognition of this probably accounts in part for the prompt intimation of the Harding Administration that it holds Germany responsible for the war, and bound to make good the damage she has wrought. The Allies have called upon Germany- to pay a sum equal to 56,000,000,000 dollars in forty-two years, and representing a present of capital value of 21,000,000,000 dollars. It is thus clear that about: half the German indemnity is required io satisfy American claims, and the balance can remain in hand with the Allies—if they ore lucky- enough to got it. Britain, of course, has large sujfis owing io her by the other Allies—indeed. most of what she borrowed from America was lor other nations whose bills she was backing. Much of this, such as loans to Russia, is irrecoverable, and more of it it is not intended to press for. All of it. however, will have to be macle good to the IJhited States. Most of the money went tn resist Germany during the period before America entered the war in April, 1917. That resistance will therefore be entirely free of charge to the United States although -she derived as much benefit from it as did any of tho Allies.

The strike-ballot decision of the British miners is unfortunate for themselves and for their country. Of the 1,200.000 workers engaged in the coal industry more than a third abstained from voting, but of those who voted 70 per cent, declared for continuing th* strike. After being idle for more thai« eleven weeks, the miners have rejected as favourable a settlement as they «i» possibly hope fog. Indeed, by their ballot decision they have forfeited aP claim to the grant of ten millions sterling offered by the Government .as » temporary subsidy on wages. On J ijne 4. Mr. Lloyd George announced that the offer would be kept open only for an other fortnight, that is to say until Saturday last. There does nut seem to be any doubt that the members of the Miners’ Federation executive anticipat’d an opposite result of the ballot, and that the position now created is du* primarily to their attempt to cast on the rank and file responsibility for thtotal failure of the strike. What is to happen now is not clear, but it seem* possible in spite of the adverse vote that the strike may- collapse. Uno of to-day's cablegrams states that the solidarity of tho federation is endangered and that many miners intend tc resume work. It is noteworthy in this connection, that although more than two-thirds of those who voted favoured continuing tho strike, more than hall of the workers in the coal industry either did not vote or voted for resuming work.