Organiser's Notes.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 3, Issue 32, 8 March 1912, Page 4

Organiser's Notes.

By E. R. HARTLEY

Good meetings at Waihi. The hall whs well tilled lor "Socialism mix! Uk , Children," whi'ii was exceedingly wtil received. J .Ixme to convince many people in New Zealand of tlu> t.rutli ol a saying J made nearly -II yours ago: "W'liii.t \w> make onr children to-day, ihe nation will he 10-morrow." I would like to have that printed as a motto, and hung in houses und public places, when i believe it would reform the world in two generations. We have tin , assistance ol an excellent orchestra. Imt nnisl have more singing. I bciieve ii the orthodox churches gave up their singing, they • wouldn't last two years. I don't want to liiirt the VViiilii friends, hut if no one el.se will take up (his singing part, . 1 must do it myself. * * * The Socialist Sunday school is going on very well and causing a lot of comment. - "* On the Wednesday I went to \Vai ; kino to heh) the newly-lormcd branch of ' the N.Z-. Socialist I , arty. Shall go each week for four weeks, and we hope to got a good strong branch going.

On Thursday w.> wen , at hake, where the stalwarts gave us a warm welcome. I'lifortunately, there was some misunderstanding about the hall, and though the ollicer in charge, of the 'IVrriloriiils dismissed them in time for us to start our meeting an hour lat<\ inaiiv people went home' — wisely, for 1 myself caught a aoUl by standing wailing in the colli air. c • *

I'm not complaining, but I want committees to remember that to ensure !j;ood, successful meetings tin- arrangements must be carefully made. Further, if people don't know there is a inn-linn, ''he\ are mil likely to I can as easily'speak to -jDO people as of), and the hall costs no more, while the extra advertising \wll pay foi itself. If you will each brinp; a non-Socialist to the meetings I'll do my very best to send them away, if not Socialists, at least thinking about it.

The best speaker in the world would bo useless to those who didn't hew him. Bring your tradespeople, and, above all, bring all those men and women who know we are wrong. A oeurteous invitation, repeated at intclvals, will do wonders. The loan of a book or pamphlet may easily someone aloujj;. Any way and every way, we've Ljot to make the people Socialists.

Last Sunday was cold and wet, yet the Miners , Hall •.fas nearly full. The women comrades could not venture with their children or we should liavo been packed. I spoke <>f "The <!reat City," thereat city of Walt Whitman's :—■

"A threat city is that which has the yreatesl men and women; The place whore a ti'.vat city stands is not the place of stretched wharves, docks, manufactures, deposits of produce merely ; Nor the place of the most numerous

population. Where the city of the faithfullest

friends When- the city of the cleanliness of tin

sexes stands. Where the city of the healthiest fathers

stands, Where the city of the best-bodied mothers stands, Where oquaimm'iy is illustrated in af-

fairs. Where children are taught to be laws to t h< '.ni selves, ami to depend on themselves, ■ There the threat city stands , "' # *

T showed how the ideal must always bo that of making the hesf kind of men and women, for if the citizens wore sound and wise, the city would be hound to be all ri-lit. The first steps must be to use all public services for the public K<J (l( li and as time went on it would be found that most of our needs should be met by public service.

Then- , is no ;ir;;aiiH'iit in favor of a nvunii-ipol \vnt-fr supply that is not <'qii;,!ly tnie >vhh to a numioipal j'ood supply. Tlioro is no reasonable pl< a in favor of public ownership of roads which does not apply to municipal houses-, livevy argument in favor of municipal ownership of trams will fit tviM-y other transport service.

Gewrally speaking, tin 1 \\ln>l<- (juf.stion of Pnhlie. v. Pii\ivti: S<iviic resolves itself i'.ito t!u ((iii'.'-tion : "Shall ,we pay 2cl. lor a» inferior article or filial] wo pay Id. l'<n a lieitcr article and better P:-i\:itf caterpriso jnca.ns. "Ho'v much can thy private -tirador make out of u.sr" Puhlii, BOJvi«o imiiuw: "How iiuii'h «in the

public sen n'll do for us! J,, I'lxjjerienee shows the hitler .neons ;i belter arti(lc at half-price. * # *

I hop-e all new lininehes who possilily can do so will send a delegate to the conference ;it 'I h< , next tlnve veins will plii.v a niosi importiiut purl in tin , history of the Socialist movement, »iul, inei<lent;i]l,v, in the history of Xew Zealand.

The I'Vdi , ration is helping to is<' the workers .ill over the Dominion, and we must do our purt in tliein to understand what So<"ia'ism is. If any Socialist is located win , re there is no liraneli and no chance of fonuiiifj; cue, lie or sho should Rend a subsciipti'Mi to the iiinds, per l< , . \\. ('ooke, ('hane<'iy liiuw , , ("luistelnu<li, at the s.iinc lime tetlinii what chillier there is for Socialist oi , the l'orma--1 ion of a branch.

I've heeii k<'pt fiiirlv ljusy so far, [ivwrai'j'nu al>o!it Tour meetings a week, ■i.nd I'm in y,ood liealth and c.ondilion. iiud full <rf work. Make the most of m<v —a year is soon over! * # *

J want us to ha\e a good conference, becau.-e it is imperative that the ;_ood work begun should continue and lie extended. Jn the multitude of counwllors is wisdom. Send a d< , legate.

I must know by Saturday. March 30. whether I go to the South Island the week after Easter or take the southern half of the North Island. Let mc h"ar from al! those who would like a visit. Borrv Road, Waihi. will find mc. * * *

I waul '.) think the. fiieiels who writ , . , mc such kind letters of cucoiinu'cw.'nt ; it is siood to know \\h"ii \our v. (irk is successful, and it is g iod to lo:>ni Iroui local friends where it can lie improved. The longer I live the more need I fee] for improvement.

Thanks also to th" fri<-nds who have sent m< , balance-sheets. I've used them in. my addresses, ami when time permits will give summaries in " The Worker." * * a FACTS FOR SPEAKERS. It is the jubilee year of the Auckland (Ins Company. The Socialist motto is "Public Service lor Public Good." Here is the example of a "Public vice for Private Profit."

The ideal of the management is noi bow Tiiilfli '.l;is ni ii cbe.ip rate can :li' ])i'o])lr of Auckland have, but — llo'v much proiit ciiti we make for tin , shareholders:* Note, the shareholders m.iy or may not be users of g:is. It would mi;;k< , no dilfereiice to (lie maim^ciii'Mil i! every shareholder 1 i\<•<•! in Wellington oj' London or New York.

Jt would make no difference to tho management if the shares were divided between the Emperor of Germany and the Czar of Russia. They would sjill try to make the biggest possible profits for the shareholders.

The".Herald," commenting on the report, says: "In every pnutical sense it (the Auckland Gas Company) is a public insiii.tition" —a statement which is one of those half-truths which Teuuvsoii says "are ever the blackest ot lies."

While gas is a public service, generally controlled by Acts of Parliament, yet if the shareholders of the Auckland (ias Co. could double their dividend by stopping the supply of gas they would quickly do so. Erom every business standpoint known, they would be fools if they did not.

The Auckland Gas (V has an authorised capital of halt' a million (L'oOO,----000), 200,000 shares at ii and .30.000 at £.3.

It has issued CI sh.>-es £'J07.61'2 Called up 17s. (id. on £.; shares 30,037

Total paid-up capital L'L'37,b'l9 It has a debenture loan of .C(>0,000, carrying 5 per cent. Against this it has a reserve fund of £.100,000; balance in hnnd, C 80.567; stores, etc.. £'02,3!)4 ; accounts dus, to company, £19,000; total. .1 1>57.901. In other words, without reckoning the amount it was paying in dividends, and without taking into account the land, the works, the 311 miles of main, and all the other things which make up the works of the Auckland Gas Company, every penny of the capital advanced could be repaid and the whole gas plant, with the land on which it stands, remain on the books as clear profit. Every fraction of thins prolit has been contributed by the g.as consumers of Auckland, in addition to the amounts paid in dividends.

1C the dividends have 1/r-eii 10 per cent, for L'-j years, this means that on every CIOO of shares lh< re has been paid' £200. That is, the shaieliol.ier lias had his money back two and a-hali times. If. in addition to this. ]r* had tho 1 - -->\.OU(I A liquid assets lie <-onld have it again. g\\ ing to the "linders of capital" their o-w.n. 3J- times over in. 25 years, and leaving the gasworks intact as a going concern clear profit. Tho amount paid in salaries and wages is startling, and should make all the brainy workers who receive salaries consider if tin. , time hu« not come for them to join the Socialists in their demand for the extinction of tla shirking class. Dividend to idle and useless shareholders, 1911: £41.446.

To workers of all kiwis, iiu'ludiug ilirootors ami sonic material: Directors, .Gi1."30: salaries, gas niahinc. £3489;

wages, do, I'GliS: salaries and wages distribution, .17878; salaries, management, £37i)!>; labor and material (public lamps), £.'}-198; total, £2">,923. This'means that the shareholders who do no woik whatever get nearly twice as niii'-b for d<iiug nothing as the workers t:f ;ili kinds in the Auckland •ja.«'.v::rks <:< ! for the work, i'liis iv :.\i llie end of liMl, ,md I '■:■!-,• are \et P'oplo v.li.i :tsk what >> onld \ ;>u do with the idler uud. v ialism.