Dear Sir,

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 24, 13 September 1946, Page 4

Dear Sir,

Letters to the Editor must be clearly written on one side of the paper only and where a nom-de-plume is used the name of the writer must be included for reference purposes. The Editor reserves the right to abridge, amend or withhold any letter or letters.

MR CHURCHILL ON SOCIALISM

Sir, —Your very ably written editorial has I am sure been read with great interest. The progressive movement in society which evolved the democracy was the decreasing power of the people over governments or rulers and increasing the power of the peopl over governments. It was by this process that the people became the masters of governments. What we do not seem to realise is that right throughout history governments or rulers regulated by legislation the economic life of the people. Feudalism was a planned economy. After the era of feudalism, legislation fixed prices of commodities, wages, place and times of markets. There was export and import control and manpower direction. Then followed the system of granting monopolies by license which continued down to nearly 1840. Then came the idea of Liberalism which repudiated the whole idea that the State should control, regulate and coerce. Up to this point the whole idea had been that the common good could be achieved only by directly planning for the common good. Now the essence of Liberalism was exactly the opposite, namely, that the common good could be best achieved by indirect means—that by freeing the individual from coercion he could, thus freed, discover, better than any planning authority, ways and means of providing the people with their needs. Thus was born for the first time on earth the free competitive system and it was this .that brought us out of a state of semi-barbarism to a civilised condition and at the same time made possible the coming of democratic government. The power of governing passed from rulers into the hands of the people. Since the progressive movement is to increase

the power of the people over government then it is clear that the tendency at the present time to increase the coercive power of the State over the subject is not a forward movement but a backward one. Yours etc., DEMOCRAT,

LICENSING REPORT

Sir,—lt is to be hoped that the people will not, in their endeavour to reform the Licensing Trade, lose sight of fundamental principles and forget that private ownership is in the interests of the people and that the needs of the people can only be supplied by the competitive system. Again we should realise that civil servants cannot by the nature of their position of dependence upon the state enjoy political freedom and no Act of Parliament can alter this. As we go on increasing the numbers dependent upon the State for economic existence we move further towards the servile state. Our aim should be to increase private ownership not decrease it. Yours etc., PRO BONO PUBLICO.

OHOPE CHILDREN S DANCE

Sir, —Will you please allow me to correct something in your report of the Ohope Children’s Fancy Dress Ball. As chairwoman of the Ladies Committee I would like to say that it was not under my direction, but with the wholehearted help and cooperation of the other members of the League, men and women, the evening was a great success. They were wonderful, and I have never worked with a harder working or more enthusiastic band, and I want thi’ough your columns, to thank them all, doorkeepers, waitresses, kitchen gang, musicians and everyone. - Yours etc., R. M, COBBE,

POWER AND WATER SERVICES

Sir, —I recently secured Government permission to >build two houses at the corner of Alexandria Avenue and Valley Road and when I asked on behalf of the owner for the electric power and water, I was told by the Electrical Engineer, he had no wire for the job and it would cost a lot of money to carry the mains a little further up the street. This tale about the wire shortage was told me previously when an owner in Stewart Street wanted an electric range put in his house I was alter-

ing. The wire required was from the street pole to the house and after a lot of bother, the house was connected, the owner finding his own wire, the Engineer stating he could not find the wire for such a small job.

Now, Sir, I pointed out this week to the Engineer, that he recently “dug up” enough wire to couple up a local sawmill despite the fact that at every Council meeting he had been moaning about shortage of power, wire etc., and cutting' down lights to shopkeepers. Next day, the owner approached the Engineer, and was told it would- cost £3OO to extend the mains several chains further down the street, and he would require to lodge au payment of approximately £IOO and pay £lB for a fin. pipe for water to be laid down the street several chains. So without payment of these sums, he can have neither power or water. Further, I was informed, that if people bought cheap sections on the outskirts of the town, they would have to put up with it. Another item put over me was, that if a person had a coal range in his house, he could not change over to an electric range.

Further, after demanding power and water for a client, the Electrical Engineer threatens action for all the portable baches I have built in the past three years. Personally, I don’t care two straws. After three years he is a bit late making a start. I would advise him however to make a start' on one of my baches which was recently “planted” in the Strand. I think the whole thing is a matter for the Returned Soldiers Association to take up immediately for I might mention that water pipes to a cost of £6OO. were laid recently without a penny cost to certain householders, yet a few chains away, returned soldiers are asked to lodge huge deposits for all services.

Yours etc., STANLEY EVANS, Builder, Valley Rd., Whakatane.

LEPER APPEAL Sir,—Our stricken leper friends in the Islands close to our shores are still putting up a great fight against this dread disease. They have ever looked to us for a little remembrance ■at the festive season' of Christmas. They are our own brothers and sisters. We have always heard their appeal for help. In God’s name I once again plead their cause and I trust in the generosity of your readers. All donations will be personally acknowledged and no gift is too small for the need is great.

Yours etc., 1 P. J. TWOMEY, Sec. Leper’s Trust Board, 172 Bealey

Avenue, Christchurch,

Influence of Parliament

Mr J. Mullins, chairman of the *' Whakatane Hospital Board, rather startled the members of his Board on Thursday when on putting a mo- • tion to the meeting he snapped out: ■ “As many as are of that opinion will say ‘Aye’ as many as are of the T contrary opinion will say ‘No’—the Ayes have it’” The board blinked’