LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 129, 24 February 1908, Page 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

LM e must ask correspondents to compress thoir ide.is into a.reasonable limit of space. Othenviso publication is'liable to bo delayed or tlio letters, rejected.] 1 . : RED TAPE WITH A VENGEANCE. Sir,—Will you kindly , allow me space to place, on record the following facts in' con-; ncction with our local Post Office. Recently a letter' was : posted to mo, correctly addressed, both with regard to 'my, nanio and initials, and-'the number in tho street. where my office-is situated. It was posted on a aiid did not reach mo till the following -Monday, and then was placed in my privato letter-box at tho Post Office. I am the only person in -the Wellington Directory with the initials as addressed, I had a private box at the Post Office for 30 years past,:.and I have been , well known- in Wellington :'City-for the .'past 50 years.' I ■naturally' felt, annoyed at.the..delay .in the delivery of the missive, so wrote a letter to the Chief Postmaster, enclosing him tho addressed envelope and asking liim to make enquiries why tho delay had occurred,- to which I received a formal reply that enquiries were being made. Now, comes 1 the "red tape.'',: instead -of delivering the letter* to \tne' Postmasteri/atV the Post Office counter/ simply dropped it >in the public posting box, and imagine my surprise nest morning on receiving a demand for one penny postage, tho official explaining that all letters (even to the Postmaster) must be prepaid. ' Can/.official red tape be carried further? Why' did<he;not go further and demand a fine* for deficient'postage? Might T .suggest -that the Post Office' purchase a local , directory—it would assist them in finding lots of addresses—instead of, as at present, getting about 20 letter-carriers to put their initials on the envelope under the rubber stamp "Unknown."—l am, etc., ' ANTI-RED TAPE. - ..February 21. ■

DAIRY REGULATIONS. , Sir, —Tho mountain was. in 'sore travail and produced a .'ridiculous mouse. . The wonder of the ago has been what would fructify from the enormous fertility of the Health . Department's native resource, and at ; .last,-it has come —abo.ut . the set. of regulations-the mind of main could, conceive. i Full. of resource 'for • harassment, but not ono solitary concoption. calculated ,to make tho milk supply any hotter from tho customers'-point of view than it is at present. —I am, etc., / HENRY BODLEY. y •February 21. ' ' ' , •

THE HUTT TRAIN SERVICE. j3ir, —The workmen's train to tho'.Hutt is not the only one that calls for attention. I am a frequent passenger by - the train which .leaves the Lower Putt at . 9.22, and slow as it, is timed, it also is frequently late. On Friday morning it left-on time; but dallied, at Pctono to 9.33, reaching Wellington at 9.56, only six minutes late, wjiich. while repreheiv: sible/was^ encouraging by being an improYement on Thursday., But just tlunjc of a city's suburban , service, .'/which ...is ■ p'nly . timed;: to make 17 miles ail aiid yet. is unable to keep tim'ej ;and over which the Department' is immoderately proud. I'am told that things are about as bad somewhere in China, "but that there is lio other parallel even in hcathcndorii. A gleam of liopo is raised by your valuablo suggestion l that tho' late Mr. Mason's grounds shpuld : be' acquired as a site for. .Government, House. If given' offect' to, a moderate train service might then be looked for: at'a speed of, say, 35 miles, so reaching town' in 15 minutes. —I ami etc.-,- ... v,-,-- ® A RESIDENT. ' February 22. : : ,

MANIFESTO 0!;."HE: LABOUR REPRE- ; ; SENTATION COMMITTEE.\ [: Sir,—'Th'o J Boartl that runs' : the Labour Trust . that, has dominatp.d all labour / matters in this city'for. so'ni'any years 1 is pitting forth a'' strong •"aAd"'' vigorouOffprt to • extend •' and • increase its'- power' and I 'to'-' onablo it jto'corncr ih its own interests and'for its isombjjf^as,,theirput',it,ii), thoir. .'raauifesto',' all mean's,,of/productjou,! and •exchange .whichy being piit-intd.'plain English,'means' the confiscation of 'all pnvate , 'propoi't.y and total destruction', by. the''Government«of. 'all individual-.rights , and ownership 'of'all descriptions and without any/exceptions' whatever.;'' The>.'Labour:' Representations Co'mmittoe! s. manifesto .to -the various Trades; Councils simply, m'eans that thoy-'are determined to establish, :by securing solo control 'of a majority of seats in Parliament',- tho gigantic -and tyrannical monopoly tho world has ever .seen. , ■ 'I have again, and again -voted and worked hard- for genuine working-men when" they have stood for Parliament in- the. ordinary way as ' representatives ,of the. people ,as a whole ,and not as the mcro tools or instruments for the 'use of a. labour,.trust or permanent/committee..; Among, these men havo been blacksmiths, bootmakers, tailors, miners .and a navvy. <• I 'nover have;' aiid I never will, vote or/work for the tool or mere instrument of -any labour or other hide-bound trust, syndicate or coihniittee, lio matter by what name they may be pleased' to call thenisolves,, I worked hard many years ago to get payment : of: .'.members .of . Parliament passed; 'also'vote by ballot,' manhood suffrage', and'one man one vote;: but .'I never had tho remotest, idea .that these Acts would; ho, successfully .'used for tho purposo.of acquiring tyrannical,'power .by political trusts and syndicates, and that payment of members would degenerate to a mero subsidy - or vote to the trusts for the payment of their tools aind agents!in Parliament—l am,, etc., ', . .ELECTOR.' February 20. '

v THE CITY TRAMWAYS. , : writing this; to, you, /1- wish to. make an emphatic protest against the manlier: in' which the iPress': of Wellingtonirun down tho most popular typo, of tramcar nere,namely, the' palaco. car. . 'No ..exception is taken' to tho combination' car. or: the new double-deckers, which, havri"steps of tho saftie height as the ones objected to. 'If a vote was taken'v/ambng > Wellington tramgo.ers as "to the mbst'popular typo of car, the palace would come an easy first. There is one type of -bogie car used much at Home that has hot yet been tried here. It has a'closed compartment in. the middle, then two or three seats placed across the car, and next a/seat on: each -sido of the car,; placecl. outside liko tboso oil- the Kelburho cars, and then tho conductor's platform/If this typo of car woro introduced here, think that it would prove even moro popular than tho palace Hoping that you will insert this so ns to hoar the other side of the - question.—l am, etc.. . TRAMGOER. February 22.