A WORKING WOMAN'S VIEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1240, 23 September 1911, Page 14

A WORKING WOMAN'S VIEWS.

Sir,—l note in your columns that tho Primo Minister objects to. criticism of Government methods, per medium of anonymously, signed letters, and declares they are manufactured. You have done me .the court at' different time 3 of inserting somo frora my pen, although crudely expressed, and I may say "alone I wroto them" with only the help of tho dictionary. _ There hr.vo been many Acts passed during tho existence of the party at present' in power restricting the liberty of the subject, as witness the last conscription, and clauses in tho Second Ballot Act, and the little Bill relating to libel. Are the Government methods then above criticipn? I have always read your leaders and letters very carefully, and they have never contained such remarks as written by the late E. T. Gilloy, when he was editor of tho "Evening Post'." No doubt it was very trying to come down to the cold everyday life after tho splendid feasting and junketing and adulation to the "man who gave the Dreadnought with .his blushinghonour thick on him" to meet with such a poor reception and be asked to give an account of his stewardship and the why and wherefore of manv mysteries that are still unexplained. -. We want to know what we are getting-for our money and our members should be able to obtain it for us. • As to the anonymity of the. writers of various letters, has that' not been from time immemorial, as witness the letters of Junius? Will the Prime Minister not allow the possession 1 of a few brains to be able to reason and think. for ourselves? Are .we to be as dumb cattle. I know no present, or ,to come; member of tho House of Representatives. I know no one pertaining to the staff of The Dominion. _ Any letter I have sent set out how things appear from my point' of view ai a working woman. I have not read any letter in your columns I should imagine was manufactured for the sole purpose of slandering anything or anybody. I have 1 read them carefully and havo always thought them honest criticisms. . If, the.Government' is not to bo criticised, why not pass another Bill that will ds the trick, and all transactions be carried on under seal of survey? Wo do not get tile information now that our members demand and should get for us. I have read my papers carefully and have never seen answered the questions as to how the last loan of five millions had been exponded, and the proposal now is to borrow still further 35 millions. But when ono thinks of tho waste of paying .€l5O an acre for land that a few horses graze on; the utter unsuitability of., tho Nai Nai Estate for th/> purpose it was prpposed to use it for; and the Mudgway Est'ato. One asks by whose advice were they acquired. I had occasion some 6} years ago to call at Mr. Slandrow's office, and 1 • then mentioned several things which I thought would be prejudicial to them being occupied as intended. Timo proves I was right. The Mudgway Estate is another failure. Why, I have seen that place covered with water to the extent of several feet, after it was roaded and kerbed. Is that suitable for workmen's dwellings? It seems a long way to look back, but we never seem to get any clear explanation. I was brought up in a district composed mostly of working men. and who took their voting seriously even to the extent of ' having the Riot Act read over them. We wero _ all . great politicians and my father assisted to put in a Liberal member instead of : the Government nominee. In the course 'of timo ho also assisted to oust that member, for in just over 20 years in which he had sat in the Honso as the member for that district he had almost forgotten he had been sent there by the will of the people and in their interest. Wo have an ennal vote with th<> men and should be able to cause a Radical change. It is necessary. But we want more education politically than we have at present. I attended a leclure on an important Act concerning women mostly, given by ono of -Wellington's very able ladv doctors, and I wished we conld havo more such lectures and be more enlightened as to many Acts passed presumably for the benefit of women and children and the benefit of tho Dominion 'at ln'rge. Thanking you for your past courtesy,—l am, etc., A MERE WOMAN. Taihape, September 12. .