LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2480, 5 June 1915, Page 13

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

—; » TO CORRESPONDENTS. All letters to tlio editor must b® ac- . oompamed bv t!lio full names and addresses of tlio writ-ors, liot necessarily tor publication, but as evidence of good ' faith. the hospital ship. ' S ij'T l|; inoonoeivabls that there could be ally two opinions in regard to I the gift, of a Hospital Ship by the , People of New Zealand. The Red Cross has over been tho emblom of pity and sympathy for tho wounded and suffer'."S- And yet we find many people who Mshonour it with the name of charity as meaning tho dispensing of alms to beggare. When His Excellency tho tiovernor first initiated tho movement i° r f j oS P^ a ' Ship, lam sure ho had in his mind tho grand and noble work this ship would do on behalf of our own New Zealand soldiers. A Quick dispatch from the scene of action Wider tho most advantageous circumstances as represented by a highly qualified medical staff in an up-to-date fast Hospitfel Ship means perhaps the saving of mtpiy lives which might otherwise be loffc for want of instant expert treatment.| fit should not bo considered a tax on our sympathy to folio v the Governor's lead in this conncotion. Amerioane wero among the first to send a fully equipped ship to Europe for the wounded. . Japan has established a comploto Hospital in France fully manned by Japanese, and yet wo havA the ignoble epeotaclo of New Zealanders qinbblmg over tho giving of a Hospital amp,for our own wounded soldiers. Sir, I am sure that His Excellency's action would meet with the approbation of all right-thinking people if he were to refuse to accept tho £60 so ungraciously given by Mr. Gould for this object. Some people don't seem to realise how the finer instinots of others oan be hurt by their foolish and thoughtless actions. Why the word taxation should be introduced into this matter is beyond my comprehension. It is to bo hoped, that His Excellency's efforts will not be discouraged by Mr. Gould's discourtoousnoss._ There are plenty of people «"bo will show their disapproval • ration an d make the Gift Hospital Ship an assurod fact.—l am, etc , , WELLINGTON. ' Juno 4, 1915. THE TOBACCO FUND. Sir, Believing as I do that ©very half-crown contributed to this fund tends to depreciate the effectiveness of our men at the front, I feel compelled to point out some of the results of tobacco and cigarette-smoking. At tho time of the American war in tho Philippines it was stated that from 30 to 40 per cent, of the reoruits were rejected on account of "tobacco heart." Can you toll us, Mr. Editor, how many recruits m New Zealand have been rejected on acoount of tho effects of the "tobacco habit" P I fear it will very very difficult to get reliable statistics on this point; seeing that in many instances the examining doctors are themselves tobacco smokers. I was very sorry indeed to read your article in The Dohinion of May 24, headed "A Welcome Gift." In it you state that "Subscribers will bs gratified to now learn how thoroughly their gifts were appreciated hy tie men who have behaved so splendidly at tho Dardanelles." Surely you do not mean to imply that the gift tobacco was an incentive to daring deeds ? Tobacco Is a narcotic, and its action is to lessen the activities • of both mental and bodily faculties. Aro the Oxford and Cambridge crews encouraged to smoke while training, or is the use of tobaoco striotly forbidden? The Use of tobacco is towards inaction. When Engineer Goodman laid down the tramlines in Dunedin, ha would not allow any smoking during working tours. If two armies moot in battle, equal in all respeots exoopt that one army is addicted to tho "tobacco habit" and the other is not, tho smokers will certainly go under. It is fortunate for us that tho Germans, as a rule, aro heavy smokers. Who oairy off the prizes at a rifle matoh ? Is it tho smokers or the non-smokers f The snipers in the prewar do a great deal of execution in picking off tho officers of the opposing forces, and it is often vory difficult to discover tliem. But a smoker is much more easily discovered than a non-smoker; and if a smoker cannot get his smoke when he hankers for it, what effect has it on. the accuracy of his shooting P Smoking affects the eye-sight, and also the nerves gonerally, and colour-blind-ness is much more prevalent among smokers than among non-smokers. Again, how many thousands of pounds' worth of property is destroyed every year by the careless habits of"smokers? In. harvest fields, in houses and other buildings, and on board ships? Wilhelm I of Germany died of canoer in the throat, brought on by excossive smoking, and our own Edward -VII suffered from "smoker's throat," and was ordered by his medical attendant to givo up smoking. Poor Mark Twain was a slave to oigarß, to tho extent that he smoked 40 cigars per diem in his last illness. He knew ho was killing himself, but he could not givo them up! Ab an inducement to persons to contribute to the "Tobacco Fund," it is stated that "every half-crown contributed to the fund means 100 cigarettes and 4oz. tobacco for distribution amongst our men." Now, however bad tobacco smoking is in its effects on tlio nervous system, cigarette smoking is much worse. "The CSgarettist," by the late Elbert Hubbard, is a very forcible indiotment. At the time or the Boar war in South Africa, out of nearly 12,000 men in the Manchester district, England, who considered thomselves fit to fight for their country, and who appeared for examination, a great number were at once rejected, and out of the entire number only 1200 (or about 10 per cent.) finally passed the required tests of the examining board. The chief cause was proved to "be cigarette smoking. In Germany a similar state exists, heart disoase having increased three hundred per cent, during the past twenty years. In America, out of 67 applicants who appeared for examination to enter the medical department of the Army,_ 48 were rejected (a 64 per cent.) having what the doctors pronounced "tobacco heart." Thus, as nations, wa aro forced to reoogmse this national vice, which, previous to the present war, 'has done more towards depopulating tho world than war itself. But have said enough to convince any reasonable man _ that neither tobacco smoking, nor cigarette smoking, will conduce to straight shooting.—l am, etc., SNIPER. [Neither the Army authorities nor medical officers object to smoking m reason, and there is no doubt that a pipe of tobacco or a cigarette is one of tho greatest comforts enjoyed by men on active service. Excessive smoking, like most other things indulged in | to excess, is liable to prodiieo harmful results.]