LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2531, 4 August 1915, Page 11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

NEW ZEALAND AEROPLANES. ®' r > I should be glad if Now Zealand would take up the question of presenting fifty aeroplanes to tho Imperial •"? su BS e sted by tho Overseas (jlub, with tiVo hundred of our young men to act as aviators. AVe aro all • 01 i n ? °t^ 11 but )l °t exactly in tho right direction. Aeroplanes are tho only real help we can give to stop tho Gorman thrust in the West, besides men and horses, but we arc devoting all our private efforts to tho Wounded Soldiers Fund, which Parliament is' also publicly doing. There is hardly a necessity for the two funds; but there is lor more and more aeroplanes, and perhaps Maxim guns. We cannot help in submarines or high explosive shells or kirt. ,ve niight give 50 or 100 aeroplanes,-and I think manufacture Maxims, and arm our troops with them, as Canada is doing. Tho discussion, therefore, as to the administration of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund appears to mo puorilo and wasteful. Tho littlo I liavo been ablo to give, I gave to our wounded soldiers in globo. Wairarapa has done well in this, and is to bo congratulated, but would not our £100,000 havo been better devoted to a- gift of aeroplanes? What is the use of our subscribing to our wounded men if wo do not try and stop tho source from which tho wounded come? That should be JSew Zealand's objective. To strike 8i *° as ' lar d as we can in tho only direction' we can. Perhaps Jlawko s Bay and Canterbury, will tako this matter up, as Wairarapa appears to think those _ two provinces havo not Qiuto. done their duty lately in rendering private help. Perhaps they havo thought that our Parliament (and no one can accuso our Parliament of being non-liberal) is sufficiently providing for tho wounded-. If that be so, would they accept this suggestion touching a Now Zealand supply of aeroplanes and Maxims. _ Surely wo can got the necessary machinery to manufacture tho latter arm, and oven rifles. In this I would bevready to join with Australia if necessary, seeing that one common danger threatens us all! Let us devote all the effort wo can to stop or lessen tho source of supply from which our ivounded come. That appears to mo our sternest duty.—T am, etc., ■ . , COLEMAN PHILLIPS. Wairarapa, August 2,-1915.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND ITS COST. Sir, —The New Zealand official "Year Book" gives the expenditure on manual and tecliuical education for the financial period ended March 31 as £109,366. There is no exaggeration in asserting that of this large amount of money fully fifty jier cent, is utterly wasted. The capitation paid on ordinary school classes was, in the year named, between. £32,000 and £33,000. Capitation for such classes should bo omitted from the estimates at once, and its payment discontinued, because the work for wliich it is paid is part of the usual school syllabus. Any person who understands tlio inner methods of the manual and technical branch of the Education Department knows that, with tho exception of tho four largest cities and some halfdozen other popular centres, the money is only wasted on this "frill," I earnestly beg you to take the matter up, and, by making representations to the Minister of Finance, cause a reduction to be made in the vote for manual and technical education, and the money set free to_ be diverted to the War Fund, which is in urgent need of it;—l am, etc.,

ONE THAT KNOWS.

STAFFING OF THE HOSPITAL SHIP

Sir,—l wish' through your columns to draw attention to a matter which occurred in connection with the staffing of tho Hospital Ship Maheno.. While the vessel was being equipped the Defence authorities intimated that a qualified chemist would bo required to serve in the capacity of dispenser, and several pharmacists applied for the position. Among those was a young man who left a good position to enlist, being led to bolievo .by the authorities that he would bo appointed dispenser; yet at the last moment, for some inexplicable reason j lie was left in camp, and a man without any qualifications whatever appointed to tho position.

All the leading hospitals of New Zealand and . Australia have • qualified men in charge of their dispensaries, yet our Hospital Ship sailed without such provision. This is but another example of tlio total disregard for efficiency shown by the'medico-military experts who have charge of affairs.—l am, etc. • CHEMIST. ' Wellington, July 22, 1915. [This letter was referred to' the Minister of Defence. Mr. Allen stated that a qualified; dispenser, with whom Colonel Collins, commanding the ship, was quite satisfied, had sailed with the Hospital Ship Maheno.]