PLAIN SPEAKING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2626, 23 November 1915, Page 6

PLAIN SPEAKING

VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE WAR OUR READERS' VIEWS LOCAL CONDITIONS VIGOROUSLY DISCUSSED TO SHOW OUR RESENTMENT. Sir, —For months past most peoplo in New Zealand have felt strong resentment against the cabled criticisms of Colonel Repinnton 011 the war, the ways of the War Office, and all and sundry in connection with the war. His views wouldn't bo worth tuppence if they were iiot expressed in a powerful paper, and lvould certainly not be sent 011 to us by the Press Association. Now comes

the terrible indictment from a Russian paper laying "the heavy responsibility 0:1 the Northcliffe Press for the failure of the Entente's diplomacy in the Balkans." Tho "Daily. Mail" claims to be the paper that "gets things done," and if this indictment is trao it certainly net's things done for our enemies. Tho ''Daily Mail" is, however, not a national paper like tho "Times," and therefore can be left "to stew in its own juice," as the "New York Herald" suggests. What can bo done to show our resentment? And that is the reason of my asking for 6pace to suggest what we may do. The only way in regard to a paper which a subscriber can do is to stop taking it. 1 I have read the triweekly edition for more years than I care to remember, and I am stopping it this mail. In our Parliamentary library the daily is taken. The Library Committee could stop it, and other libraries in the Dominion. I leave it to other readers to decide what they should do. A sudden fall in circulation makes a proprietor think, and in 110 way is tlio Northcliffe syndicate so vulnerable as

by their pocket. The Tress Agency can cable to tlieir agents to stop sending the opinions of t'hese "professional vrhimporers." We want them as little as the opii)ion of Ashmead Bartlett on tlie wisdom of the Dardanelles cam-

paign. Though quite ready to read his description of the fighting, his opinion on a cojnplex political and complex military question' is not wanted. I would gladly pay for a cable to send Home by way of protest, but coming from one individual would havo no effect. A petition would be largely and' quickly signed to ask the Government to make a protest on our behalf. Perhaps the authorities in all the colonies »/ould join in making a joint protest._ Wo cannot stop the talk m the British Houses, but we certainly can enter a protest, for our men are in the thick of the fight and must be discouraged at what is going on at Home. —I am, etc., . JAMES G. WILSON. Bulls,. November 22. «

STRIKE!

■ Sir, —Let us cease quibbling,_ call a spade a spade, and conscription conscription. The sugary coating of_ national service will make it no less bittei'. And it is a pill that will cither kill or cure. If we do not crush the German nest of vipers, and that soon, we may expect to see our shores invaded, our cities sacked, our homes fired, our women ravished, and murdered with our innocent babes, our boys and girls, and. such of our men as have failed through physical infirmity, cowardice, or sheer laziness, to go forth and meet the human butchers upon their own ground. This is the. penalty that will inevitably follow our failure, to recognise tho extreme gravity of tho situation. If dentil nuist be our portion, may we meet it- like men, honourably, in tho open field, rather than be shot down like dogs in our streets. This may be our Armageddon; seas may purple with blood and flame_ As we go to our rest for ever, leaving the world a. name. What matter? There havo been none like us, nor any to tame our pride; If we fall, we shall fall as they fell, die as our fathers died — What better? The seas that bred us shall rock us to rest at last; If we sink with the Jack still floating, nailed to the nation's mast. Let tho'.Government grapple firmly with these unpalatable facts, and install, taneously organise the nation for victory or death' Nothing will now avail save a form of national Socialism, wherein the constituted authorities are invested absolute power over the actions of the individual citizcn. Our statisticians know, or can ascertain, precisely; how many men arc required to maintain our staplo industries, without which we or the Army cannot exist. Let everything else from the making of dog-collars to the teaching of dead languages at the universities be ruthlessly swept away. Of what value will these be if the Kaiser's bloodthirsty hordes break in? Entrust to intelligent students of human nature the task of. deciding what work every man is to do, aye, and every woman. Stop the gross injustice of permitting, nay, encouraging, married iron /-'with children, professions, and prospects,, to sacrifice all and march away in tho place of farmers and merchants fattening on war profits, or of street idlers without ties or responsibilities, only awaiting a chance to step into .the empty shoes of the fighters, or worse, slinking off ■to America to ayade all their duties. Away with the crass folly, the frivolity, • the pampered luxury of, alas, too many of our women. Oh. ye womeu, how many of you have pictured the miseries of yoiir sisters of Belgium, of Poland, of Serbia, and realised that, but for Britain's Navy, their fate might ere now have been yours?

Economy, organisation, determination —these be. the watchwords in every household, every shop, and office in the land. Reformers, idealists, soils' of labour, remember Tennyson's appeal:— Let your reforms for a moment go, Loolc to your butts and take your aims; Better a -rotten borough or so 1

Thau a rotten -fleet or a city in flames! (And yourselves and your loved ones put to tlie sword.) Form! form 1 Riflemen form I

Ready, be ready to meet the storm I I am, etc.,

E. B. M. WALMSLEY, Napier, November 21', 1915.

OPEN LETTER TO THE HON. MIN' ISTER OF FINANCE.

Sir, —The average farmer can hardly imagine that the intention of Parliament is convoyed in the return asked l for by tho Commissioner of Taxes for the purpose of levying the new income tax. No honourable person can make a solemn and sincere declaration upon n subject which, more or less, may bo problematical. More farmers strike thoir balanco (if any) on September 30 than do on March 31; and to say what the values and numbers of stock wero on March 31, 1914, and on March 31, 1915, would be puro guesswork. Take schedule C of the return. Does tho farmer deduct from the value of the stock purchased, tlie travelling expenses incurred going from saloyard to saleyard, and from fanr. to farm to fill his requirements? While he is allowed to deduct cost of seed, is iie allowed to deduct cost of manure? While rightly not allowed to make deductions for now fences, sheds, buildings, etc., is ho to dcduct cost of. keeping down scrub, noxious weeds, and many other posts a farm is heir to? Does the blacksmith's, the saddlers, and many other accounts licccssary to the carrying oil of a farm ill? Is the of slieep dig an

improvement or a necessity? Are the hundred and one tilings which are part private and part farm expenses, to go out, or in, or guessed at?

Then, again, there is the expense which is applicable to one farmer and not to another. I will take 0110 instance in my own case, which I know is the case with many other farmers in thinly settled districts. There being 110 school within ten miles, 1 have to Jceep a private teacher for my children. After a certain age I have to send them to boarding schools, as it is impossible to got suitable teachers for higher standard work. This cost 6 hundreds _ of pounds. Now, where •x farmer lives close to a public school he siets all thi& free up to a very high, standard, while I and others are penalised for rearing and educating "soldiers" for the next generation. Many farmers during the years 191-1-15 gave a large proportion of their incomes toward patriotic, purposes, while other farmers gavs practically nothing. Judging from schedule G, the farmer \vho°gave freely rill; have the pleasure of paying again, while the farmer, who did not give will have the money to pay, all his taxes with.

Schedulo C is obviously the preparation of tho average town man. . Value of wool, value of stock, etc., ono side of tho iedger; cost of labour, j interest on money, ctc.j the other; and thenpresto! profit, If this rosy idea were true, every pamphlot, paper, etc., one picks up gives a list of farms-for sale which we should rush on sight. I am, CtC '' ALEX. D. JI'LEOD. MartinborOugh, November 20, '1915. - FARM LABOUR AND RECRUITINC. Sir,— Seeing in your issue of November 18, a letter by Mr. W. J. Tennent, drawing attention to the seriousness of the position in New Zealand if_ so many of the yo\uif» men of the agricultural class are leaving for the front, any person who gives the subject serious thought cannot fail to' be of the same opinion as Mr.. Tennent. We all know that armies cannot be kept at the front unless they are supplied with food, and we' cannot keep up the supplies if so many of our young farmers and agricultural workers are away at the front. Also the National Register is so worded that every lad of 18 and over feels bound to say that he is 'willing to serve provided his health is good._ Now it lias been stated from time to tjmi\ by military men of high standing in the Army, that these young lads are quite unable to stand tho strain of active service ; but they would, if of tho agricultural class, be quite capablo of carrying on the farming industry, which is quito as important to tho success of our cause as going into tho Army. Could not more young women be employed in Post Office work, ticket offices at railway stations, and other places of- that kind, thus set-.-tinrr men free who could be more easily spared than the agricultural worker, especially in face of tho fact that the Government have been urging the farming community to grow larger areas of ,:ozn, which' necessarily means more ' labour- required for harvesting ? Trusting I have not trespassed too far ort coui' valuable space,—l am, etc., ■ .AGRICULTURIST.