LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3072, 7 May 1917, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

CRIPPLED SOLDIERS' HOSTEL ART

Sir—On behalf of the Crippled feci" diers' Hostel I desire to thank W.B.M; for his generous donation of £10 to the). funds. I would like, at the same time 4 to correct the impression 'which haEs been created that ,the Minister of In-* tcnjal Affairs promoted this art union,, or in any way encourages art unions. The Minister has mado strenuous efforts to reduce the amount of moneys raised in this way, by imposing conditions, some of \ which have been found really irksome by the patriotic pro-? moters of art unions. The Minister lias had deputations, letters, and telegrams by the score, all seeking the re< moral of the'{railing restrictions, bun. lie has stood lirm and has proved a) Rood friend to thoso who call thera-« selves anti-gamblers. In the present! case, the motor-car was handed to the Minister by Miss Anderson, to be rat-* fled for patriotic purposes, and the Minister gave tho car to that most deserving of all noble causes—tho Crippled Soldiers' Hostel. Tho Minister has a copy of the bal-> anco-sheet of each art union, and is irt a good position to know how arb unions should be conducted. Ho had the interests of our crippled soldiers at heart and no douht did not wane to see the art union a failure. No. ono in any way connected with'tho hostel had any knowledge of art unione and it is only natural that lie should! ask a person with experience of .the work to control it. Two years' work, on behalf of our soldiers, pleading and' begging for donations, has convinced me that money can be raised by arb unions, which cannot be obtained in' any other way. In our advertisements appeals will he made for donations to thoso who do not believe in art unions, and the amounts acknowledged in the paper. It will be interesting to compare the sum raised by donations with; that obtained by means of the art union.—l am, etc., ... ' B. SUTHEELAND. May G. MILK SUPPLY Sir,—The pronouncement by the) Mayor in The Dominion this morning, is just what we have been waiting for* I will go one better on my statement of yesterday and allow that the position of manager was offered to me» and declined, for the good and sufficient reason that I knew what it meant. ■ No man would take it on if he knew — to know would be to refuse, and tho council to know would equally be not to offer. If the council offered methe management retaining the principle of small vendorship I -would consider the proposal favourably. The attacks on the vending side of the question plead crass ignorance of the first principles of retail trading, superadded to inky darkness in the matter of transmission of fresh milk. If the milk is treated it does not matter who serves it, but my sympathy „soes out for the "manager" who takes on the responsibility for the whole of the. serving. My refusal as above has for. its principal reason my firm belief that a fully fresh supply of milk .for all Wellington is dead easy, hut it won't be obtained hy "barking up the wrong tree." I fear it would bo weariness, of the flesh to go exhaustively into the subject with those who do nob understand, and very few do tinderst.nhd the higher cult of this question, more especially in a letter like this, and, therefore, I shall leave the further elaboration to the opportunities furnished by future developments.—l am, etc., HENRY BODLEY.