LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3139, 18 July 1917, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

-» — THE SECOND DIVISION Sir, —I have read the letters from Mr. Armstrong, "Honest Jim," and Mr. Chapmwi. "Honest Jim" was honest in li-'-s case, and admitted that Air. Armstrong hud made a mistake in not tak- ■ ing into account the iucreused cost of production when ho stated that the •,ulance after 15 per cent, war profits tax was deducted belonged to the farmers, or fat stock-raisers as he prefers to call them. Might i suggest that Mr. Armstrong's "mana" would not have been diminished if he also had admitted his error, because we all, even the least of us sometimes, make' mistakes? Permit ma to ask a question. Before the war fat stock-raisers bought etore wethers at 20s. and sold them fat at 305., now they buy thorn as stores at 305., and sell them for £!. The cost of production has gone up; on reflection even Mr. Armstrong will, I think, admit that; and more capital is invested in the deal, on which banks charge 6 per cent. Where do the war profits come in ? One correspondent says he could not sco where the extra price of corn sacks and fertilizers affect fat stock-raisers. 'Well, you. cannot raise fat stock to much advantage without winter feed, and yon cannot grow winter feed without horse feed and manure and other things. Because i ventured to point out that, inadvertently no doubt, Mr. Armstrong had overlooked the increased cost of production, all your correspondents have accused me cf being opposed to increased pensions,, etc., without the slightest ground. lam just as strongly of opinion as anyone that war profits, should be commandeered by the State to provide for our soldiers ana their dependants, but I do not think misrepresentation will help the cause—hence my letter. • Before closing, may I tell vour well-meaning correspondents a secret well known to those carrying on the business of farming? It is not the fat stock-raisers cr tho grain-growers, but the breeders ol stock, who have made large profits out of tho war—men who breed large numbers ot lambs worth 20s. on the board, or wellbred weaner cattle worth .£8 or ■si at nine months old. Those are the men who have made money lately, out it must not be forgotten, in justice to them, that breeding stock was very Uign before the war started. A correspondent, whose name I forget, talks .about farmers and motor-cars. Well, no doubt farmers have motor-cavs, and it may be that nowadays they are almost a !-ecessity; but have no business men and shopkeepers got motor-cars?. telle will do no good, but only raise ill-feeling . .between sections of the community at a time when all classes should be doing their best to. win the war and provide justly and well for those who suffer most Vere endeth my friendly, criticism of Jlr. Armstrong and 'his fnends.-I am, eti " SECOND RESERVIST.

RACING AND BOOKMAKING Sir —In his annual report to the Racing Conference, Sir George Clifford, referring to the operation of the bookmakers, said: "If the legal facilities for dealing with bookmakers are insufficient, it resta with the Government to extend its powers, but whilst the Postal Department courts revenue from Iraokmaking operations, so long will our efforts for its suppression be largely wasted." This may be so, but beyond refusing bookmakers admittance to the racecourses of the nonunion, what have been the racing authorities' efforts towards tho suppression of this great evil, and which have been largely wasted? Will he enlighten us as to what the wasted efforts really were and are which have been taken m the way of endeavouring to prevent racing men having betting operations with boonmakers? Has anyone ever heard of a disqualification by t;:2 conference or by any raoing club of persons owning Tacehorses for so betting, or having taken any measures to ascertain whether such operations do take place? Does he suppose the racing community to be immaculate in this respect, and further that no telegrams lenving racecourses from the racing community reach the hands of bookmakers and are acted upon by them so long as the telegram arrives at their offices within a stipulated time before the actual starting of the race, and in particular if he does know, then why does tho conference permit the opening of telegraph offices upon racecourses under their jurisdiction? "Wasted efforts" read well, but if tho efforts have been meagre, of what use are they? I agree with him that littlo or nothing is done by the authorities to suppress bookmaking. I know that occasional raids are made, and I admit the 1 difficulty surrounding the question of obtaining convictions. It is common knowledge, however, and greatly to bo deprecated, that this arises chierljthrough all classes of the community, including those who would be shocked ifthey were found out, being actually engaged with bookmakers every racing day in the year, and that while many pcrßon3 who, according to their duty to the State, should be assisting in the suppres. sion under authoritative direction, are acting directly in opposition, or at any rate remain supine. ■ x I am quite sure that if assistance were sought in the direction of obtaining able and reliable men in secret ' service to make systematic and thorough inquiry ' into tho whole question, and subsequently to prosecute not only the bookmakers, but all and sundry, those found to have infringed the ■* law, and give up promoting these casual, sporadic, and useless raids, then, and not until then, will the matter have been properly dealt with by the authorities towards the ending of that which at the present is a disgrace to the whole community.—l am, etc., A.B.

SHALL WE THEN FALTER OR FAIL? Sir,—lt is now seventeen years since Lord Rosebery, when delivering the inaugural address at Edinburgh University, referring (o the British Empire, said, "Shall wo then falter or fail? The answer is not doubtful. We will rather pray that strength may be given us, adequate and abundant, to shrink from no sacrifice in tho fulfilment of our mission, that wo may be true to the high tradition of our forefathers, and that we may transmit their bequest to our children, aye, and please God, to their remote descendants, enriched and nndefiled, this blessed and splendid .dominion." Never had these words more significance than thoy have at the present time; indeed, so apposite are they that they might well have been spoken yesterday. "Shall we then falter or fail ? That is the question which every man and every woman in New Zealand must answer now. Shall the men of the Second Division falter or fail in their duty to fight for tho protection of their wives and families? Surely not! Shall the men of wealth falter or fail in their duty to make.nronipt and adequate provision for the 'fighting men, and for those they leave behind? Shall the men of leisure falter or fail in their- duty to do their part? Shall nny of >i« i-nrthv n r Hie name of man falter or fail in our duty to the "nnreturning brave"—the 7500 men who have given their lives for us and all that we hold dear and sacred? Shall we cry enough? A thousand times no. We have never done enough us long as we have a fit. man to send, and the foe is unbeaten. What else matters? There must be no weakening until Prussian militarism is utterlv broken. "Shall we' then falter or fail?" Again I say a thousand times no: but. like pood' old Roivi Mnniapnto. we will cry "Ake! alee! TO'a k-ilia" (ot will fight on for ever and ever). —7 am. etc., R, P. GREVILLE. Auckland. July Id. 1017.