LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 70, 15 December 1921, Page 11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

LOST PROFITS THE COMMANDEER AND NEW ZEALAND'S PRESENT POSITION. Sir, Mr. ’Massey Announced in the House recently that he had prevented cabled reports of the "notorious” Farmers’. Union deputation interview from leaving the country, on the pretext of saving our credit. I presume that Mr. Massey was thinking of that intangible end .incalculable .asset—moral credit. He nppears to overlook the concrete credit that is at present located in England, credit that it daily becomes more obvious New Zealand must tap. I refer, of course, to the huge profits that tho Imperial Government made at New Zealand's expense through the late commandeer. The strengthening of our moral claim, to part of these profits at least, is not to bo discerned in tho Government’s policy of deliberate concealment of the true financial position of this country. By ' adopting Ithis policy Mr. , Masst-y to all intents and purposes admits the serious instability of Our finances, and deceives himself and attempts to deceive the Home investors by imprisoning the truth within New Zealand. It is imperative that New Zealand should cease to borrow; our obligations are far too great already. New Zealand’s trade position, as shown by our export-import account, is grossly misleading. I don’t for a moment suggest that the figures are faked, but tho fact remains that a study of our trade Accounts for the last few years reveals tho unsavoury truth that one is bound to form opinions of too optimistic a nature if one takes tho figures literally. New Zealand is not bankrupt, but failure to face the actual position may make us so. New Zealand is suffering from a period of financial starvation. The commandeer is not wholly responsible for tho business ineptitude of our representatives at the commandeer negotiations was disgraceful. New Zealand has not obtained tho full benefit of even the paltry prices thut were fixed for our produce, hecaiifp the Home Government lias broken faith. The Government must acknowledge its neglect to protect the producers’ interests, and do justice to the producers and tho country by claiming part of the profits the Homs Government made through handling our produce.—l am., etc., H. S. MONTGOMERIE. Wanganui. FREIGHTS AND SHEARING COSTS Sir, —In your report of yesterday’s wool Balo a statement is made which cannot bear examination in any way. The publication in question states that the reduction of 12s. fid.' per bale in freights is equal to the cost of shearing. A better knowledge of the position would show that, including shed hands, cooks, food, depreciation, and cos* of plant, runs into nearer .£2 per bale, instead of the 12s. fid. mentioned, and this without tho cost of wool-pack, itself of from 4s. 6d. to ss. each.—l am, etc., . ARTHUR D. McLEOD. December 14, 1921. RETRENCHMENT Sir,—May I suggest that when Parliament considers the proposed retrenchment in the Civil Service members should recognise the big differences between the increases received by them and those received by Civil Servants. —I am. Me., A.B. THE POSITION OF THE FARMER Sir,—The public as a whole is deeply indebted to you for your outspoken articles drawing attention to the present plight of the. sheepfarmer, for in view of the recent deliverance of tho Arbitration Court in favour of slaughtermen and sheepshearers it Is painfully evident that the Court, to put it mildly, is without information as to their position and tho depressed values of their produce, constituting', as it does, tho sheepfarmcr’s wage, which should have been taken into consideration. I give its present marketable value here, at foot, for tho benefit of whoever it may concern, and for comparison, have placed alongside it tho pre-war prices, previous to the commandeer, which most of us now have good reason to regret, as it. has played particular havoc with our created markets at Home. These are avtrage prices, and neither maximum nor minimum:— kets at home. These are average prices, on foot, 125.; pre-war price on foot, 31s. fat wethers, average weight, 12s. and 255.; fat maiden ewes, average weight, Bs. and 205.; fat oxen, average weight, 150 s. and 3505.; fat cow beef, exportable value, nil and 2505.; fat cull ewes, exportable value, nil and 20s. Tho exportable value of cow beef and cull ewes is nil, duo. of course, to the enormously increased! cost of handling here and shipping charges, and will form a considerable item of loss to tho Dominion in tho shape of exports, but i.t is evident the Arbitration Court takes no thought of tho income of tho farmer, o> his ability to pay the wages it has fixed.

Let mo illustrate for the benefit of the unthinking and the politicians who are continually tilting at the farmer, not the reduced purchasing power of tho sovereign, but the reduced purchasing power of our exportable frozen moat, which is of far greater import, it being the only source of living to tho sheepfarmer and one of tho chief items' of tho very existence of the Dominion. The pre-war value of five lambs would then have purchased a suit of clothes, costing. say, „CG: but its present price of .£l2, due entirely to The operations of this Court, now takes tho post-war value here of 21 lambs. This enhancement in the price of clothing is not due to tho value of tho raw material in the suit, as its pre-war price would not have exceeded 12s. or 155., and is now costing the woollen factories here barely Bs. or 10s. It would therefore appear that allowing 20s. i'o r buttons and trimmings and 10s. for wool, no less than ten guineas in the present price of a tailor-made suit of clothes now goes for. wages and profit to the middleman. How docs this square with the searching inquiries of the Board: of Trade into the conditions and profits of traders, and how can the unfortunate farmer continue to pay the rates of wages awarded by tho Arbitration Court? It appears to most people that both those departments are groping about with their eyes shut and that neither of them would ever bo missed, and should bo wiped off tho slate.—l am, etc., SHEEPFARMER. THE WJ.A. AND BOLSHEVISM Sir.—l feel that some explanation is necessary concerning the reports which have lately appeared in tho Wellington papers of my trial for assault on a late W.E.A. organiser. I am sure you will show greater courtesy than tho Magis' trato who refused me an opportunity to reply to the charges of "Bolshevism, sedition, and disloyally”—irrelevant charges, listened to without reproof from tho Bench. Is it. not clap-trap to talk of British loyally when the first clement of the British character, i.e., a love of fair play, is thrown overboard, a.s is the case when a defendant is not permitted to answer tho charges brought against him? To accuse a person of Bolshevism in the present state of this country's nerves, is to condem him outright, and to prejudice the public against movement with which ho may have been connected. Tho opponents of Iho W.E.A. have not hesitated to make political capital out of this case, and in their eagerness to suppress adult education, jpretand to see in the W.E.A. a training ground for Bolsheviks. If to criticise a country's laws, customs. institutions, and governmental policy is Bolshevism, then all those ro-

formers and liberators who have given the British Commonwealth what good qualities she possesses, were Bolsheviks: they were disloyal to tho law and order of their day. They had faith in progress, which the conservative mind holds to bo high treason. A few years ago it was the fashion to pour scorn on I’ruesianism, and to ridicule -he servile spirit of tho Prussian school and university teachers; to-day, zeal for Prussianism has become a recommendation for promotion in the New Zealand educational service.

History, literature, economics, and! I suppose even arithmetic must be coloured to suit the taste of tho political party in power. To expose war profiteers and graft is "slander”; to express sympathy for tho starving people of Russia is "Bolshevism”; to suggest that tho futile reparation clauses of iho Treaty of Versailles are amongst the causes of unemployment in Great Britain, and that self-interest as well as humanity tells us to help both Russia and Germany to their feet —this is "disloyalty.” Do Mr. Lloyd George, Lord Robert Cecil, Lord Grey, and Mr. Asquith come under tho ban •of the Minister of Education now that they have openly declared themselves in favour of a revision of the Versailles Treaty and of the economic restoration of Germany and Russia? In to-day’s paper I see Mr. Krassin has addressed the Oxford Union. What a pity tho New Zealand Minister of Education cannot ■ restrain tho authorities of the homo university from permitting a Bolshevik emissary to tamper with tho morals and intelligence of English students. Is not his inquisitorial ability wasted in this when such scope for his activities await him in England? It is a farce to pretend that intellectual liberty exists if tho minds of teachers are to bo regulated by tho politicians of tho hour. The party politicians with their spies and informers may flourish for tho moment, but they are in danger of over-reaching themselves. A reputation for patriotism may be earned cheaply by those who care to prostitute themselves and the truth at tho bidding of such transient authorities. To raise the cat-call of "anti-Britifeh” against those who object to such prostitution is dishonourable and contemptible.

So long as the attitude of the wouldbe leaders of tho State to social and political questions is characterised by fear of new ideas, hatred of the free expression of unpalatable truths, and l a desiro to retain political power by the votes of an ignorant electorate, no progress in education can be made. A blow struck in the heat of passion may be forgotten. The countless kicks at the W.E.A. will be neither forgiven nor forgotten.-—I am, etc., C. F. MARSH-ROBERTS. Wellington, December 8, 1921. UNEMPLOYMENT Sir, —From the last sentence of the second paragraph reporting the secretary of Labour’s report, ns appeared in your columns of December 13, ‘unemployment was not so great ... as was anticipated.” I would point out that mv name has been oh tho list of the Labour Bureau for two months past, and every time I have called in the officer in charge (Mr. Fraser, a temporary clerk), has courteously told me: ' Nothing at all to-day,” and I daresay numbers'’ of other unemployed are in my position. I do not care where I go to, or what I am put to, so long as I can honestly earn 10s. per diem. Mr. Rowley can have my name and address if ha cares to. —I am, etc., “ UNEMPLOYED. IRELAND gfr,—ln your last issue you published a remarkable letter written by the Protestant Bishop of Down to the "Mominf Post/* in which ho said : ‘ Had Ulster taught bitter hatred agdinst England to the school children; had she entered war-time intrigue with Germany; had she raised a rebellion when Britain was engaged in a life-and-death struggle; had Ulster ambushed British soldiers, and mutilated them when dead, and murdered British officers in the presence of their wives', would then the British Government have thought Ulster’s wishes worthy of consideration. Thank God Ulster did noue of these things. But one thing she dared; notwithstanding the surrounding hate, yes. sho loved her and dared for her for centuries.” , There seems to bo but one answer to this powerful appeal, and that is the answer given to the elder son by his father in the parable oi tho lV»dig,xl son (Luke xv. 31): "And he said unto him. son. thou ait ever with me and all that I have is thine It is meet that we should make and be glad; for thia thy brother. was dead, and is alive again, and was ind: and. is found.*’ —I am. .. lost, ana OSWALD BEERE.