LETTERS TO EDITOR E.P.S. Efficiency

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 280, 25 August 1942, Page 4

LETTERS TO EDITOR

E.P.S. Efficiency

Sir, —As a regular .attender .at tlie meetings and practices called by the’ E.P.S. authorities, I must; while agree-i Ing largely with recent point out that in some ■ respects the remarks constitute criticism of those who are doing their best to carry on the E.'P/S. It should be remembered that in tlie early days of our E.P/S. it was extremely (difficult, to;obtairt the services of those members of the com-' munity who would have naturally pro-' vided the best organizers and leaders. These men have never come forward,'' or at least in too few numbers. Those’ who have carried on the work have - done their 'best, and I am sure would; readily stand aside if specially com- 1 potent men offered themselves, even at. this late hour. Wellington has the’ men. Will they come forward as flpatriotic duty, and really make something of our E.P.S.?—I am, etc., L. TURNER. Karori, August 19. The King’s Call To Prayer Sir, —I am sure many folk are awaiting a lead from the Government with regard to the King’s call to prayer for September 3. Conditions in the United Kingdom, are so widely different from those in New Zealand that it seems scarcely/necessary, to await news of what is to the done there. Mid-day services in all our churches (made possible by a cessation of business for, say, from noon to 2 p.m.) would fully meet the King’s wishes. Other services could be arranged for the early morning and evening, but there as little doubt that the mid-day service would be most effective. Such an z occasion might well be utilized for a note of thanksgiving for the success gained by our Allies in the Solomons —a success which must be of great value to our safety and ‘.peace of mind. —I am, etc., THANKFUL. Wellington, August 24. . Crime And Punishment Sir, —A wave of horror, not unmixecl with fear, must have surged through the breast of every woman in the Dominion on learning of the diabolical crime committed at Wairoa. On one of her furloughs from Japan, the writer had the honour of meeting on several occasions Miss Smythe, and! considered that she was in very deed one of God’s gifts to humanity. It is certain that the misguided sentimentality of some of our legislators takes away from the minds of many the seriousness of crime. The perpetrator’ of this latest fiendish atrocity know full well that neither his neck nor his hide would suffer. There are hundreds of our women, whose husbands are in the fighting forces, who are living alone, but can we say their lives are safe? Last week we read of a youth who had “converted” 30 motor-cars having his name suppressed. Some years ago a wave of robbery with violence swept Liverpool, but it was .checked in a few months when a stern judge— Parliament did not over-ride his sentences —ordered the delinquents a good dose of the “cat.” How much longer are the people of New Zealand to suffer from this so-called humanitarian legislation?—l am, etc., JUSTICE. Levin, August 24. ’ . Massage Under Social Security Sir,—Your readers will have noticed that it is proposed to include massage among social security benefits, and it may surprise the general public to know that the proposals put forward by the Minister were as great a surprise to members of the profession as to themselves. The masseurs were asked to nominate, I think, four members of their profession to discuss the matter with the Health Department, and naturally supposed. that the Government’s proposals .would be made available to members of the profession so that they might consider whether or not they were satisfactory to them, instead of which it appears that the masseur members of this board of discussion were sworn to secrecy till the matter appeared in the Press as already decided. Why? I would like to voice the strongest possible protest against this most undemocratic action. I would also suggest that the maximum fee of 7/(seven shillings) for treatment given in the masseurs’ rooms is quite inadequate in a town such as Wellington, even if perhaps sufficient in small centres where much equipment is not expected. In Wellington an up-to-date massage practice includes many hundreds of pounds’ worth of apparatus, as well as having higher rents and overhead than smaller centres. The fee which is the most to be allowed whatever treatment is ordered, has always been the minimum fee for private treatment, and was that usually charged during the depression. Why is this attempt being made to underpay a hard-working body of useful people at a time when every single thing used in the practice of their profession is more expensive than ever before, from rents with fire-watching expenses added, insurances, linen, drugs, bandages, renewals to apparatus and even laundry (No bag wash!) ? The only way in these circumstances to earn a living would seem to be by lowering the standard of treatment given, or shortening tlie time of treatment, making it approximate to that given in public hospitals, which would be unsatisfactory to patients aud detested by many of the keenest members of the profession.—l am, etc. — KATHLEEN P. ENGLEDUE, C.S.M.M.G. Wellington, August 24.