PUBLIC OPINION

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 10, 27 January 1937, Page 4

PUBLIC OPINION

* must be distinctly understood that we are uot to be identified with the opiniont ezpressed by correspondents in our columns. Letters to the Editor should not deal witb subject matter arising from the publication of news or opinione m other newspapers. The correspondence columns of a newspaper are indlvidual to that newspaper and are not to be used for the dissemination of general propaganda. Tbe Editor is not under any obligation to publish letters that have been submitted to other newsFruitgrowing in England (To the Editor.) Sir, — As a postseript to Mr fuyiuer's excellent address on the above subject, reported in Saturday's "Herald'rrioune, ' ' the following advertisemeut-j showing the prices obtained by English rruitgrowers for their apples may te oj: interest to your orehardist reader-s. The first is from the "Morning Post" of Deeember lfi and the rest from "Tfie Times" of the saine date: — "Apples from growers — Choice selected, 401b. • box 10/-, carriage paid; dessert, cooking or assorted. Tip-top value or money back." "Brancaster-grown Cox's Orango Pippins.— Tray of 28 or 32. selected apples weighing 61bs. 6/6, delivered by post. ' > ' ' Cox 's Orange Pippin.— 112 delieious Essex-grown apples packed in nests ensuring good keeping, 30/-, carriage paid. ' ' "Direct from orchard to table. — Cox's Orange Pippins, cases 481bs. 25/-, 241bs. 12/6, gif t cases, carriage paid, 7/6. Blenheim Orange, Arlington or King Pippins. " What "apples packed in nests," means will puzzle most of your readers. Perhaps Mr Paynter coul'd explain?— Yours, etc., m., . • H- IRWIN. Tikokino, Jan. 25. The Stay-in Strike During the past few days more than one of your leading articles has been made up of propaganda — nay hysterical outbursts concerning the' ireezing workers' illegal . action, the Arbitration Court, Ministerial Dictafcors, the Labour Government and Communism. Provided you had adhered strictly to the facts of the case und the truth, it was not my intencion to discuss thA matter through your columns, but, unfortunately you have seen _fit to publish certain grossiy misjeading and incorrect statements tn your article of to-day' under the - fieading "A Ministerial Dictator." During the course of your subject you say that the dispute in no way concerned the dairymen but was confined to meat killing and freezing. Are you aware that the King's Wharf stores in Auckland handle no meat or > meat products whatever, that the Southdown and Horotiu works are also storing places for dairy produce and that the workers handling this produce are subject to the Freezing Workers' Award and the injustices that go with it? Such being the case, it is surely obvious that the dairymen were ooncerned, as practically the whole of the dairy produce in the Auckland district is handled by* the Farmers' Freezing Co., who control the works mentioned., Later, your article states that the Minister "directed" .that, as far as concerned wages, the men should get all they now asked and something appreciably more than their advocate daimed before the Oourt. Sir, that is not correct. The 3d. per hour bonus that has been granted brings the minimum to 2/4 per hotir, whereas the minimum sought from the' Court was 2/6 per hour. At least some of your leaders would greatly appreciate the rigid truth even if we do have to suffer the obvious bias that repeatedly abounds in your columns. In couclusion, let me quote one inconsisteney of the Court. On the first day of November, 1936, there came into being, for weekly workers a basie wage — an amount sufficiaat for a man to maintain, in a reasoulble standard of comfort, a wife and three children. The Court (by a majority) detei'mined this amount at £3 16/-. Exactly one month later the Court released the freezing-workers' award and for one section of the male adult workers determiued that the weekly minimum should be £2 8/-. When the freezing workers approached the Court we expected at least consistent judgments, However, as the dispute has been patched up with justice and chalked with appreciation perhaps silence concerning the many other grievances is a wise policy. — Yours, etc., FRED, J. CLEARY. Hastings, Jan. 25, 1936. Comment upon the above correspondent' s letter appears in our edyfcorial column. — Editor.