Correspondence

Horowhenua Chronicle, 22 November 1916, Page 3

Correspondence

("Our correspondents.' opinions aro their own ; tho responsibility of editorial ones makes sufficient ballast for the I,ABO I' 11, AT TENTI-O'N! (To the Editor^. Sir, —Tho favourite theme of Socialistic agitators is to enlarge on the over-worked;, ill-fed workmen. They put it all down to what they term „ the capitalistic system. One can hear them on Sundays /in our cities enhng'ng on the awful hardships endured by the well-fixl. well-paid colonial workman of to-day. In the U.S.A. many Socialists point out to the workers their blunders and extravagances. If they drink it is because they are labour _ slaves. If they gamble, well they want to make a rise. If they smoke, why should not they enjoy themselves. The other day I stood as one of a mob listening to a Socialist, and I imadie a r§mairk to him in regard to drink throttling labour and lie said: "We are not all drinkers and smokeris." There is a saying that "a house divided against itself cannot stand," and though some of the labour men tnaiy not be drinkers and smokers, a greater part of them are, andi a chain can only be as (strong as its wea/kest link. That the labouring mail has only himself to blame for any undignified position he may find himself in to-day is a fact, and while he ever supports the liquor monopoly he can never hope for anything better. He may l agitate and agitate, and agitate again, and strive for better pay, and may even 1 convince himself that organ,zed labour is a power in the land not to be thwarted; but while ever he hobnobs with the liquor monopoly all his efforts will go for nought. Capitalism may bo a bugbear to him, but he is off the true went in the first place, and until he singles out and strangles the liquor I monopoly in his first effort, he wil 1 _ never rise to anything better than what he is to be foundl to-day. N\ver in the course of history can it bo found that nnd liquor could walk together without the latter having a degrading influence on the ' former, to its ultimate undoing. If 1 the workers and other have not yet 1 ■found out what the objects »f the ' .Moderate League were tliait operated ' at the last election, and what it was 1 they were intended to accomplish, I and if he dloes not fully grasp wdio < were the promoters of that League, * then he is indeed too dense to have < any hope for or to grasp what 1 should be beneficial to the country or f Himself. It should not be hard tc> 1 see or know that we are being out. dis- f tanced bv the allies of other and less f progressive countries than we are sup- 11 posed to be, on this particular line t of reform, and while ever the worker 1 is ..content to accept liquor matters i'n £ the state we have them to-day he can ' never hope for anything better than J to be constantly "digging his own 1 grave." So Labour still remains "in I the soup."—l a.m, etc., 1

AN HONEST SCEPTIC, No. 2. Heathcrlen, November 18th, 191(3. THE CLEANING-UP CAMPAIGN. (To the Editor). •S:r.— I am thankful to Messrs Aitken ancJl -Mathe.son for the notice they have taken of my letter and for thecompliments paid to me. They must frankly admit that as a preliminary and to avoid misconception, it was incumbent on tlieih to clearly give an outline and the modus operandi of their imported scheme in order to &v<fd giving the town, a bad reputation. and to prove my assertion, T quote from the New Zealand! Timers the following:— "Otakii, Thursday.—A meeting for pim-pose of inaugu,rating a for better sanitation, and improvement .generally, of Levin, was held 011 Tuesday might. It was pointed out that last ivear there Were many epidemics in the township, and it was now suggested that steips be taken to prevent a recurrence. The idea was to get the public to take an interest. and to set. up committees for various branches of work. After a free discussion various persons were appointee! to at tend to various .matters, and by co-

opera tbii it was hoped to not only cleanse the town, but to make it, brighter and battel' in many respects." This much in justification of my utterance. Regarding the humorous part of my letter it lias given readt c'l's a chance to have a good laugh, and i the promoters a lesson, so that in | future they will be more esplidlt and ' rational in .introducing any new scheme. I am certain that there is mot one in a, hundred in Levin who ha.s given the whole thing a different interpretation..—l am, etc., • MAR C O KaSMLL A. ■P.S.—-Nr-ncc writing the above I uoticidi Messrs Aitken and' Matheson's letter in tlio New Zealand Tfimes wlr'eli will have tlir v same effect as a poult'ce on a wooden leg. Further comments are, I think, unnecessary. I.et tlie pc pie go over the whole proceedings and bo the judge.