Correspondence.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 30 May 1918, Page 3

Correspondence.

(To the Editori.

Sir, —You must have had your tongue well in your cheek when you wrote tlie footnote to my letter. In the beginning you admit the long hours and low salary, and then laud the Borough Council for liberality to their employees. The Library boasts 0f.500 subscribers, which is sufficient m itself for any assistant to handle properly. I think anv shopkeeper would give an assistant fix? times the librarian's salary it they could get them to serve 000 customers weekly. Then there is the 3000 or 4000 volumes to look after (not an easy task), the reading room, the charring, etc., and yet you think there is not, sufficient for a girl to do. lhe public of Levin, X am sure, will think that the hours and salary are a disgrace to our progressive little town, and that the horns should not exceed eight daily, with alternate evenings off, and the salary should he doubled. RULE BRITANNIA. p.S. Your suggestion that we should take advantage of the wounds of a returned soldier to get a cheap man needs no comment.

"Rule Britannia" seems more concerned to score a point off the Borough Council and the Ohio nicle" than to state his case temperately and reasonably. As a matter'of fact his whole grievance is founded on misrepresen .tation. The assistant librarian is not asked to be on duty 1~- hours ,a day as lie stated, but according to the conditions, 4->j hours a week, with two weeks leave on full pay and seven other days off in the year. The conditions provide for a weekly rest from I o'clock on Wednesday till 10.30 on Thursday morning ancl for Friday evenings off from ■ o'clock. What "Rule Britannia calls "charring" consists of sweeping and dusting. The scrubbing and window-cleaning is done by the Council. r £liough there are 500 subscribers to :the Library, "Rule Britannia" knows perfectly well that they do not all take books out every week. His lootnote is a sample of his metho.is. No one lover sugested that we should take advantage of the « unds of a returned soldier, etc. "We did suggest that the conditions might be made congenial for nn incapacitated soldier"Rule Britannia,'' even though, he is safe behind the hedge ot anonymity, should not peiyei the facts and mislead the public in order to snipe the Borough 1.0-uncil.—Ed. uncil.—Ed. Chronicle.