FOOLISH PEOPLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24420, 4 October 1940, Page 4

FOOLISH PEOPLE

TO THE EDITOR

Sir,—As I have to travel to the city, daily in tramcars to reach my place of employment, I have the opportunity of listening to the comments of fellow passengers on our Labour Government. Some of these comments take the form of caustic criticism, and I have a heCtic time combating this criticism. _ One passenger actually had the temerity to assert that once the Arbitration Court has made ah award, or an agreement has been come to by a body of workers with their employer, or employers, the Government should insist that the conditions of work agreed to should be observed. He said that the State should come first, not the individual. I said that he was quite wrong in his argument. I said: “Let us take the captain of a steamer. Why should not the stewards, the seamen, and the firemen have a say in the running of the vessel.” My fellow passengers said that I did not know what I was talking about. One passenger, who generally has very little to say remarked that he was not interested in politics, beyond the amusement he got from reading the statements of members. This made me very angry, and L asked him to give illustrations of his point. He said that he had had a good laugh that morning when he read the Otago Daily Times. “ Gosh.” I said. “ Tell us all about it.” “Well,” he replied, “I see. according to a telegram from Wellington, that Dr McMillan, who is Minister of Prisons, said that the police had in hand the matter of the escape of prisoners at Auckland. I also noticed that the Minister of Supply (Mr D. G. Sullivan) referred to what he called the sacrifices of the community in accepting military conscription. Mr Sullivan’s statement made a particular appeal to my risible faculties." I immediately rose to my feet, rang the bell, and left the car at the next stop. I walked the rest of the way to town sooner than travel with such a lot of nit-wits. lam now negotiating for the purchase of a bicycle.—l am, etc., Brain Storm.