Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1008, 26 June 1930, Page 10

Citizens Say

(To the Editor.)

THE R.S.A. Sir.— * In your Tuesday's paper I read what the Returned Soldiers’ Association would like to do for the men. I understand that the association is greatly troubled with the complaints and needs of Imperial ex-Service men. now living: in New Zealand. May I suggest that the association bring forth a scheme for reduced fares, or repayable passage fares, for those men who were guaranteed work here and are now up against it? Their departure would leave more “pickings” for New Zealanders and the British Legion could look after its own. S.I. AN EMPLOYER’S STANDPOINT The unemployed are waiting for employers to purchase their labour. If it pays employers to buy, they will buy. If, however, it does not pay them to buy, no amount of weeping and wailing will induce them to do so. If I demand too high a price for my goods, sales slump; and if labour demands too high a price for its services, the sales of labour also slump. The private right to freedom of contract and the liberty to sell one’s own labour as one chooses—without the interference of the law, with its pains and penalties—is a natural British birthright; and if that birthright is not restored, I am of opinion that unemployment will continue. EMPLOYER. MR. JORDAN AND LABOUR Sir, May I crave space in your valuable columns to put forth a few suggestions on the present political situation? The present situation, industrially, commercially and financially in the Dominion is such that more active interest should be taken by the electors. During the last 10 years we have been getting into a worse state. The electors resolved that Reform had failed. The United Party made great promises and had its then leader been well and able to command his party, he might have selected a Cabinet of progressive and able men. We regret that it was necessary for Sir Joseph Ward to retire from the leadership of the United Party, and now the new leader of that party has reappointed the same Cabinet, with one or two new Ministers, some of whom are sufficiently known to satisfy us that little improvement will be brought about. To whom then can we go. It was agreed by many around me at several meetings hekl during the Parnell by-election that an appeal should be made to the member for Manukau to accept the foremost position in the Labour Party, which would then offer an alternative. His work throughout the Auckland district and interest in the great difficulties which face the agricultural and manufacturing producers, as well as his convincing and inspiring messages on all occasions. are well known. How often we hear persons who now object to the Labour Party say: “If Mr. Jordan were leader we would vote for that party." Labour has reached an important position. It has been the Official Op-

position, but is now less than that. Public opinion is growing against St, and at the next election it will be overshadowed unless it makes a better appeal to those who look for improvement in New- Zealand. We need much of Labour’s policy and Mr. Jordan's broad and practical outlook indicates a loader who would, I feel sure, command the confidence of the people. A NEW ZEALANDER. GERMAN NAMES Sir. — Sensible people Yvill hope that the New Zealand conference of the Returned Soldiers’ Associations will reject instantly the remit of the Wellington Returned Soldiers’ Association seeking: the abolition of German names, such as Mount Moltke, Mount Bismarck and Kaiser Fritz Range. from the nomenclature of the Southern Alps. This is insularity of the worst form and actually an indictment of the "narrowness” of those responsible for the remit. Further, it is sheer bad taste. A proposal of this description from a. Eeturned Soldiers* Association i> not likely to aid the organisation in the estimation of the people as a whole. Engrossed with its peculiar idea of spite against the German race. the Wellington Association most likely has included Austrian names in its suggestion. New Zeo.landers may yet find themselves confronted with a proposal to abolish the name of the Franz Josef Glacier, perpetuating the name of an Austrian Emperor who took a welcome and valuable interest in New Zealand’s alpine regions and the natural life of the Dominion. Why not include Hochstetter or Mueller in this amusing suggestion from Wellington? New Zealand may as well abolish all the Polynesian names of the Dominion because the British once warred with the Maoris. ESTEBAN. BANK PROFITS Your leader in- Saturday's issue raises some interesting questions which it is doubtful whether even Sir George Elliot will l>e able to answer, Surely if it is possible for one of our leading banks to make a record profit of over *1 3 .000.000 at a time when every wage-earner and producer in this country is feeling the pinch of hard tiroes, the moral is obvious: we are paying too much for our banking facilities. Jt is sheer hypocrisy for our finaneiai magnates——bank directors and j their kith—to exhort the Government to curtail public expenditure on esseni tial services, such as education, while they themselves are making exhorbit- | ant profits on an essential service—i banking and are responsible for one of the greatest burdens on the com- ! munity*. One would not mind so much * dividends were distributed great the money goes to people who have ■ have no interest in N>w Zealand other than the money they can get out of W • 11 know that thrift ai : •' : n cess ary -• : - - . Sir E

had to be content with small profits or perhaps no profit at aIL Let th# banks also do their share toward lowering the cost of living bv reducing th«r 8 finance for the producers of this coun--11. «\ SIMMONS. Devonport.