INCIDENTS OF THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 23 December 1916, Page 2

INCIDENTS OF THE WAR.

THE FOOD EXPLOITERS j The operations of the food exploiters n Britain have called forth the follow- | ing caustic comments from Reynolds' , Weekly:— " | We congratulate wheat importers and all the other parasites who have for two long, weary years been wolfing chunks of the poor man's loaf, on their iniazing luck. Under the benignant ?yes of our tender-hearted rulers they uive made colossal fortunes out of the people's food. Attacked by every friend )f the people; denounced in nearjy ?vcry newspaper in the country, exe3rated by Tich and poor, they have pursued their pleasant path conscious that :heir profits were safe so long as pubic opinion and public disgust failed to louse the Government to a sense of the magnitude and gravity of the scandal jf exploiting the poor in time of war. Having thus graciously paid our tribute to their powers of extracting the lifcblood of a helpless nation and transEormin it into private wealth for their future enjoyment, we must now commiserate with them on the turn of the tide. The President of the Board of Trade informs us that at long last the Government is to take a hand in the matter of manipulating market and supplies. We hope the newly-made millionaires will bear up under the blow. We hope that, having gorged themselves on the food of helpless men, women and children, they will face the future like men and give themselves in this midst of this carnage, this pitiful, pitiless period of blood and tears, to a healthy enjoyment of the spoils. The worst we wish them is that the spending of their wealth will bring them but a millionth part of the misery the amassing of it has caused to other people. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that misery will dog their footsteps. It is much more likely that the worst of them will, before many years are over, be loaded with honours and placed in the seats of the mi gh ty. BLIND MAN WONDERS SIGHTLESS SOLDIER AS SHORT- ' HAND WRITER HIS SIMPLE THANKS Sir Arthur Pearson, chairman of the' 1 Blinded Soldiers and Sailoiis' Care Com- { mittec, St. Dunstan % Regent's Park, i N.W., writes: — A great many visitors to St. Dunstan 's, and other kindly folk who have not been here, but have written to me about our methods of training men who hav c lost their sight at the front, have expressed complete scepticism as to the possibility newly-blinded man making good as a shorthand writer and typist. One letter I particularly call to mind. It was from a wealthy individual, who stated that he should have been'glad* to forward a ha n some subscription to St. Dunstan'a but for the fact that he understood we went in for such theatrical nonsense as pretending to teach blinded men to be shorthand writers and typists. I confess that to me, accustomed as I am to the uncanny expertness of the blind, this ability of theii.s to write shorthand is still amazing. Typewriting I know from my own experience to be quite simple, but the acquisition of the Braille system of shorthand does really make unusual demands upon the intelligence, and one would imagine that years would be required for its mastony. Here is a copy of a letter which I received two days ago from Harold Flett, late private in the lst-7tk Manchester's, who was totally blinded at the Dardanelles on June S, 1915, and who wa s at St Dunstan's for eight months. He is now employed by the United Yeast Company, of Clcrkcnwell, E.C., at whose Manchester branch he held a position before joining the Anmy:— Not a "War Curiosity." "To Sir Arthur Pearson. "Dear Sir,—! am now in my fourth week at business. I thought, perhaps, you would like to hear how I was progressing. Let me begin by saying that I havc done very well, indeed; far better than I expected. My shorthand speed has proved quite sufficient,, and my typewriting has been well up to the mark. Indeed, I have been on two occasions described as the best tvpist iu this office. ' " \t finst I was not given too much to do, but during the past fortnight I have been well occupied all through the day. My wage has been fixed at 30s per week, with an extra bonus at .the end of each month to cover the extra cost of food. "For the benefit of future shorthand typists fuo St. Dunstan's, I feel quite Justified in saying that I have proved 'of some worth to the firm and not a war curiosity. I should like to take this opportunity of thanking you and all the generous helpers at St Dunnstau's for making me fit and able to earn my own living, and to be of some use, however small, iu the wonld.— Yours very sincerely (Signed) Harold Flatt." I acid no comment, for I think none is needed. I hope your readers will rejoice, with me ?t this proof of the efficiency of a blinded soldien, one, I may say, of many. ,'':'.