CORRESPONDENCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43373, 15 September 1908, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We-are not responsible for the opinion expressed by oar corn spondt nts.) To the Editor. I Dear Sir,—Without wishing to enter into a controversy with K. F. W. Lyons-1 Montgomery re his dismissed labourer ®r the dismissed clerk, I would like to point out the big mistake he makes when he says that a gardener does not need to use his brains. It is quite evident that he has never taken the slightest interest in agricultural or horticultural’ pursuits. I would therefore ask the gentleman in fairness to the gardening fraternity to study his Darwin and note what the folmnnnfv rwiT>/?/\nn%.n T> * tt •. i

rowing gardeners Rivers, Veitch, Sutton, Daing, Benary, and Pemet Ducher have done for the improvement of fruits, grasses, ,aed flowers. Peruse Nicholson s or Johnson’s gardeners’ Dictionary, Yeitche’s Manual on conifer® and plant breeding by Bailey. He will then in all probability discover that it requires a little brains to become even a

common gardener. How much more <; then to take up gardening as a profession? I might also try to enlighten him that in order to become a gardener (not a man who simply digs a piece of ground and plants a few vegetables) a man requires to serve an apprenticeship of at least five years to learn the rudiments pertaining to gardening, have a knowledge of botany, physiological, as well as mor-

® especially as ap- 8 plied to the examination of organic natiire, draining, pruning, propagation of plants, treatment of fungoids and treatment of insects which attack his plants, to be capable of laying out ground and keep an accurate account of sales, stocks, and wages; yet Mr Montgomery tells us we have only to use our hands. lam a man who spent the best years of my life at gardening, and in conclusion I would like to tell Mr Montgomery that the day is gone when the spade and the blue apron were the only approximate devices for the gardener. A gardener must now not only have a thorough practical knowledge of his art, but he must also have an intimate acquaintance with its scientific aspects, therefore there is nothing derogatory in associating with men who are producing what is useful to mankind, and thus are entitled to as much consideration as those who have not to soil their hands or take off their coats. —I am, etc.,

Hortexsis.

Te the Editor.

Sißj A letter signed “ Justice ” appears in your issue of 12th inst., in which the writer complains that a certain person keeping a fruit and confectionary shop is the only one in Te Aroha obliged to close on the half-holiday* Is “ Justice ” quite sure that nothing is sold in this shop, such as tobacco, cigarrettes, or the likes, which if done would be the reason of the owner of the shop being obliged to observe the half-ho iday. I am, etc , ■ • Leituim.

To the Editor. Sir,—-Re letter in your issue of 12th inst., signed “ Fairplay,” I will be very happy to answer all his questions. (1) He wants to know, who is going to run the Department, officials or public ? Certainly the officials must, as they are the paid servants of the public, and are appointed by the Ministry who are also the paid servants of the public, and put in power by the voice of the public, a thing they, Ministry, seem very often to forget) this being the case it remains with their employers (public) to see that they (ministry) carry out their work in a proper manner and that cases of wrongful dissmissal, discharge, or the sack, as the case may be, are not allowed to pass unnoticed, no matter in what Government Department they may occur. It is high time the people of New Zealand awoke to the fact, that the Government is the paid servant of the public, not (as seems to be the idea at pr—nt) that t'm public are servants of tu Government.

n'airplay goes on to say, wli.it would I £ i y a General gave out an order, and t'l • officers and men said, this is an unjust order, we will not obey it. He (Fairplay) cannot read the newspapers much or he would have seen the case which so recently happened ; Admiral Jiord Charles Beresford, issued an order which Vice- 1 dmiral Sir Percy hoot considered dangerous to carry out, and refused to do it. Was this allowed to pass unnoticed by the. public ? INO, every newspaper in Great Britain took the matter up, and not only took it up but kept at it, until they heard that, the very smartest and best of our sailors (I <ord Charles Beresford) would retire in a few months when his time is up, This t is one example of what the people in ’ Great Britain think of their rights to interfere with a Public Scrvi'e, or Department, Now for an army, one—or ones— : During the last five years, several cases of ragging have occurred, • all these cases have been taken up and brought to the notice of the authorities by the public through their voice, the publie press* Did the British Government ignore the voice of the people who put them in power, and say, who is g"ing to run the show Y or that the public have no right to interfere in any way with their Government’s doing (unjust as these doings may be ) No, they took the matter up at once, held a proper inquiry, all evidence at the inquiry vras printed in the newspapers, and thorough satisfaction given the public that, owing to their bringing these cases forward the authorities had taken them up and justice been done; Colonels, Majors. Captain and I ieutenants retired from the service, by order of the Government, some of the officers were not directly mixed up with the oases for which they suffered, but they were in command of the unit to which the party wrongfully treated, belonged. Now, Mr Editor, are not the foregoing cases, in keeping with the one I have brought before the public. Here in Te Aroha we have a.case of a young lady clerk taking her sister’s place (who bad been over five years in the same office) in an office, a most unjust act is passed, (which the Government find out is not workable in cases of some employees) one which immediately after making the Government have to patch up with a clause, as they cannot cany their act, as passed, out to their (Government) satisfaction. The lady clerk’s sister served some months in the office after this ridiculous and unjust act came intp power, she Jpft to get married, and fter 'sister was put in ber place, no nfttioe given her that the appointment wap only for si* months, then she is allowed to remain seven before being dismissed, then insult is added to injury, by offering her, (a young girl under 21 years) a lady who had educated h( rrnlf up to be able to take a position as clerk, a billet (mind you. only for two months) to hand soap and towels, and turn on water in baths for young men, many of them of the rough sort; I ain sure all rightminded people wilt agree with me that an offer like this to any young girl, is a

disgrace to the person making it, even if . he is the “ Uncrowned King of ‘ Rotorua.”

Fairplay, is by his letter, evidently . trying to stir up ill-feeling. Why bring in (another young lady’s name when there is no necessity to do so. If Miss Michael is reinstated, the person who was the means of her being I so, will kick up a proper “ Donney Brook ” if Miss Biggs is not kept in employment for the time she was engaged for. In any case, it would not be much good for Miss Biggs, or anyone eke, depending on Looker on, Gardener, or Fairplay for getting justice done her, if she required it. The two sides, Fairplay speaks of in his } letter are, or have been, placed before the public by me. On the one side is I yours truly standing up for justice to be

done a lady clerk. On the other is a Government who, refuses to do justice to a wronged employee, although by their having to patoh up the Act before the ink was ha idly dry, they admit, it is unworkable and unjust, and one which no private company would be mad enough [ tomake.

Before long I am afraid that New Zealand will not be large enough to hold all the little, (gather me votes) acts with which our Government hedge themselves round. I must apologise for taking so much of your valuable newspaper's space but I could not answer Fairplay properly without doing so. —I am, etc., K. F. W. Lyoxs-Montgomert.