CORRESPONDENCE.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43375, 19 September 1908, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

(We are not responsible for the opinion expressed by our correspondents.)

To the Editor.

Sib, —Your correspondent “ Leitrim ” replying to my protest of Saturday last is attempting to draw a red herring across the trail. Other fruit and confectionary shops sell tobJicco, cigarettes, or the like,” so again I ask. “ Why do they not observe the law ?” —I am, etc.,

To the Editor.

Justice,

Sir, —Some little time ago, I saw in your paper, a letter signed “ Female Voter,” which had so much sense in it that I hoped Female Voter would speak up again. There is no doubt that if we (women) would have our rights we will have to make it known that we are awake to the fact that if we do not speak up for ourselves we will be ignored. The way in which the young lady who has been referred to was treated shows what

women may expect if they do not stand up for our rights. There are a good number of female voters in Te Aroha, Sufficient to force recognition from the Government, if we stand together. I therefere appeal to my sister voters not to forget that united we stand divided we fall, and we will insist on justice. —I am, etc.,

Another Female Voter,

To the Editor,

Sir, —All interested in temperance work should read a recent work by Sir Victor Horsely and Dr. Sturge “ Alcohol and the Human Body.” The effect of moderate and small doses upon the brain is given. The delus ve nature of the Bense of comfort, the sense of relief from fatigue and the sense of allayed hunger produced by alcohol is shown. Alcohol, they declare, provides no energy for the body, does not maintain heat in the body, does not build up the tissues, does net save waste of tissue and is in no real sense a food. “Moderate drinkers” would profit by the reading of a book in which the most recent and authoritative guidings of science are set forth.—l am, etc.

Temperance

To the Editor

Sir,—l noticed a letter in your paper of last Saturday, calling attention to the action of the Police in compelling a young •woman to close her shop on the halfholiday. The writer informs the public that the young lady is carrying on a confectionery business, and he wants to know why she is singled out. We cannot help asking ourselves whether we are living in Russia or a free Bxitish colony and for the reason this policeman sees our main street blocked with coaches which are a inenance to the lives of the people, and would not be permitted in any other town, and why is this glaring breach of the Law passed over and a young woman sat U(. on. It appears might is right in this town. If you have the Powers that be on your side you can do just as you please.—l am, etc.,

Lookeron.

To the Editor.

Sir, —I notice a letter in your issue of . the 15th September, signed K. F. Montgomery. xVs a visitor I protest against the insinuation that it is a disgrace to the ladies who hand out towels to visitors, also his most insulting remark that the tourist who visit the place are a rough lot. He calls himself a fair minded man. I wonder what sort of a man the other fellow must be. I have never known of a visitor insult or look down on the ladies who wait on them. I have always been treated with the utmost civility, in fact, sir, I consider them, as a whole, the c’.vilist of Civil Servants. If Mr Montgomery wants the blue blood only the best tlj-yng the Government can ido is to appq&t him as f* elector and station him at Station so that he can reject all who are not up to his standard. Is he quite sure himself that i is not the Government he is trying to get at by a side issue. For instance, he has bracketed “ gather me votes.” I think, sir, there is an apology due from him to the ladies and also to the visitors. I am, etc.

Visitor.

To the Editor,

Six-,—What a true saying.it is, “we never know what is going to happen us.” How little I thought I was igoing to be chased by horse, foot, and artillery, with j a broadside from the Boyal navy thrown in. Captain iMontgomery is such a graphic writer that I hear the cannons rattle and the music all so grand, but he has ignored the main point, or is it that it was beneath his notice why one young person should not get a chance as well as another. I never liked red herrings and, I can assure him, it is no use in trying to trail before me. If I understand the Captain there ought to be no Governors or rulers. It is only the Bill, Tom, Jack, and Harries whose advice is worth having. I thought the Captain was a hard-shell Conservative from h}s sneer at the Democratic Government, but he must

be a red hot Socialist, The Coptain certainly throws a little light on what the general public were ignorant of, viz., that the young lady was offerod employment, I will quote the Captain’s own words, “ the billet offered the young lady was to hand soap and towels and turn on water for young men of the rough sort.” I am sure all iright-minded people will agree with me that an offer like this is a disgrace to the person making it. '1 his is a new doctrine that it is a disgrace to earn an honest crust of bread. The

Captain must look with the most sublime contempt on the ladies who are doing this work, in fact, sir, the commonest of the common crockery ware, but !l have yet to learn where the disgrace is. lam Sure the ladies who are employed at this work will be more than surprised to learn that our visitors are a rough lot and that then - work—earning an honest firing —is a disgrace. As for this clerkvafp business that the Captain makes so much of, he forgets that the ladies handing out the towels and turning on the water have as much the same kind of clerkship, but the Captain draws a strict social line between handing out a ticket and a towel. I can assure you, Captain, I had no idea of stirring up strife, your accusing me of it is rather funny. You possibly may not see it, but you are preaching a holy war against a woman and that I certainly object to. So far as I am concerned this ends the matter, but I really do think the. Captain ought to tender an humble apology to the ladies who are handing out the towels, I am, etc,

Fairpcay,

To the Editor. Sir,—Kindly let me point out through your paper for the information of “ Sentinel ” that Dr. Kenny has nothing whatever to do with the reinstating of Miss Michael in the Tourist Department, it is out of Dr. Kenny’s hands, and never

was in them, so his (Sentinel’s) statement that I or anyone else am trying to frighten Dr. Kenny is false, and ridiculous, and plainly shows that Sentinel does not understand what he is writing about. Sentinel goes on to say, “ had Dr, Kenny asserted himself in the first place and not given way to petty outside feeling, the whole thing would have blown over long ago.” So this is Sentinel’s opinion, he would not inquire into, and try to right a wrong. If the case was his own I bet he would fast enough, but as it is not he would pass it over, and let the person wronged suffer; then he goes on to say words to the effect that two members of the same family employed in the same Department cannot remain honest. Was ever such a low, dirty, misleading, underhand, scurrilous, opprobrious, statement placed before the public by a person calling him, or herself a Christian, and saying every Sunday, at least, if only for show, “ forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.” Thank goodness To Aroha does not possess any more (I hope) of Mr Sentinel’s sort. Someone had to take the place of the dismissed clerk, and as the young lady who has gone into the office is in every way fit for the position, why should she not have it as well as, or before, any friend of Sentinel’s ? Both the young lady and her mother are re- * sidents of Te Aroha, and highly rospected by all who know them in the town, so Sentinel’s low attack counts for nothing. If all we hear is true, a casual labourer’s billet in the Domain is not much of a catch, as they have to wait weeks, sometimes months, for the money the Government owe them. In fact, one hand left here by train on Thursday to get private work as he could not afford to live on credit, and found, after working hard in the Domain for a month or so, he would have to wait for his money until the powers that be or the “uncrowned King of the Tourist Department ” sent it up from Wellington to the authorities here to pay out. Does Sentinel call this . a just way for the Government to treat a hard working man. In the ease.l mention, the man has had to leave his ■wife and family behind him until he can get another home together for them. The j whole system of casual pay of employees under Government here is a disgrace, and ought to be looked into at once. Government expect a man to keep his wife and family in a respectable manner, and yet will not give him his just wages for weeks after he has earned them. In conversation ■with a man to-day, who is j working for Government, I said, why vote for them if you are not in sympathy J with them ? His reply was, the voting j papers go down to Wellington after the ‘ election ! And this Mr Editor is ft Liberal Government. —I am, etc , ! K. F. W. Lyons-Montgomery. i