PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

ab expressed by correspondents, whose letters are welcome, but for whose views we have no responsibility. Correspondents are requested to write in Ink. It Is essential that anonymous writers enclose their proper names as a guarantee of good faith. Unless this rule Is complied with, their letters will not appear.

ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT

W. McLean. —It Is understood that the lake formed Is eighteen miles long.—Ed. W.T.

BOBBY CALF TRADE

(To the Editor.) Sir,—l crave space on behalf of the suffering of poor dumb animals. The case In point, a most shocking statd of affairs, was when calves and sheep at the Taupiri railway station were penned up for two days, some dead, others dying, and being trampled on. Of course one would expect some delay in transit after the collision on Thursday night week, but why leave those poor animals all that time In such an awful condition? I witnessed other than passenger trains (quite a number), with timber and also empty trucks, go by while the ones containing the animals had to stay from the day before till next night, 11.45. It Is high time something was done, in a case like the above, when trains are delayed through collision or other cause.—l am, etc.,

A LOVER OF DUMB ANIMALS Taupiri, August 22

BROADCASTING

(To the Editor.) Sir,—Whether the Director of Broadcasting or some one is responsible for the meanderings emanating from Wellington's commercial station on Sunday nights, I think It Is lime a stop was put to it. For some time disguised Socialist propaganda was poured forth by the bucketful, but after several protests had been made this was stopped. However, it has now given place to what 1 consider an attack on the Christian Churches. Last Sunday night the reverend gentleman who delivers these talks told the story of our Lord’s supposed visit to an American city, where He found He could do much better work outside the churches.

Is this an attempt to belittle the Churches and the clergy and keep people away from them? On the previous Sunday night we listened to an address in which education was somewhat ridiculed, and the man ■with the university degree compared very unfavourably with the man who could make a barrel.

The present Minister of Education Is endeavouring to extend the benefits of learning to make them available to everyone, yet we And a State servant holding education up to contempt. He also announced that lie’ himself had passed only the fifth standard, which surely does not put him in the position of being able lo discuss a science that is one for experts. It will he rather interesting to see what activity will next Incur his condemnation. However, in the meantime he has ceased to repeat in detail the meanderings of Mr Savage, so I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies. —I am, etc., LISTENER. Hamilton, August 25.

NATIONAL PARTY’S MEETING

(To the Editor.) Sir, —I heard Mr Mazengarb speak at the Theatre Royal on Tuesday evening and listened to the attack that he made on the Labour Government, and yet he never said one word about his own party’s policy or how the National Party was going to settle the problems that are facing the country to-day. The National, or Coalition, Government miserably failed to do «o after four years of ofilce. Mr Mazengarb made a statement about the Labour Government borrowing £13,000,000 of money, but he did not tell the audience that it was not borrowed overseas. Mr Mazengarb and any of the National Party’s supporters know as well as I do that it was raised In New Zealand. There is no getting away from that fact. Every Government we have had in this country yet, up to the present one, indulged in the habit of borrowing overseas.

Another statement made by Mr Mazengarb was about too many men living on sustenance. Well, let us look at the matter this way. Supposing there is no work to be found for these men at all, and they had nothing to live on—what are they to do? We cannot let them starve in a land of plenty. I ask, how does the National Party propose to settle this unemployment qnestlon? If the National Party had still been In office, instead of 38,000-odd out of work, as was pointed out by Mr P. C. Wobb, I am positive there would have been over 100,000 out of work, because there were about 78.000 when the Coalition Government went out of office. In my opinion, there are a number who were pushed out of employment on account of the basic wage for the purpose of embarrassing tho. Labour Government. The people will say that Ihe Labour Government has not solved the unemployment problems. I am not in favour of men drawing tho sustenance and living on the State if they are able lo work, hut if there is no work for them, what are we to do, or how arc we going to remedy il ? I cannot understand why the National Parly dues nut give I heir own policy if thev have one at all, instead of picking at other parties who arc doing lheir best an,l heller Ilian they did. if the Nalional Parly cannot plan a | policy of their own without asking tho i business section of the community ,o j fry me one for I hem. and bring their ! policy before Ihr people, it should he , dissolved. If the Coalition Government had • lone their duly when they had tho. opportunity they would never have been put out at the last election. The. Coalition was weighed In the balance and was found wan ling. I notice I hat. Mr Mazengarb never told his audience that a saving of £60.000 was made in converting the per cent., by Mr Nash, while the Compel- cent, more for its loans' ..pinion it was not fair of Mr Maze., garb to give one side or Urn storv and not the oilier.—l am. etc.. S\\ ALLOW. Claudelands, August 25.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

(To the Editor.) Sir, —The reply to my inquiry regarding the political freedom of trade unionists glveq by Mr John Sykes may be quite satisfactory to him, but Is not so satisfactory to me. Can Mr Sykes tell us whether unionists who Join the Nationalist Party do so openly, or secretly and surreptitiously as It were, and whether, if they do so openly, they are not subjected to annoyance from Labour quarters? A party may give theoretically a freedom It denounces in practice. Anyway, I suppose it does not matter muoh, as very probably in a few years we shall be under a Socialist dictatorship.—l INQUISITIVE. Hamilton, August 27.

POLITICAL PARTIES

(To the Editor.) Sir,—it is all to the good that politicians are moving round holding meetings, and, better still, that the public is showing keen Interest in matters political. Labour’s policy is now discredited throughout the Dominion; In twelve months’ time the Government will be as unpopular as the late National Government. We are treated to the spectacle of two discredited political parties wooing the support of the electors by indulging in mutual recriminations and destructive criticism. The spokesmen of both parties betray complete and abysmal Ignorance of our national problems.

Mr Mazengarb, for Instance, shows in marked degree that peculiar political facility for tearing the other fellow to pieces. When questioned as to his atlttude to the compensated pr.’ce, Mr Mazengarb Immediately “hedges” by saying that he “cannot speak authoritatively for the National Party.” Who does a member of Parliament represent—his constituents or a party —a mere abstraction? Again, since the Nationalists recognise* that the forty-hour week and deoent wages have come to stay, how are they going to build up the farmer’s Income so that he can meet costs and compete with any industry for efficient labour? We see no concern expressed by members of either political brand that prices for very many commodities in New Zealand are practically double overseas price. But if economic Justice to the farmer Involves a payment of 3£d per lb above overseas prices, then we are treated to pious warnings about “false issues of money.”

Like the Labour Government, the Nationalists are prepared to make flesh of one section of the community and fish of another, as the saying is. National policy has'been wrecking the country for years past.

Mr Savage told us over the radio on election night: “We are builders, not wreckers.” And what has he don*;? He immediately turned round and laid a crushing burden of taxation on the country. One of the most spectacular casualties of Labour’s policy is the closing down of the largest sheep station In New Zealand, and the r e must be many more under the present policy. Then the hon. gentleman tells us over the air recently “that he is not worrying.” One wonders whether Mr Savage is the modern Nero, “fiddling while Rome is burning.” The political ineptitude of Government and Opposition makes It. oertaln that the largest number of Independents will go to the poll in the political history of the Dominion. It Is an insult to the intelligence of the public that they should be asked to choose between two parties, both proved to be incompetent.—T am, etc., R. G. YOUNG. Gordonton, August 25.

MACHINERY AND EMPLOYMENT

(To the Editor.) Sir, —A well-known American banker —Vanderlip—remarked some time ago that Americans were a nation of “economic Illiterates.” Speaking of civilised communities in the mass, I would suggest that the truth Is really much worse than this—that a large section In every community holds, with fanatical zeal, to numerous beliefs on economic subjects which are outrageous fallacies. The political game Is to capitalise these fallacies, and, having collected a political majority who are only too willing victims of their own delusions, to claim a “mandate” to Incorporate these delusions into the legislative system. When the economic machine begins, in consequence, to knock itself to pieces, tiic authors of the trouble burst into shouts of Indignation against “the financial interests,” who .are -set up as scapegoats.

From dozens of illustrations of the perverted beliefs referred to, and because il lias been Ihe subject of a pood deal of argument. In your columns. I take “technological unemployment.” Here 1 am referring to popular ideas on the effect, on employment of the Introduction of machinery. This effect Is just as much a mailer of fact —to be duly and definitely ascertained — as the effect of motor trafllc on a road, or the effect of an electric current. Hut because the consequences of any economic action—even the purchase of a pennyworth of tacks—transmit themselves right through Ihe whole economic organism, and because the average citizen sees only llio part of these effects which comes under his immediate observation. he feels himself at liberty to indulge in any generalisation on the subject that pleases him. Consequently there is a widespread belief, determining the. form and direction of a great deal of our legislation, that, the Introduction of machinery Is a determining cause of “unemployment.” This belief Is particularly attractive lo many people because it appears to exculpate the Legislature, to remove, all the responsibility from Hie shoulders of the unemployed, and In justify a permanent, and continual!-, increasing levy on the taxpayer in their aid. This belief is a complete and pernicious delusion. I hope to demonstrate this is a later letter.- | fim . etc., non-, i. ,\s skymhi h. Hamilton, \ugust 2<'..

At Glasgow Police Court recently a motorist charged with disobeying traffic signals pleaded that they were “a wee bit confusing.” The magistrate agreed and fined him 10s. The next case was similar, except that it was a lady motorist who was charged. “The same pica and exactly the same explanation, your Honour,” she said. “And exactly 'the same fine,” sa ; d his Honour.