PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20730, 14 February 1939, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

As expressed bv correspondents, whose tetters are welcome, but f or whose views we have no responsibility. Correspondents are requested to write in ink. U 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.

RAVAGES OF WHITE ANTS

To the Editor) Sir, —I am not. surprised that white j ants have obtained a hold of various i buildings around Auckland. Sixteen ; years ago I discovered them in swarms , in an old building in Newmarket, j Being then a new arrival from Western Australia, where white ants are a scourge. I realised the serious position that must eventually arise in Auckland from the destruction of property, as no provision was made for the protection of buildings from these insects. With twenty years' experience of j building construction in Western j Australia, where the chief point of j construction lies in protection from | white ants. T suggest the only solution here to combat them would be the ; use of ant stops for all blocks 'wood or concrete). All plates, bearers, .ioisls and the underside of floorboards should be eoated with a good solution of white ant exterminator on all new buildings to be erected. The ant. works from the ground up, and always in the dark, never coming to davlight; the result is. say a 4 x 3 jack stud is attacked. It would look all right to the eye. hut on examination you would find the whole of the core gone anil just a thin skin of about 1-32 of an inch left round the outside; hence the great danger to life as well as to property. Once, the ants get a hold of a building all the affected timber has to he cut away and replaced by new material, as poison gas even would fail to remove them. Strange as it may seem, I have even seen growing trees attacked. During my last few years in the West I made a few experiments with various timbers against the ravages of the pests, and would be pleased to pass on the information obtained to any responsible authority if a stand is to be made to combat this evil. —I am, etc., JOHN HARDIE. Te Rapa, February 13.

BIRTH CONTROL

(To the Editor) Sir,—Like so many other armchair critics, Mr James shows a strong desire to sidestep statistics that go to disprove his argument that the economic factor does not pertain to the question of birth control. Had Mr James cared to look up the Waikato Times referred to in my last letter he would have seen that there was a substantial increase in births and a decrease in marriages for the period under review. Mr James adheres to his contention that birth control is practised by those concerned oiit of utter selfishness. but he most-'discreetly remains silent whether he finds it easier to teach what were good to be done than to be one who follows his own teachings. Mr James refuses to accept the obvious fact that birth control is right under the present obsolescent economic system—a system that cries out for children but leaves the question of providing for them to chance. The joys and harmony of the English House of Lords may be upset over this question, but these noble gentlemen can hardly expect- the 2,000,000 of permanent unemployed and their dependents to further increase their responsibilities by bringing others into the world to swell the ranks of cannon and bomb fodder. Mr James overlooks the fact that ideas of right, and wrong are not fixed, but fluid, changing with the changes in modes of production. Morality varies not only with time but with social altitude. Slavery and the burning of witches and heretics were, not so many years ago, upheld by both Church and State, while the early Puritan fathers of America held it to be a crime for a man to kiss bis wife or to eat mince pie on a Sunday. Those were the good old days when birth control was not practised, and would have been ideal for some of our present-day reformers. —I am, ENLIGHTEN. Whatawhata, February 12.

HAMILTON TOWN HALL

LABOURERS’ UNION

PYJAMA GIRL MYSTERY

•To the Editor; Sir,—The “Pyjama Girl” mystery, which dates back In September 2. 1034. seemingly reflects unabated interest. Briefly then, on the Lowlong Road, a few miles from Albury, New South Wales, the body of a young woman was found in r culvert. The lower part of the body was burned and the head and face were badly battered. Many attempts have been made to reconcile the facial expression of the victim with the body. These attempts at reconstruction, to make the face suit the body, may in the long run be very misleading, for the obvious reason that the many faces depicted by more than one artist are but the reflex of certain faces seen by the artist, which leave a marked impression upon his sub-conscious mind. Hence he automatically and suh-con-sciouslv reproduces a face relative to his mind. Consequently these faces, which are supposed to give some indication of the girl’s facial expression, are only deduclions traceable to Ihe sub-conscious mind.—l am. etc., HARRY WOODRUFFE. Auckland, February 12.

(To the Editor) Sir, —There is a danger that the loan proposals of the Hamilton Borough Council will again he rejected. Loan proposals have been lost before because of the manner in which they were submitted to the ratepayers. People should be given the chance to vote for alternative proposals such as: (1) Town Hall on Garden Place Hill site. (2) Town Hall on Boyes Park site. Many people will not vote for a large building like a town hall being built in the shopping centre. We can quite understand the people in the special rating area wanting the town hall built there, as they will get a sum of money for a smail section. Even if the money for the proposed town hall and site is borrowed at 4 per cent, it will take £2OO a month to meet the interest bill alone. The section that the council proposes to buy for over £IO,OOO is at present owned by the council—or shall we say the ratepayers of Hamilton?—and we have the curious position of ratepayers buying land which they already own. Speculation in land would be stopped if Ihe new council took over the liability of the special rating area and did not sell any land at all, as the money derived from rentals and rates in this area will be a permanent asset to the town.—l am, etc.., PRO BONO PUBLICO. Hamilton, February 13.

(To the Editor) Sir. —T would like to reply to a statement made by Mr T. Stanley, general secretary of the Auckland Labourers’ Union, in your issue of February 9, in which he states that the individuals who called the labourers’ meeting in Hamilton on Tuesday were not members of the union, and that that was why he ignored it. Being one of those individuals who convened that meeting, I claim I am a member of the union, and have been a member longer than Mr Stanley, and 1 have my card and receipts for money paid into the union. I also vouch for Mr R. S. Ilurrell, the other convener of the meeting, as beifig a member of the union, and a good trade unionist at that; but. one who will not tolerate dictatorship by the Communist element. I also read in to-day’s issue remarks by Mr Charles Greeves. South Auckland organiser of Ihe Labourers’ Union, who is again putting up a great case for his friends in Auckland and Ihe secretary, Mr Stanley. J would like to reply to his statements — (1) That lie has been badly misinformed as to the number at the mass meeting, and if he had attended he would have seen the true numbers. (2) That over two-thirds of those present are financial members of the union, and they have no desire to control and dictate the policy of the union, but they do want democratic control and a voice in the affairs of the union, which they are at present debarred from. r 3' It came as a surprise to know that there are only 250 financial members in Hamilton district, and it goes to show that the labourers have little confidence in the present union, for the Hamilton district covers the whole of the Waikato from the north boundary nf Huntly to the north boundary of Otnrohnnga. Te Aroha, Raglan to Kawhia: and I declare there are more than 250 labourers employed in the area mentioned. 1 would like to let it he known that this area is laid down in the union rule honk. Regarding these financial members ignoring the meeting, for Mr Greaves’ information, several were present and have asked for further meetings of protest to be called, when I hope Mr Greeves will conic along and not depend on hearsay before he rushes into the Press. \ The application for registration of tlie South Auckland Union is still being pressed for by Thames, Tauranga and Hamilton, and the appeal to the Prime Minister is going forward. Fresh evidence in support of the application will he submitted. (5 The attitude, policy, etc., of the union being wholly endorsed by the organisations lie mentioned is open to question. especially the Auckland Trades Council, which not many weeks ago showed its attitude toward Mr r, Regarding Mr Stanley’s policy having the support of the majority of members of the union in the northern industrial district, if a vote were taken 1 feel sure that Mr Greeves would he suprised at the figures. I ask Mr Greeves to name the branches he speaks of, as there are only four branches in the whole of the industrial district, and ! not one in Hamilton. This number was supplied In the Minister of Labour, | so il is correct. I We intend to fight against ComI ,.im;<m and dhda!«.r.-diip in Ihe union, l and will go on demandhig democratic I ■•••Mir..l h> all members and not a l-.'i..-I few. and we will suppm'l ! Taurari- r n and Thames members hi • pressing for * separate uni m.—l am, FMKhK. T. MILLS, j FranWlmi, February 9.