PUBLIC OPINION

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20990, 18 December 1939, Page 9

PUBLIC OPINION

As 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 tliis rule is complied with, their letters will not appear.

(To the Editor) Sir,—A report of the annual meeting of the Hamilton Golf Club appeared in the issue of your paper of December 15 under the above heading. This report does not accurately reproduce the substance of the president’s remarks, nor the circumstances under which they were delivered. References in the report to “criticised the neglect of members,” members “not keeping their accounts paid,” and “the action of the neglectful members” of the club, may well give some cause for complaint to members who were not present at the meeting. The written report appeared to me to convey a harshness and captiousness that the spoken word did not intend to imply. My recollection of the president’s remarks is that he desired to remind members that as the club professional relied for his custom substantially on the club members, a prompt pay-, ment of accounts would enable him to replenish his stock from time to time during the season, whereas any delay in payment towards the end of the season would not enable him to finance his stocks and replenish them until the latter part of the season. The remarks made at the meeting could not possibly give any cause for complaint and were directed towards co-operation between the members and the club professional.—l am, etc.. W. J. KING. Hamilton, December 16.

(To the Editor) Sir, —Although I am not an advocate of Mr William Aberhart’s monetary schemes in Alberta, I think the following statements culled from a Montreal magazine, the Canadian Unionist, should be read for what they are worth:— Perhaps the most outstanding achievement is that over the past three years there has been no increase in the province’s national debt; on the contrary, 1,715,000 dollars of it have been paid off. Taxation has been reduced by 43 per cent. One thousand two hundred miles of good new roads have been completed and paid for. There is no repayment of interest on borrowed money to burden the next generation. In August, 1939, the sales tax was removed. Purchasing power has been increased by the issue of treasury vouchers through the Treasury branches, of which 400 are operating today. When every piece of financial legislation was blocked by the Federal Treasury at Ottawa, this method was adopted and is definitely achieving its purpose as the vouchers are accepted as readily as bank cheques, and public work's labourers, members of the civil service and other Government employees, including Cabinet Ministers, receive from 25 per cent to 100 per cent of their pay in the vouchers. The Montreal paper states: “This is the first great successful step towards socialised credit, and it is really going over in a big way.” “The Aberhart Government,” the magazine says, “in four years has reformed Alberta’s system of land settlement, instituted State medicine for tubercular persons and victims of infantile paralysis; reformed education to take metropolitan facilities to every rural district; recognised the teaching profession on the same basis as those of law or medicine; reduced the male minimum wage age from 21 to 19 years; recovered in one year for more than 1100 underpaid workers more than 32,000 dollars in wages; saved from eviction thousands of farmers who, had it not been for the Aberhart Government would have lost their farms; and has cancelled all drought area tax arrears and relief advances incurred by farmers prior to 1936.”—1 am, etc., OPEN MINDED. Hamilton, December 16.

“DEBTS NOT PAID”

ABERHART REFORMS