PROPAGANDA TRICK

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24292, 5 June 1942, Page 2

PROPAGANDA TRICK

Ever since January German leaders have in their public utterances been pulling a long face. The unanimity with which they harp on the "do-or-die" theme suggests not accident, but design. To-day Goebbels describes the war as one "to decide whether we are to he or not to be." Goering pulled on the same strings of destiny and fatality a fortnight ago. But it was Hitler who first, in a speech on January 31, sought to spur on the jaded German people by sounding the knell of doom. In his address to the Reichstag on April 26, he returned to the theme. "If we lose this war," he said, "it will he the end of us." In addition, the Nazi leaders have recently taken to drawing harrowing pictures of the hardships suffered by the soldiers on the Russian front in order to enforce demands for effort and endurance on the home front. The fact is that Hitler is again playing what had in (he past proved his strongest card—the appeal to sacrifice. Democratic peoples arc so used to being cajoled and sweetened by their leaders that they may doubt the efficacy of the method, until they remember how they were electrified two years ago by Mr. Churchill's offer of nothing but "blood, toil, tears and sweat." The Economist has noted how Goebbels took to "rubbing in the tragedy and underlining the holocaust, and whipping up patriotic fervour by sacrifice, not success." The motive in playing this propaganda card should not be missed, lest it deceive and lull the free peoples. Nor, on the other hand, should the fact be overlooked that Hitler is forced to play it in order to brace German morale. LETTEES TO THE EDITOR Tea Rationing Sir, —"Pekoe" shows a poor spirit in complaining at all of tea rationing, and evidently does not trouble to read the accounts of the real sufferings of people in other countries. We, in this country, have been singularly fortunate and certainly have al! the necessities of lite. As to mothers of families collecting extra tea, who deserves it more? Tea parties are only excusable for war work ers. An ti-whin eii . Land lor Ex-Soldiers Sir, —The intimation from Palmerston North, which appeared in the Herald on May 30, that the Farmers' Union is anxious to advise on the purchase of land for the rehabilitation of returned servicemen, makes the prospect of these men seem brighter. It has been reported that the Government had spent £86.500 in purchasing "all dairying land already in grass at an average price of less than £5 per acre." The Farmers' Union could set up committees of its members in different districts, to inquire as to the quality of this low-priced land, which is supposed to be good enough ior men who fought for their country at. soldier's pay. while conscientious objectors were paid i!l0 a week by the Go\crnment for building huts as reported in the Herald of May 29. Returned men say that where they have made application for small farms of goofl soil on accessible roads, their request has been frowned upon by Government officials as being outside of the present policy. British Loyalty and Justice. New Price for Wool

gj rj —There seems to bo an impression that woolgrowers are receiving 15 per cent more for their wool. Tms is not so. There has merely been an anno unco me nt that tlie price for the in 12-4:5 clip is to be 15 per cent greater than in the season just closed. _ The first appraisal in Auckland in the new season is set down for August, arid is of use to growers practically only for the realisation of crutchings, which, in the case of many (locks, would not amount to one-tenth of the clip. II the same d<>]avs in regard to rail transport, etc , that marked the 1041-42 season occur again in the 1912-43 season, many growers may find that it will be May, T043, before they receive the cheque for their main clip, with the 15 pei cent added. , r This year I had my clip ready for despatch to the rail on January 21. The railways declined to take it till several weeks later, with the result that it was not appraised fill the end of April, and the cheque did not reach me till May 19. Thus wool growers in many instances are faced with bearing all the multitudinous increases in costs since the beginning of the war until well into next vear before they get any very practical help toward meeting these increases. WOOLCROWKR. Work of Nurses

Si,.—Who will say. in wartime, that thorp is not n reasonable proportion of slaff to the number of patients at the public hospital? The sisters and staff nurses, apart from their administrative duties, are the backbone of the nursing in the wards, and in emergency they are wonderful. They train the _ pupil nurses in the wards and. by their fine example, set a high standard for the Auckland Hospital, and that is why our local nurses top the list so often at the State exams. "Behind the Screens" complains about not gelling the morning mail when it arrived; when the morning is the busiest part of the day to attend to patients, it looks like a peevish whimper. The physical needs of the patients come first. For years and years it was a great privilege, with others, to help to improve the conditions for nurses; my former letters show this. However, the complaining unwilling nurse is the unsuitable nurse, and she is disquieting to the patient. Girls frequently give up nursing because their ward reports show they are unsuitable. Hospital training schools, under tutor sisters, which came into operation during my long term of office, are doing fine work for trainees; previously they went straight info the wards. Pension schemes were brought in and what a wide variety of appoinfments and wide scope nurses have to-day. There are many false statements about hospital life, but I am not pessimistic about nursing as a vocation. As a modernised profession it is attractive, for a new progressive spirit is at work. Nursing is a career in which training with economio security for life is assured, L W. K. Ho WITT,