IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 217, 13 September 1930, Page 8

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

STATE'S BENEFICENT WORK

(To the Editor.)

Mr., Albert Spencer, speaking. M president of the Auckland Provincial Employers' Ass ciatjon, referred to the army of Governing officials running about the country aid har ,ing the igusiness community. Aβ Mr. Sn was spiking from the point of view JT*" employer, he doubtless was-referring t n A 8 * Departments termed "Social which, "harass" the business community V example, it is in the interests'of the %a, °\ community that all .machinery on vestl iT examined. Would Mr. Spencer Wel'fc L* if-ike knew that the engines had not C n examined for some years? Would the com munity-tolerate girls working o n . U p per jw in factories and. no proper inspection made fnt fire escapes. We all.owe a debt of gratitJ to the meat inspectors and the health insnT tors. It is through their "harassing tW we escape plagues. What of men on scaffold ing, for whose sake some of the "army" j ng u ■on necessary precautions? Mr. Spencer i n his sweeping generalisations,' omitted 'one vital point—that the lawe of this country J« promulgated for the good of the community and not for one particular section. The employers are largely responsible for the law? on the Statute Book, and if he wants tk "army" reduced Mr. Spencer's remedy should be quite sinple. Jnetead of attacking men who are only doing their duty in carrying out the will of the people he should be active in having the laws repealed if they do' not snif him.. NOT. ONE OP THEM THE ECONOMIC OUTLOOK.- ■

Your correspondent, the Rev. J. Farquhareon Jones, beyond advocating a reduction in the number of members of Parliament, does not tell us how to substantially reduce Government costs. As a southern professor of' economics has stated, Government services are the cheapest things we buy. This is not to be wondered at,: seeing since the -war Civil servants' salaries have, on the average, only advanced about thirty-five, per cent, although the cost of living increased sixty-two-per cent. The industrial -workers' wages increased eight per cent and Civil servants have not yet caught that up. As regards the statement of a prominent British statesman, quoted by the Rev. Jones, viz., "You have a magnificent country, but your Civil Service-is out of allproportion to your population," what would the statesman have, said had lie.'founds the whole population working for the "Govern-" inent? Was he aware that the majority of the Civil servants are in the rail way. service," the Post and Telegraph Department, and the Public Works Department?. Would h> have wiped out such profit-making Departments as the Public Trust and Life and Fire Insurance ? The size of the Civil Service merely shows that we have advanced farther along the' road to Socialism than most countries. . If the Rev. Jones and Mr. Stewart,, chairman of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, whom he quotes with, approval, do not -wish.to progress any farthei\along that road, they will :wisely refrain from suggesting a'reduction in • wages. To me there is something incongruous in a minister of,the Gospel wanting to reduce expenditure, i.e., wages, while preaching from : -.: time to. time on the subject '/Why Don't Men Go To Church?" . " . ONLOOSEK. s ,;A;,TRAGIfeCASE. A case of almost unparalleled distress came before the Soldiers' Mothers' League this week through the death of an ex-soldier, who had tramped himself bard of boots in looking for * work wherewith to assist his mother and his father, who has lately been put off, work where he had been employed many years. This young ex-soldier, aged 32 years, together with his two soldier brothers, the ; whole family,- were all wounded at the war. The Patriotic Association, to its credit, had only as ■ recently as the middle of . August given ihini a grant. The' fact that owing to his father having to s join the ranks, of the : unemployed with himself preyed upon his mind so intensely that he gave up the battle for bread and butter and committed suicide. On top of this the burial bill of £18 10/ was eent, in. This has now been forwarded, to the Pensions Department, and we trust .that this late soldier's four years' good service, in his country's cause will appeal to a sympathetic- . Commissioner of Pensions. E. NIGOL,

Hoii. -Secretary,-Soldiers'-Mothers , ' League,

THE WESTERN HILLS,

Allow me to express thanks for and appreciation of'"Tawa's" letter on" the western ranges. He has drawn public attention to the fact that the hills above Oratia are only half an hour's run from Queen Street,-'arid are asplendid sanatorium for Auckland people. 1 agree with him. Personally, I moved put from the congested areas long ago, and am every day thankful I did 60. 'My'family enjoys perfect health now. It did not do so before. I can afford to keep a good car. That was not possible 'before. I save the cost in rates alone, to say nothing of the saving in. doctors' bills. I have several acres of bush, purchased at the price of a' measly little suburban section, and -I would not part with my holding for. ten times that price. "Small areas of bush served by good roads and commanding views of the city and harbour are becoming very scarce, and--the time is coming rapidly when they will be unobtainable within the Oratia district, except at a prohibitive figure. I" would advise those people Who love the open air, beautiful surroundings' and , healthy atmosphere of the hills, and who like to have elbow room-around their homes, to waste , no time in search of: home sites, for presently they will need to go much further to find them. In these, days 12 or 14 miles is a> less distance than six miles 'before the advent of good roads and the modern car. KAtißl. LABOUR-SAVING MACHINERY. A recent correspondent expressed himself as being opposed to the use of labour-saving machinery because it throws people out of employment- The same objection was urged when the factory system was established in England. We are, of course, • living in a mechanical age, and there is.no doubt that the use of such machinery will he more and more extended until the bulk of the world's work will he ddne.by it.' No reasonable, man will object to that. Machinery has enormously increased production, and most of us can do 7 with more of the wealth that is created. B is the method of its distribution that is at fault. With the increase of unemployment, however, the time will come when the machines will have to be publicly owned for the benefit, of the whole community. Force of circumstances will bring this about. Its achievement will be expedited by agitation. But the land will also have to be publicly owned, other-. wise private landlords will levy heavy tribute for permission to use the machines on their land. ... . INTERESTED.