IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 237, 6 October 1932, Page 6

IN THE PUBLIC MIND.

CLERKS IN OFFICES.

PREFERENCE FOR BOYS.

(To the Editor.)

About two months ago there was a great deal-of controversy in the newspapers on the ■subject of Iboy stenographers. After a good deal of discussion it was firmly a-reed bv many of the leading business nien°t)hat ia many instances boys should be employed instead of girls. However, this is as far as the matter has gone, and many girls (wW,, parents are well off) are engaged in office work while well-educated and efficient vouths are walking the streets. They had just left school full of ambition, but lack of employment is leaving them somewhat disheartened and less confident. Many of these youths are 17 and 18 years of age, and when, in a year or so times reach normal again and there is more scope for office employees, these lads if not already in employment, will be pushed aside m favour of their younger sex. So I fervently hope that all those who are in a position to aid these boys will do so. FAIR PLAY RAILWAY SUPERANNUATION. In 1900 or 1901 a railway superannuation system was suggested by the late Sir Joseph Ward. It was placed before the employees but -was not acceptable to them sis drafted' It was left for the A.S.R.S. conference of 1902 to deal Avith, the outcome being a compromise between the suggested scheme of Sir Joseph Ward and that put forward by the conference. It was decided that employees should contri- ' bute 3 per cent from their wages and that ' the Government should pay a sufficient subsidy to stabilise the fund. It was not compulsory, but was made so in 1908, the employees' contribution being raised 2 per cent, and the maximum amount that could be drawn iby anyone joining after was limited to £300 « ' year. Quite a number of things have happened to weaken the fund. The main thing, of > course, is that for some' ten or eleven years the Government has not complied with its obligations to pay a subsidy. Had it done so the fund would, to my mind, st'u. be sound. The other contributing factors were the com-.'. pulsory retirement of officers at the top of.'• - grades on fairly large salaries and permissive retirement (and compulsory) of employees before the termination of their legal contract. ~ : How to deal with the matter is another ques- - tion. Those who have complied with, their agreement and completed their forty years' ' service can: hardly be interfered with, especially those on the lower payments, many of them having still a milestone round their necks in the shape of a mortgage. Many who have retired are now holding permanent positions outside and keeping someone else out of a job. If an old age pensioner makes a. :. few shillings over it is deducted from the., pension. Possibly if some retrogressive measures are taken provision might be made to arrange for those holding other positions '. on good salaries to hand back a percentage at least to the Superannuation Fund. HOBO. .. HARBOUR BRIDGE. Aβ one of the first members of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Association and a director ■ of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Company, Ltd., I feel that at is my duty to flatly deny that the Harbour Bridge Company (has failed to procure the- necessary, finance. The true' . v facts are that the Bridge Company has. never', «' yet tried to obtain the finance required for - building the bridge, except thinking that Messrs. Dorman, Long and Companv would both find the money and build the bridge. The present trouble is caused by this very reason,' that the board has in no way tried to obtain finance from any source whatever, and the interests dn opposition to the project are only too willing to quote failure, although they have no authority for doing so. Wihen the directors of the Harbour Bridge Company apply in the proper manner to the financiers they may find that they will progress, hut although this has been urged on them from ; time to time, yet for some reason they have failed to do so. It is to be 'hoped that the new members of the board will do the obvious thing and apply for the money to the only ones who are likely to supply it, the financiere in the Empire. CHAS. HARRIS. A CENTRAL BANK. The unknown London critic of the proposal. :■■■ to establish a. Central Bank would doubtless have disclosed his name i£ it had been likely ,' to carry any weight or to demonstrate his entire disinterestedness. This critic contends that New Zealand; is too small for a Central Bank, and that there is no money market here. In paragraph 8 of his report, Sir Otto Niemeyer anticipates and disposes of this critic's contentions an the following words: ". . . I would repeat that if the absence • of a Bihort-temi market and a bill market leaves a gap in the financial structure of the country the process of closing such gap can begin in no other way, or certainly in no ■ more effective way, than by the establishment of a Reserve Bank. A money market follows the creation of adequate central machinery a,nd cannot effectively exist, or be expected toexist, until the machinery is available. Nor am I of the opinion that the volume of New Zealand's financial transactions, internal and external, and the development of her banking system are insufficient to warrant the establishment of a Reserve Bank. It is perhaps , e-nough to point out that not only South Africa but many European countries of leas financial importance have established, and are operating successfully, a modern type of central bank." Need more be said? H. W. U. HADDOW. SUNDAY HIKING. "Not a Parson" may be right up to a point, but I think his letter contains two errors. Hβ says: "It is upon Christianity alone that the British Empire and its civilisation has been built up." By parity of reasoning am I iiotsntitled to say that ir was through Christianity alone that the Spanish Empire decayed and fell? Secondly, he says, "The Christian should save from temptation the less ardent." [t is clear that a rule so framed can be used by any Christian Church to the end of pro- , . Mbiting anything which that particular Church • sbjects to or enforcing anything which that particular Church wishes. Moreover, the rule" is in fact frequently so used. This, as I understand the matter, is exactlv what is meant iby intolerance. INTERESTED.

MOTOR ACCIDENTS. Is speed the deciding factor in motor accidents? I think that analysis would prove that the majority of accidents occur when the motorist is called upon suddenly (at any speed) to show his ability as a driver and the road-worthiness of his car. If every motor vehicle on the road was compelled to have a certificate of fitness showing that the wheel alignment, steering gear and brakes 'were in order, then I am sure that accidents would soon show a decrease; If the wheels are not tracking truly then the steering gear soon becomes strained and loose, and with a loose or faulty steering column the motorist cannot get the quick response so necessary in an emergency, and with badly-adjusted brakes the car k liable to give quite a different performance to what the motorist intends or expects. • ENGINEER-