IN THE PUBLIC MIND

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 218, 14 September 1944, Page 4

IN THE PUBLIC MIND

CORRESPONDENTS' VIEWS

REHABILITATION

(To the Editor) The Director of Rehabilitation, in his letter in your issue of September } 8, has avoided replying to the main 1 point of my letter. Instead he has s singled out a minor omission on my. 1 part which he calls a "grave misstatement." As your readers would C expect, Mr. Baker's statement of my j grading, etc., is correct in every 2 detail. It differs from my own statet ment only in the fact that I omitted f to state that I was graded for North - Auckland as well as the Waikato. , However, the Auckland Rehabilital tion's verbal interpretation of this i was that if I found a suitable farm 3 in the north I would still have to 1 go before the appropriate local comt mittee and they would probably recommend that' I gain some prior experience of the district. Thus it is strictly correct to say that I can 5 only settle immediately in the Wair 5 kato. But your readers are hot -in--7 terested' in the case histoi-y of Mr. r Scott, and it was never my intention * that they should be. They are in-, f terested in knowing why a returned • soldier, graded A for farming, canf not settle where his fancy or the t availability of farms takes him. r Would the Director or the Minister of Rehabilitation make public a i- policy statement on this important j point? * WM. J. SCOTT. ; I . ( \ CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS ; It was indeed refreshing to read the letters of "Soldier's Wife" and " "God Defend New Zealand." One ' feels glad that we have only a few " of "Staunch Still" type. I have my- ' self those of my own family who are : in the fighting forces, and one in ■ particular has won high honour in ' the field, and also one who is in a detention camp; and a man he is. ' Many a man in uniform to-day has said to me, "What a crime to see ! him behind prison bars because he | dared to live like Christ, not talk about Him." Mr. Churchill himself ! has said he would not like to see ■ Britain without her C.O.'s. He knows of the material that they are built ■ of. I myself have been working in making soldier material and would' do anything to make a soldier com- . fortable. "Staunch Still" would like ! readers to think that C.O.'s hate : soldiers. Sir, let this be dismissed as untrue. C.O.'s FRIEND. I BEACH DESTRUCTION. ; 'Many residents of Leigh, and visitors too, make the beautiful : beach at Matheson's Bay a picnic ' rendezvous. At one time a magnifi- , cent avenue of pohutukawas gave shade to picnic parties. Now, these trees (together with about half the picturesque scenic reserve) have disappeared into the sea through ■ erosion. This erosion has been caused through the taking of sand and shingle by scows and barges. , Recently large holes 6ft deep, about 20ft from high-water mark, were left after a scow had loaded imme-. diately in front of the scenic reserve. At this point children frequently paddle, and therefore run the danger of being drowned. This danger was pointed out to the Minister of Marine, also his responsibility in the matter. In his reply he stated: "I would suggest that if there is any danger to children bathing at Matheson's Bay the local residents take steps to prevent any fatal accidents instead of your ridiculous assertion that I will be held personally responsible." The continued taking of sand, etc., from this beach will soon convert it into a mud flat. The Minister has,, in spite of appeals from residents, I failed to prohibit this desecration, yet he refuses to accept responsibility. What can be done to get action? HUGH G. KENDAL. Leigh. — , WAR NEUROSIS The address given by Mr. J. Hope Haynes to the Optimists' Club, as. reported, contains some rather disquieting statements.- To be told of what the Americans are doing, for their nerve-racked soldiers through trained psychiatrists, and to compare that with the case of one of our own nerve-shattered men being told, "What you need is a good kick in the pants," should arouse the indignation of every New Zealander. Having learned a little of the expressive manner of speech of the Americans, one can well imagine the word they would use to this form of "New Zealand psychiatry." If the R.S.A. does not loudly protest against such treatment it cannot expect to gain the sympathy . of the country. What are we doing for the "34 returned men in our mental hospitals suffering from war neurosis." Is this the best place we can find for them? The City Council, in dealing with a letter on behalf of the Mental Hospital Reform Association, is at last taking a hand. May our worthy Mayor show the same persistency in this matter as was shown in the recent controversy regarding rehabilitation. We might then see something done to improve the outlook of these unfortunate people—both civilian and soldier. CIVILIAN. THE BALLET As a lover of dancing I would like to express a few thoughts on that subject and a plea for more ballet. I am always present at every recital of children's dancing and of late have been alarmed at the increase of swing music, the endless tap and the latest jazzing melodies. Perhaps, if I am lucky, there will be one operatic item, which is met with such apathetic applause that I fear the teacher is weeping in the wings. And yet, very recently, I witnessed a display of pupils in which all but two items were operatic. The applause from the large audience was, in itself, an expression of. appreciation and understanding of ballet. Admittedly we do not all favour the same class of any of the arts, but in my opinion there should be more ballet for those who prefer operatic dancing. Let us, then, encourage the teachers who are training pupils for operatic examinations, but who are, apparently, reluctant to display ballet in their recitals. Personally, I would tolerate half a programme of tap and modern noises for the jov of seeing the other half completely operatic. CARINA HUNT. i SOLDIERS' LEAVE I can only talk about Papakura camp because my husband is stationed there. So far he has had no overnight leave. Week nights till 10 o'clock, Saturday and Sunday till midnight, if not on duty. Why can't they have week-rnd leave from Friday night till Monday morning? They have fought for our libert3 r , and surely' they are entitled to better treatment than they get. A SOLDIER'S WIFE.