CORRESPONDENCE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20104, 6 December 1930, Page 21

CORRESPONDENCE.

■ .tia do not comply with £ ,h£ last column of our us frora s **B Cutlib«rt S Booth, I to correspondents in LtH SHELTERS IN THE ** SQUARE. ,WTO* OI Wtt , . "*din ™ ?EE9S ° f trl n :, H »r l „to be more so-called * to UP in the Sq,lare ' if* really shelters for tramwho like to go there Ifr TCatch the crowds bustThe men mostly pitv that such a small S B should hare the power an important change in >8 uoh V should never have to become what it is at £ to the shelter is very ■«£ «i women and children, as miich traffic at the erossttoe goes, on there w.ll t'< » d There are many st°ppingthe Square on all sides, WBy rfftSW men »tio lijvc 'jJLity would go and sit in tiie D •I'T .'ln Vimir They would then WT Statement is a fact, and from a different point Woine to save a big sum ol JfS.does not belong to them. m eto -' OBSERVER, jeefllwr stb, 1930. JEJ IDITOB Of 1-E-K PPKas ilgfe contents of your sub-leader in Friday's Phess will, T be read with pleasure by all L'of tny vision. Shelters are not Sj wa thera should be no stopSmD for trams in the Square. In IW all lines except those running through in Colombo street abe removed and the Square conSjjito a beautiful garden. When u-jKjed how many citizens of this 23i to Europe and other parts L*Mld<and see things it is inm]o that the City should be so S«fd, I myself have seen open E»ii many cit}es of the "* vorl(1 > tosre a joy to look upon. Jk Square is a disgrace so far as Liseel go, in addition to being a & menace to pedestrians with its j(i| trams, motor-cars, motor-cycles, that the public have rtmmtl it ior so long.—Yours, etc., E. F. BLACK. JijtSte sth, 1930. # tilt Wrtok or TAB r&is* t ratepayer who takes an inairt ip the ftffulfs of the City, I enMe file remarks in your sub-leader sty, It is iaconeeivable that our Ata l»3y should wish to conjje the present arrangement of shells ssd tram stop; but to find them tyleilig to the suggested alteration is IkHliig. Eire we no public men lift vllloni beyond the end of the MR! I& IUB tlua fifty years CatheaSqfliie *iH Hot be the centre of tin Christehttfeh, as the business dtre is gradually mbving eastwards. Ittitchuicb ii ipuiklly fortunate in aftiig ik spate width the citizens should I proud to lw&p la imU a way that II tfslton would refer to it when reining honM ad an example to follow, w suggested sentry boxes with rabbit tafe atenptned would be no credit i4e (Sty, ttd B fresh arrangement (Sn ttopi Voßtd SSSist instead of ■TOuencing tram passengers. I * m will do your utmost to stop , »gested alttrations.—Yours, etc., RATEPAYER. I W» stl, 1930. DOMINION salmon. »«» HHIOB OT THE PRESS. Mmd in Tuesday's Press that reiord catch f salmon being ®W(# «aning j n British Colum- «> 4%8/m a lot of this will com© I wonder if the i ' n proportion with ■imfiSf® put on Now K into Canada. WaSS'?* 6 enough estabnow to allow nettaiJSrP® freeing, but of netting in all the frald be allowed in the Waitaki and Clutha ■ SJhLj e been catching salt fBR' and line for the lastJfßlJand.feeJ sure that enough djJSj#* to supply all local re™ade use of. In a few canning will be ySwjJportant industry in New is to be hoped that it advantage of by local instead of letting it go to .some of our hard-up Smi. c °uld make some niiin?« « «althon if they made them., 1 tried I yeat; but none *it Would take them in » i^/ ffect the meat - If that l| much to brick iy, of the freeaer for 9anglers knew that their surplus fish b iT?,®? the works that made 3 (J?, - would be well ka.m a ? out^a y- Once netProfit should be quite ®o chance of my gethy freezing I tried Hi T ' ne Par. It was quite Otitis!!! r I Tjtjeftaf does riot '•tt» mm I>J ho very pleased advise bow using vine- • SOOKEYE. ™ October 6th, 1930. . LAKE ELLESMERE. IDrrOR OP THE PRESS e P' ora ble situacalls for some I^^J*J!®lte 0S t , ldns as. to what ■iftli' u ihto operation W 1 ® an d not lofes to Wl&Wlty, Th ft ability to of this typo is drtih&ge of Lake mS?'*®*! J f6 i eas& °f over (a total subhl 6 cr &ation a considerably Practically usefli™ regular flood,ly.tlßeless throughSVW® tor cropping or c 'e°ring up W (^^. nuisntlce can be Periods at a C i ®*t>ehdihire, 'feiS?. n*A ii elB tu. i ' its accomns delayed. I iihrti^ e * n erlt fi "ard has thi « work, re?' 18 as .no Rrant aTKI S(» 16 flooded lands w reqaesb any

reasonable sxtension of tho Board's powers to enable this essential work to bo immediately put in hand'. J sincerely hope the Board will realise the ben on t wliicli it is in their i»o\vor to exercise as both a long-deferred relief to settlers and a remunerative job for Unemployed—Yours, etc., l>eccmbor sth, 1930. ' A PLAN FOIt UNEMPLOYMENT | . RELIEF. : 10 TIIB EDITOR or THE VJiKSS. | Sir,—Unemployment in this eountrv is bad and may get very much worse". ™° ca . n never expect to )>3 entirely tree of it. as it is the worst disease of the industrial age. Considerable funds for unemployment relief will soon be available. How aro tliev <*oing to bo spent? Tho dole, as it fs billed in England, has proved to be thoroughly unsatisfactory and intolerably uneconomic. To give an unemploved man enough money to keep himself anil his family, without his lvnihring service for it, is unsound in principle and a failure in practice. The plan ot relief w°rks so far adopted in Now i ■ m " proved a cost ly failure, cliietlv for the fact that Union rates aro paid; tin? country cannot afford it, and the works close down. Moreover it has provided relief for comparatively few. In any case, a more highly organised svstem of relief than any we have at present must sooner or later bo provided. A Government must face this fact and not be content with frittering away its funds, wailing for something to turn up and ventilating hot air at election t imo. Something is needed on the principle of the old workhouse system in England; the principle, namely, that a needy citizen should be provided with food in return for labour. It was a failuro in practice owing to harsh and unimaginative control, the drab and dreary nature of tho institutions, and tho disgrace that came to be associated with them. Now. Sir, an honest Government cannot afford to pay; it could, 1 believe, afford to feed and house tfie unemployed. The country has already .in its employment a military organisation which is not needed at present for active service. My suggestion is that those of the unemployed who wished should be drafted into labour battalions, with military discipline and organisation, receiving uniform, food, and low rates of pay, like the Tsritish soldier in war time. Farm land should be acquired for tho camp sites and worked so that the scheme should Ik? i as far as possible self-supporting. Drafts could be sent out on Public Works Department work, to make the roads we need and dismantle the idiotic railway enterprises of the present Government; and men could be sent out from the battalions into private employment as vacancies became available. I know that this is not a panacea, but, in conjunction with an out of work insurance scheme. I believe- it would be the best and cheapest and most honourable way of relief. It would provide for the unmarried man and would leave no excuse to the swagger and the vagrant. It might be applied to a considerable extent to married men with families. I feel that a man could sign on for temporary service with a Labour Battalion and submit to military discipline not only without loss of self-respect but with increased happiness, efficiency, and confidence. I see no vadid reason why it should not form a reservoir for labour as well as a refuge for the victim of circumstances. A man could take a pride in himself and his unit; and enjoy corporate life and relaxation as well as work. But discipline there must bo, and luxury must not be expected. I speak as one who thoroughly enjoyed life as a private in the Army and found the floor as good a bed as any other. —Yours, etc., RATIONALIST. December oth, 1930. i I TO THE XDITOB 0"? TELS I'RESs. J Sir, —While it is universally admitted that a wave of commercial and industrial depression is more or less responsible for unemployment in the Western I and civilised world, yet the exceptions, notably France and Belgium, indicate very clearly that something is radically wrong with our social structuro in New Zealand. Belgium is densely populated, so we cannot lay the blame here Upon over-population, possessing as we , do only about 14 persons to the square mile of territory. France suffered terribly from the war, too, but is prosperous, and unemployment is almost a fairy tale there. Yet in Australia (whose population density is only about 4 to the square mile), and in our own land, with its small population, fertile soil, mild climate, and abundant rains, we arc faced with the problem of thousands of persons needing work, food, shelter, and clothing. Many temporary methods, makeshifts, have been proposed for alleviating distress, but a statesman is needed to grapple courageously' with the problem, and cure the disease in the body politic. The present Government has set up a Special Commission to deal with unemployment, and haa also imposed a tax upon every male over 20 -years of age, to raise a fund for doles, ddles either to out-of-work men, or doles to employers to aid them make work for the wOrkless. The Government has gone dangerously close to infringing the immemorial rights and freedom of British subjects in its penalties for non-compli-ance with tho provisions of this Act. Not satisfied with inequitably taxing workers and with relying upon the ordinary methods of enforcing law upon the individual concerned by means of police and Court procedure, it goes much further and virtually compels any and every employer to bo a spy, also a Judge, and sheriff's officer, too. An employer must report and may not employ any male person who is unregistered or who has not paid his head-tax. This means that (under a penalty of £2O for non-complianee) he is compelled to punish, too, and dismiss from employment a man who has not paid or wid not pay the tax. Such a man— Obstinate fool, if you will—is, contrary to British law, to be punished twice for his contumely, first by the employer by dismissal, then by the State with a heavy fine (up to £SO) and possible imprisonment. A Government that can courageously fasten such drastic legislation upon the people's shoulders should not lack courage to pass even severer' measures, if they will relieve the prevalent distress, and therefore can have no logical right to cavil at suggestions possibly interfering even more drastically with the liberty of the subject. Such a suggestion I proffer now. I suggest the immediate passing of a short Act, providing that no person, corporation, limited company, or municipal "body may employ any person in receipt of a jjension, superannuation, or private income over £.150 a year, under a penalty of not more than £IOO. To-dav there are literally thousands of well-endowed persons, pensioned or superannuated, enjoying snug jobs all over this Dominion and able to work for low salaries upon this account. These persons are depriving workless men and women of necessary employment and should be forced by law to stay at home and live on their incomes. It does not m tter about these persons' imaginarystandard of living requiring this and that; thousands need food, shelter, and clothing, and their necessities are more urgent and clamorous than the doubleincOmed persons' luxuries. This suggestion has been given to many friends. They one and all heartily endorse it as practicable and just, something drastic, truly, but fully warranted by the times and circumj stances around us. Such a measure will release many jobs for clerical and professional men now competing with I labourers and mechanics, in turn, leav-

ing more work for unskilled labour. In any case such an Act as I Suggest would be no harsher or more unconstitutional than tlio present Unemployment Act., and it most certainly would be juster, fairer, and far more efficacious in providing work at no cost at all to the nation. —Yours, etc., 33. IM lILPOT-C.HOWTHUE. December si.li, 1030. THE FARMERS' MEETING. ■ru THE EDITOJI or THE F»ES=. Sir, —With reference to the meeting of farmers called for next Wednesday by Mr Macfarlane, Air Mcintosh, and Mr Morten, in the first place I should like to congratulate them on inviting all farmers; and I now as a farmer plead with all farmers to rise to the occasion and turn up in a body. Leave farms and mortgages at homo for one day, forget them if only for a few hours, and hear and be heard on the farmers-' behalf. The farmers have never before had such an opportunity, and if we do not take advantage of it we have ourselves to blame. The farmers aro in a black hole, blacker than tho holo of Calcutta. Yet if we fail, all fall. Hero is the golden opportunity. 1 intend, if: 1 am in order, to move that every farmer write his mortgages and ask if ho is prepared to forego one year's interest. In some cases it will mean hardship to tho mortgagee, and that case or such caseß could be put to the committee, which I have no doubt will be formed next Wednesday. I am writing this to lot the mortgagee have time to think over it, as time is money in the farmer's case. The stock agents, etc., in the towns are just about exhausted and cannot help the farmer much longer, and they will have to get assistance somewhere, or else the farmer is gone. I would advise the farmer to work his farm all he knows how, not to get downhearted, to cheer tip, and deal fairly by (he mortgagee. Do your best. It' the worst comes, each will ha\e a dear conscience. We shall have done our best. Then the mortgagee will, .1 am sure, rise to the occasion, and in a very short time things will take a turn. .Let us farmers rise to the occasion. .Let the world know wc arc as good as our forefathers, the pioneers, and that no load is too heavy to boar. fours, etc., CHEAP MONEY. Boxlcy, December 4th, 1930. CHRLSTM.AS APPEAL IOR PAPARLA PRISONERS. TO THE TDITOB OI TEC PRESS Sir, — In these days of economic distress, when so many of our workers are looking in vain for employment, and they and their families are feeling tho pinch of poverty, your readers may think it overbold on the part of anyone to attempt to enlist their sympathies on behalf of a class of men who, for the time being, have forfeited the trust and respect of their fellows. Yet this is what I am venturing to do; and 1 hope, Sir, that you will allow me, as in former years, to put in a word for the prisoners at Paparua. The Controller-General of Prisonß and the Superintendent of Paparua have both expressed their sympathy and approval, and given their consent to the appeal. Chanted that there are not a few among the 150 or so unfortunates in that gaol, who answer only too well to the epithets with which we so readily label them, still even these are not without a spark of nobility in them, that may one day burst into clear llnme under the touch of kindness. If only we knew the natural history of each case, the constitutional tendencies, the hereditary handicap, the sum-total of (in so many instances), a wholly bad environment, the temptations that came along, partly through the unemployment in our midst, doubtless we should bo less harsh in our judgments about those who aro now serving sentences. and feel that even these, members of the same human family an ourselves, should not, for all their foolishness, be debarred from a modest crumb of the gladness in which we all hope to sliaro during Christmas. It, is only fitting that wo should first help those who aro suffering through no fault of their own, the mothers and wives, the children, the aged, and the sick. But I plead for some overflowing of pity, that will be a sign of hope and goodwill to those who have wronged themselves perhaps more than they have wronged the community. Your readers would like to know what form of bounty would be most acceptable. The prisoners will be allowod to have fresh fruit of any kind, though apples arc preferable; dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, plum-pudding, and tobacco, or (better wtOl) cigarettes. To these we might add, Christmas cards. The Y.M.C.A. lias once again shown itself the friend of good causes in offering, as in previous years, to receive on behalf of tho prisoners, any parcelß of Christmas cheer. All parcels should tie addressed to the Superintendent, lI.AI. Prison, Templcton, and marked "Christmas Cheer for tho Prisoners." The Prison lorry will call and collect them. All gifts will bo pooled and divided out as equally as possible amongst the men. We have in the bank, the sum of £3 10s, which came last January, too late to be used then. —Yours, etc., F. RBTIIERFURD EAWLE, Anglican Chaplain, Paparua Gaol. "Pax," Jiedcliffs, December 4th, 3030.

SALVATION ARMY CHRISTMAS APPEAL. TO THE EDITOR OT THE PRESS. Sir, —Hay I have space to make a Christmas appeal on behalf of the Addington Men's Homo? This year has been the most strenuous that we have ever experienced. The home for the best part of the year has been more than full, and we have bad to make extra provision meet the demand made upon us. We are that we have been able to do as we have" done and keep our doors open to every needy case. Many a discouraged man has been helped and cheered and Riven a fresh start. During the year ended on September 30 th, homeless and destitute men have boon supplied with no less than 99,441 meals, 36,784 beds, and 2117 articles of clothing, whilst hundreds of iiaririents have <5OllO to women and children. There were 376 men who went to situations during the year. All this has meant a great strain on our resources. May 1 appeal to your readers again to assist us this Christmas? Donations of. cr.sh or goods mav be sent to the home, or if more convenient left with Commandant Rimmer at the Book Depot, 200 Manchester street, where thev will be called for.—Yours, etc., G. DRY, Staff Captain. December sth, 1930. A LETTER FROM BELGIUM. to rat editor or thb phbss i-,; i-, —Tii o following is an extract from a letter received by me from Ghent. Belgium, dated October 30th, 1930: "Wo are having a wet autumn after a very unsettled summer: very little sunshine and few really hot days. Trade is bad all over, and to add to that, there's a great scarcity of fruit of all kinds, no apples to store for the winter. One good thing over here is, I that the potato crop seems good, but

much hay was left to rot, it had too many drenching, nnd the corn harvest has been poor—let's hope our loyal colonies will come to our help with some of the necessaries of life."— Yours, etc., * PAPANUI. Oaeisfichiwcli, December Stjti, 193<X