LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23202, 13 December 1940, Page 14

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

.TO CORRESPONDENTS Owing to the necessity for conserving space, correspondents are asked to make their letters as brief as possible. Only letters considered to be of outstanding importance may exceed 200 words.—Ed., "The Press.”

Curious (Merivale lane).—No. 325.148, held'Jt by Mrs J. R- Nicholson, St. Kilda. THE EMPIRE’S CRITICS 1 TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. ® Sir—Your correspondent, Mr W. B. Bland, raises an interesting point when $ he refers to the English exploitation & of India. But he appears to overlook $ the essential fact that English hege-# mony over India has had the effect of inspiring the Indian peoples with Western ideas, and, along with those other nations of the west, has helped make the world a single community with a p common economic life. Whatever or- 4 der and unity India possesses is due % to the hegemony of England, and if | that hegemony disappears it means not 1 ? Indian unity, but anarchy. Mr Bland’s Ti error is common to all international- ; ists who gratuitously assume that when 'j. once the pressure of European imper-"/ ialism and economic exploitation is i removed the non-European peoples will,': spontaneously carry on the work of / unification according to the best tradi. ■ ’ tions of Western democracy and hu- ; • manitarianism. Unfortunately, we have no reason to; • make such an assumption. The Indian peoples cast adrift from their traditional cultural moorings, and equipped i;with all the resources of modem in-# dustry and modern armaments, will be ' 4 more exposed than ever to the of militarism and economic exploitstion There is no reason to suppose« that’ the Indian or the negro would ft'. stand to gain anything by exchanging the rule of the British Colonial for that of the Russians or the Jap.(anese With grateful acknowledge-*, ment’ to Mr Christopher Dawson.-^ Yours, etc., _ • ’ R. H. EVATT. <-; December 10, 1940. as,. [Subject to the right of reply of F. W. ‘ , Ault, this correspondence w now.:, 1 ' closed.—Ed„ "The Press.”] SOUTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK V<| DISPUTE TO THE EDITOR OT THE PRESS. Sir—After reading several interest- j, ing and informative letters in your', columns concerning the South Island,, main trunk railway dispute, it would.!, appear that workers’ unions are not all; their promoters would have us believe. We have been led to think that their;,, union officials are elected to their post- 4, tions by the workers themselves. Yet the cause of the dispute lies in the fact fi that, the men selected one man as their ■-> representative and that their selection was entirely disregarded and another/" set in his place. . , M We have been told that we are lead- 1 ing the world towards a truer social.;, democracy, in which freedom of speech/,,and the rights of all men are highly -.? valued. Therefore, it is not amazing - ,' that the men employed on the new railway'construction should voice their .. disapproval of and actively protests, against such an extraordinary proceed- '. ■ ing. That their case should be re- ; garded as a petty quarrel beneath the.; notice of those in authority compels us- 1 to ask whether freedom of speech, as . we have known it, is,not already dis- ,■ appearing. Since criticism by the men;/, of their own elected officials should meet with so little sympathy, we may 1 reasonably wonder where such methods ■ are leading us.—Yours, etc.. ■ - W. M. DUNCAN. Aniseed, December 11, 1940. ■ TO THE EDITOR OP THE PRESS. Stf Sir, —Your correspondent ' P.W.D.” has charged me with making »' misleading statements with reference to the South Island Main Trunk dispute. An analysis of his letter shows’'that he takes me to task upon two.‘points; first, as to whether or not'men fwere dismissed. At the time I wrote to “The Press, , November 5, notices reading as follows had been posted in all camps. ‘To. all workmen. —Please note that an. spection of New Zealand Workers v\ Union tickets will be made by the. Timekeeper on Thursday, 31st October, (later changed to Nov. 4). All work-., men who cannot produce their New’ Zealand Workers’ Union ticket at the ■ time of inspection will be dismissed m/ accordance with Section 34 of the Pub- .. lie Works Workers’ Agreement. 1939.: This regulation will be strictly en- • , forced.” . ■> For. this. -M» Eddy (National Presi- ; ; , dent of the Workers’. Union) was responsible, in that it was at his suggestion, presumably to Mr Semple, that me :: dismissal clause was’invoked. It is 1 plain then, that, had no conference been called to discuss the matter, the men would have been locked out on failing •, to produce their tickets. They did not attempt to “cease work.” In the words of Mr Popplewell (Oaro secretary). We ~ are not recognising a strike because, we want to work and are refused , work.” And the second point of difference I note with satisfaction that Ex.-,; P.W.D.” approves the men’s action m criticising the union officials who re; ■ fused to abide by the ballot vote. Ex.P.W.D.” prefaces this with the astonishing statement that no attempt was made to stifle criticism. Mr Eddy S t action in asking that Section 34 should be invoked, his effort to have men dismissed because they questioned ms right to over-ride the decision of the majority, his attempt to dragoon them ; into obedience by, in effect, threat- , ening them wifb the Joss of their joos , —is this not stifling criticism? . Mr Eddy, in his defence published in the “Standard,” remains evasive as regards the real issue. The men maintain that Mr Hamilton was retained as , . an organiser unconstitutionally, ana,?that Mr Eaton should be appointed m his stead. The fads prove their ar- ; gument correct in every detail, ana, j with them, I await with interest tne next move in the game.—Yours, etc., S. P. K. CHATTERTON. . Aniseed, December 9, 1940. POINTS FROM OTHER LETTERS “Motorist” agrees with the chairman of the traffic committee that motorists should not pass stationary trams on the offside, but suggests an exception at , the Public Hospital entrance where 20 or more cars are sometimes held up while visitors to the hospital are boarding trams between 7.30 and 8 p.m. “Hairy Legs” writes; “So we arc short of silk stockings. I congratulate 'City Typiste’ on her attitude, Take any old pair of lisle hose (and goodness knows we all have plenty tucked away without a sole or heel), cut off at ankle, stitch a round toe. Fussy Fanny will say, ‘They wrinkle round _ tne . ankles.’-Of course they will. Let's all have wrinkled ankles, to add another wrinkle to Hitler’s brow.”