Letters to the Editor

Press, 7 September 1976, Page 20

Letters to the Editor

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“Death of rugby”

Sir, — Although I have spent most of my life with another code, I am also a staunch and parochial follower of New Zealand on the international rugby scene. Last night I felt sad as I watched the death throes of a sporting code that has put our country to the fore in world sport. Apart from political reasons, the game has become nothing but a barbarian spectacle, indulged by all 31 participants. After a lingering sickness international rugby died last night at Cape Town and I do not care if they bury it at — Yours, etc., COLIN DAWSON. September 5, 1976.

The industrial scene

Sir, — By what kind of mob-rule authority do the trades unions abrogate to themselves the right to defy the authority of Parliament?

Judging from recent outbreaks of what sounded like the pronouncements of hysterical maiden aunts some of their leaders really do seem to regard themselves as the custodians of public safety; And though the unions have always been the enfants terribles of democratic society the time seems to have come for intelligent and wellbalanced citizens to get behind the Government in condemning their attempted interference in political matters as an intolerable nuisance. — Yours, etc., I. S. TREW. September 4, 1976. Sir, — Never mind, dear Christopher. Other children do not ever go on holidays because they are poor children. And do tell your daddy that there is always a good reason for industrial unrest even though some people do not want to know. — Yours, etC " ROSIE I. WITTY. September 4, 1976. Sir, — In suggesting I attempted to pit “workers” against the “public,” R. Black’s use of inverted commas implies the two groups are virtually one and the same. If this is so, the public is, of course, well represented at any dispute. This attitude is amplified by another statement, that “the combined membership of the F.0.L., and C. 5.5.0., plus their dependants are the overwhelming majority of the public.” Numerically this is doubtful, since it depends on the number of dependants per member. It also assumes all dependants, including children and babes in arms have a voice in industrial disputes. Of course, judging by recent events this may be true. However, if “workers” and “public” are interchangeable terms, who were all those people waiting last week for the Cook Strait ferries? Finally, who are “disadvantaged members of the public,” and if they did not suffer, in what way were they disadvantaged? — Yours, etc., S. J. HALES. September 4, 1976.

Sir, —Even before the Emperor had put on his new clothes, lots of people had said how ugly and smelly and dirty the clothes had been, when tried overseas. And worse still, the Giant would perhaps burn up any little country, like us, where the clothes were kept. But the Emperor was too proud to listen. And right at the beginning of the school holidays he made sure that everybody saw him in his new suit. It was so smelly that people went home. “Come back,” said the Emperor. “Take that silly suit off first,” said the people. So the Emperor did (although . he secretly vowed to get even). But by then Christopher’s holiday had been spoilt. Some people say it wasn’t the Emperor’s fault. Others say that it was. — Yours, etc'., ken McAllister. September 6, 1976.

Nuclear power

Sir.—What is the main issue in the nuclear power debate? Perhaps the deep rhythmic force of the waves, or the quiet, pulsating strength of forest-covered mountains; that is, the clarity and rhythm with which we must try to realign ourselves. We can surely still avoid cluttering up this earth and its people, as well as the space around it, with nuclear wastes, and.

the other by-products of technologies which tend to be -ithout moral concern. There must still be time for leaders to choose, if they will, the welding of science with far-sighted religious principles in the making of policies and decisions, and to have the courage to know what most of us learn by trial and error, that a right choice can be distinguishable, in that it progressively provides its own logical, ethical solutions to problems which arise.—Yours, N. MILANOVICH. September 4, 1976.

Abortion

Sir, —May I through the courtesy of your column, reiterate to R. G. Cronin and others that no woman is denied the right to control her own body. It is the body of her child that is in question. The fact that the child is born or unborn ha. no bearing on the matter —it is a living human being and to destroy that body is murder. A woman may use her body as she chooses—for sport, sexual or any other pleasure but there is no pleasure in this life that does not carry its attendant responsibilities. One must be prepared to take the necessary precaution or to accept the consequences. In this age, when contraceptives for those who want them, advice and family planning help acceptable to all, are so freely available, abortion should be a very rare need indeed. — Yours, etc., JOYCE SUMPTER. September 6, 1976. Sir, — Those who seek some relaxation of the law on abortion make a mistake, I believe, when they fail to argue on moral grounds. As long as those on one side say, “Women should decide”, and those on the other say, like P. R. Goodman, that abortion “is murder”, the debate is clearly getting nowhere. One major reason for the social prohibition of murder is that tolerance of it would spread fear and insecurity through society. Abortion does not have this social effect and is, therefore, clearly a lesser sin than murder. It is in fact a

lesser sin than destroying hope of happiness by denial of an abortion to a young single girl who has become pregnant to a man she wrongly trusted and partly because male M.Ps have made it illegal for her to be given contraceptives. — Yours, etc., MARK D. SADLER. September 5, 1976.

Gowan Bridge store

Sir, — Long live the Gowan Bridge store. I always make a point of stopping here and buying something en route to the Coast. Heaven preserve us from every store being converted to a supermarket. Gowan Bridge store surely outfits Fred Dagg. — Yours, etC ” PHYLLIS NEWELL. September 2, 1976.

Kumara School centenary

Sir, — The Kumara School will celebrate its centenary over Labour Weekend, 1977. We would warmly welcome inquiries from former pupils and teachers, and also those who attended Callaghans, Cape Terrace, Dillmanstown, Goldsborough, Greenstone and Westbrook Schools. — Yours, etc., MRS E. H. PAMMENT, Main Street. Kumara. September 6, 1976. *