LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 130, 25 February 1908, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

afforestation—a suggestion. Sir, —Rightly or wrongly, our system of taxation has tlio credit of having forced tho clearing of largo areas of bush country leading, to the excessive' deforestation Ito which in great measure can bo attributed many of tlio evils resulting from tho present dry weather. The remedy is to encourago afforestation, and ■ for this purposo to exempt-from land tax all plantations or fcrest lands exceeding, say, ten, acres in extent, but niakjng tlio .profits (if. any) derived therefrom 'subject to iucomo tax, and as an encouragement to sporadic planting to allow a deduction from land tax proportioned to tlio number of timber-producing trees, not less than, say, twelve feet in height, growing on tho taxed property.—l am, etc., „ U.I). l'ebruary. 21,.. GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT HOLIDAYS. Sir,—l think it .is timo that something was done to put a stop' to tho wasto of timo in some of. tlio Government Departments in! Wellington. /Last week tho Printing Offico had a day :off for. their picnic. This week. wo find t'liq,railway' offices having ]nAday':off for their, picnic.. :_I. might say thaii'.iiono of tho departments in tlio railways has a day iff: only: tho -above - Department.; Now I don't want to stop them from lmvirig'a picnic, but-lot ; them .liavo it on a Saturday afternoon'like, tho Post..Office has to' : 'do. If that won't do them,' let them liavo) a day and stop a day's pay. . Then; I think"; it will work both-ways. Tlio above sort of-thing has been-going- 0n..t00 long,—l am, etc., ONE WHO HAS TO PAY. February 21, 1908. ■

, A VISITOR'S EXPERIENCES. Sir,—On tho Vovo 'of departure' from New Zealand I take, this, opportunity, of .'expressing appreciation]of. .tho''kindness;and hospitality- extended . to us ;. during . our ' isevori weeks' visit, which lias been spent ;iri'visiting tho dairying, mixed'farming, .and stock- 1 raising districts .of the' North Island; together with,tlio various factories and industries connected with .agriculture. iOur visit has been most enjoyable and interesting, although, of course, we havo; been under. a disadvantage owing to tho drought. .Still, wo have seen sufficient Jo Convince us that the Dominion, under iwiso -and careful legislation, has a great and prosperous future beforo it. Our only ground for just complaint is the_ passenger accommodation on tho intercolonial aiid coastal steamers. Coming from, Sydney my wifo was berthed with threo others who wero ill, consequently she ' refused to. go below at night, and slept in «he music room. 1 For myself] I was. packed, in a tiny'cabin with'-threo others, and with room -for only one to dress at a' time, • and with closed ports wo wero pretty close.. Passengers', comfort, apparently, is a secondary consideration to_ dividends—anotherobjectionable effect of monopolies. , It is disgraceful that no two-berth rooms aro provided for first-class passengers,' and such -boats as the Union Company's'would not be endured on any European station.—l am, etc., ,V E. STRICKLAND. February 20. , . (Our correspondent is flying in tho' faco of public opinion in condemning the class of boats provided by tho Union Steamship Company.)

A COMPLAINT FROM THE BACK- ■ BLOCKS. j; Sir,—l get your paper from Wellington and read it.' I liko yijur straightforward remarks, mostly, but tako objection to» your sub-leader about travelling Ministers. Don't you thihk that we, tho pioneers of this wildornoss, sons of thoso who. first, landed on New_ Zealand's shores, havo moro need of tho nssistaneo of Government than tho towns/ which our. fathers and,ourselves, qiado whatHhey arc by our -labour; breaking'in land out'back:''. 1 hope .you - will disabuso yourself of this idea, and ,if you really'in-- 1 .'tend'to run'on straight lines, ,givo us all the help we need. You dwellers ill towns aro dependant pn us for your, very existence. If wi) struck what uso would tho towns be to anyone. ' Wo aro neglected and 'especially by tbo present Government.' Election time and just, before is tho only tittto "we aroTGmem.bered, ;'6o 'ifr.you. intend''to -help.:,-this Dominion let your Dominion toll tbo truth.

Wo aro. negated:'.- No suitable roiads, no means of proper communication, 110 bridges. To cur.e town people, condemn them to break-in an out back section. Is tho'coun-; try dependant on any town? No. ; .Give, tho| settlers.'good roads, cheap transit' for/'pro-: duco/and' you help the whole country asincreased production is increased wealth. I object to professional politicians, so do' all honest men-'and icckon it is through them that our-duties and taxes aro so.big.': Sell tho freehold, pay off tho national debt, thus 1 cheapening tho'cost of living ,to -all '.workers. -Wo,'the out back toilers of tho busli,. aro tho empire builders of this Dominion, and not tho political labour unions wo can do without. . : They have run this country'long enough;, and far enough into debt. It is our turn now, and if wo do not get tho consideration our hard toil and self-denial deserves, wo will, in a body, eliminate professional politicans for'ever and put patriots in their' place. T guess whisky and old age,, combined with .dissipation, 'has killed moro legislators than hard work. Wo aro burned out, some of our homes, are. burned, will tho professional politicians givo us'grass ■seed and stock?—l am, ete., ',

„: , .G.H.MACKENZIE.' ' 1 Oparau. ■ ~: - ; :/ -' [Our correspondent : appears to -imagine that wo would debar country settlers from the , pleasuro of seoing Ministers.' Our objection .is . to Ministers, continually rushing about the .country, largely for ' political, purposes, dealing! with trilling matters and neglecting tho,-largo .alrah's of State. - It; is only that Ministers should do a certain amount oftravelling. His complaint concerning tho neglect * of back-block settlers-' has already been voiced by us, and will be repeated ou pvery.. reasonable opportunity.]' ... DEPRESSION BY LANDLORDISM. Sir,—ln your issuo of a recent date,-.ap-pears tho gist of: a speech by the Premier at Auckland,: which undoubtedly lets iiif'a ray of hope to tho. numerous oppressed hoiisehoi'd tenants in Wellington, / of, his speech, is worthy of being framed- for future uso. Lot ine quote—"That by and through tho Stato (and by that means only) monopolies iii the 'land and -other.-, commodities could 1 bo prevonted or eradicated. That every legitimate effort on sound political lines 'should be made to help our producers and workers, etc,, to get the full result of their labour. • Iliat we should do what was fair and and help mutual adjustments."- Sir, am I right in/taking tho inferenco to moan that he,, or tho Government,; .means.', to grapple with or eradicate tho liugo monopolies in and about ) .VVelhngton,\., and- tho ■ "legitimate offorts" 'that he speaks of, means that at tho earliest possible moment ho will introduce and pass a "Fair lle'nt Bill" in order that the workers of this city may get tho full result their labour, thereby what was fair and right.'' -, If tlio above interpretation, be right, sir, then I have no hesitation in. saying that tho Government wilr liayo; the blessing of thousands of rackrontcd 'tenants in this city.-, . • I' or. years past,, and at the present- time, the workers of Wellington suburbs do not get half tho result of their labour. Tlio landlords, have got it. So exorbitant aro tho rents that it brought forth some remarks of surprise by a Supremo Court judge some |ittlo tmio ago, who wondered how -people could; live i]mler such a galling voke. Sir, .at tho present tiino a,crusade is'beiiif mado against wife-deserters; .la .' it "any • wonderthat ,men desert their wives and children ivlien they/find mpst of tlio' proceeds of their labour, going into, the-pockets of t-lieso/city lords? As an alternative thev throw them on: tho state for. support. Practically tho Government- have put down gambling with a strong hand. Also, the quack: doctor, and few will gainsay tho fact that landlordism'is tho. greater menace to tho wellbeing of tho people. It was optional i'o'r tbo gambler to gamble, also optional for-.tho patient to seel; the aid of the quack doctor. Not so with the landlord. . People must live in houses, aiid- to -thn. oppressors wo must go. Sir, allthrough this period of-rack-renting'oppres-sion. wit a word have wo heard from our

weak-kneed . Parliamentary representatives, "hey prefer to drive about in their motorcars, and draw their £300, a year; but a day of i reckoning, is liot far'oif when I'hope to seo thein . thrown'. out j of ■'Apolitical existenco, and . real live, gen'jiino men put in their place. Mon who ivill not run with tho haro and hunt- with tho-hound,-'but will -honestly fight for tho caitso of tlio victims of landlordism. Thiinking yoji in anticipation, —1 am. etc., February 20. , A VICTIM. MANAGEMENT.OF PUBLIC STORES. Sir, —In tho reports of tlio crisis of tho Public Sercivo Co-operative Stores, tho Chairman of tho Society states that tho present position has. been caused by mismanagement. He 'does'not state whether on tho'part of tlio,'committee, or tho managers and secretaries; of which they liavo had a considerable number during their short reign, but I prcsiinio tho latter is,meant by his remark. Now,; Mr. Editor, 1 would like, through tho medium of your paper,-to state for tho information of shareholders and creditors where I consider tho chief .responsibility lies, and I liavo no doubt;my-, statement will bo corroborated by the Official Assignee, Iwhoii ho makes an examination..

>In_ tho first place tho;rules' of tho Society : .provido for a monthly stiitemoht to. be .placed before tho committeo showing tlio 'amount of business dono in each departmenty amount of . purchases and expenses. .-This .has not'been dono or only spasmodically; Secondly/,at tho . >rid of_ the;first year! the .Society's,-loss'was approximately £1000. • Yet h'othirig of any .importance is dono savo engage, fresh officers. At the end of '13 months a loss is shown of £2400 out of a capital of £-1000, and instead of a searching examination being mado as to tho continual loss, things- aro allowed to drift on for another four months before tho actual position is ' placed before a meeting of shareholders, during; which period a further £900 'is'- lost. 'Now, Fwould ask who is ~to..blame for their uneviablo position? 'Had . tho committ-eo any idea.. I whatever of business .when they found that.tho losses had'iiicreasod to £2400 up to September 25. last, steps would havo been immediately -taken: to know where alltho losses were'bfcing'made and an urgent meeting of shareholders, called to disclose tho position,. arid either..close tho concern beforo more money was. lost, or reconstruct and . put tho Society on a sound basis; ; Another matter which was certainly -wrong, no reporters wero allowed to attend the two last meetings of shareholders, .and until tho meoting of creditors was called, tho merchants wero unaware of tho total loss that had been mado and supplied further goods to their regret. As to tho Chairman's • remarks -re manasurely there", are some Mod mon to be had in Now-Zealand.-';"- But tho plain fact is that good'men fight shy_ of managing cooperative concerns, knowing they; navo-so much intorferenco to. put up with from committeemen, who aro'usually men, who do riot como into touch with actual'[ commercial trading and liavo certainly no idea of running competitive stores; the main trouble being they,' think they know all about-it; hence the muddle. In tho present caso pyen when summoned by two firms thoy simply paid tho amount into court, to tho detriment of other creditors,, and, !yot : carried on- as, .though nothing uiiusal had occurred.—l am, February'2l. , FINANCE. MR. DAVID SYME: A REPLY. Sir,—Mr. O'Regan's adverse, criticism of tho lato Mr. David Syme, journalist, calls fur. somo rebuttal. As an Irishman trying to cultivate a judicial mind, it seems to mo that Mr. O'Regan has been neither fair to his subject nor to himself. ■ To begin with, Mr. O'Regan assumes tho characteristic of , a Sperma-logos, and attempts tojdisputo'at this timo of day whether Protection. - should ' bo- spoken ,-of- as , ".a scionce." Protection was onco a political theory. For many years it has been in practical operation. It has been systematiscd.!' and in that way reducwl. to a-, scionce. David Syme, in his ."Outlines"; df 'an' Industrial .■Science/.' demonstrates beyond question his faith in. Protection. . What if-ho .wroto an article, favourable .arid appreciative; of Cob l -, deri as a Freetrader ,and a reformer of'''England's land laws,' that does .'riot' affect''tHo s character or reputation-of-David Syme, the nian < or.-the .journalist. student of public questions as they . affected Victoria and Australia. Unquestionably'Freetrado' in Colxlen's day was the best thing for. Groat : In Victoria' Protection was as necessary' for tho: promotion of ' local industry as it had been for tho industries of England for many , years beforo Cobden. Times chqnge, likewise political systems. Many ' who; wero formerly, Freetraders now consider -.a .measure of Protection would bo beneficial to England, and who, after these statesmen aro dead, shall traduce theny for.inconsistency and worse because tho changing conditions of industrial life iii England convinced them that a change in its fiscal policy was dosirablo? ,

In his second paragraph, Mr. O'Regan pictures.tho lato David Svmo as a journalistic terror.. Ho mado and urimado. politicians, and ministries shook' and fell at his commaud. His. power was; enormous. That ho niauc mistakes,. aud at times seemed to retard: rather than advance, tho political progress and. well-being* of Victoria, is not ques- ■ boned; yet ho was the journalistic terror to public, and political -evildoers,. a denouncer, saenfjeer, il you lilco, : ■of tho men who would uso their ignorant follows to advance their Bollish interests and nndormino tho well-being of tho State: .:: If David Symo .fawned upon tho Traces Hall" and flouted irenwith, lio did bo that tho workers should not bo misled by, at that time, -a demagnguo with a scliomo, and that Victoria ;?houkl bo sparedtho cost of-experiments at 4 ■ s °!j untried aiid inexperienced. ; T?. A S° ;lias. 'always be'eii. Liberal in its politics, and when it protected at any. timo the squatter it was meroly from a' high senso of justice that; reflected tho greater credit upon its : democratic proprietor.'? It is quito fallacious,, howovor, to assert, as Mr. 0 Regan doss, that "Tho Ago" is tho ■ bulwark of squatterdom :in.. Victoria.'.v ■.•■■fllivSymo was a Liberal but not a Socialist. ■ ilioro ai'o strong lines of demac'ration between theso . political y cults. In giving thoir-. adhesion to - Socialistic leaders David feyino saw that the workers of Victoria woro E 0 ! I ?!?.misled. "•'Ho . showed how leading socialists had advocated the destruction of tho niarriago tie and the abolition of tho tainiiy, and warning, the women of Victoria against ;'.he _Socialists ho' kept tho Labour party free of Socialistic', entanglements, preserved them to Liberalism, and secured the triumph of his party and /of "Tho Age." 11l lighting tho; ' Shiols "Divorco Bill and opposing i-lomo Hulo for Ireland, Mr. , ~ - J' ll . lo editor and proprietor of "Tho Ago' used tho weapons ready to his hand, and ho fought tho battlo on ground selected by himself. _ This was^. gonnralship: no doubt, but ii does not.alfect Symo's honesty of purposo .in fighting botlii The Divoreo I t and its sectarian feeling does not trouble, us hero. _ Roligious Victoria would have nothing of it; and tho greatest advocate of-Homo Rule, Mr. Gladstone, declared ho would nover bo a party to establishing a, separate Parliament for the Irish people in Dublin. .As self-government has been, established 'in this Dominion ■so sclf.'government will be croatcd in Ireland when the time is ripo _ for an "Imperial reconstruction, not with a view to dismemberment, however,, as tho Homo Rulers want, but to greater solidarity of Empire. David Hyme, as'"Tho Age," stood for Victoria and its interests. If tho Victorian people responded; and mado him rich he returned something of their patronage to public purposes; but even to Symo's princely gift to education, Mr. would exception, and by way of illustration drags m that shocking blunder of tin; "JKn'ieson Raid." Theso matters do not do Mr. O'licgim justice. Ho must know, Scotsmen everywhere know, the advantages of education. Scotsmen own more to private endowments and foundation schools and colleges , than proportionately, any .other nationality, and' it is (ho pride of most wealthy Scotsmen to aid all educational institutions..- Mr. David Symo, the Scotsman; did this, and it is not seemly that Mr. O'Regan should even 'appear to detract lrom lim who sought to benefit the youth of Victoria by a ''princely gift" to national education.

• J would ' not 'have written this much in reply to Mr. O.'ltcgan, only I regarded his letter on. Mr. S.yiuc us .'nil unjustified and unwarranted attack' upon a departed Scotsman. and journalist.—l am, etc.,, ' ; . ' " ; 'J. D! tiIEVWIMCiIIT. February 21." • j