LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 220, 10 June 1908, Page 11

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

"WE LIVE TO LEARN, BUT SLOWLY LEARN TO LIVE'' (BYRON). Sir,—ln reference to. a letter' which appeared in Thursday's issue of The. Dominion, "Agricola" administered a smart box on tho ear to any "further outlay of public money" on tho Seddon memorial. It is to be hoped they, who havo set their hearts upon this proposal will not refuse to be guided by their heads. With all duo respect to the late Premier, these cosily tributes are simply waste of money, and can accomplish nothing. "Can storied urn or animated bust Back to its mansion call the' fleeting breath ? Can Honour's voice nrovokc the silent dust, Or flattery soothe the dull, cold ear of — Death?" It would be more becoming to think of tho dead and live for the s living. , There arc large classes of people even-in Wellington itself, with large families and siiiall purses, who would bo glad, of a lift by the aid of a few pounds, a section of land, a cow. deprived as many arc now of fresh air itself and every inch of ground, and a good supply of milk for tho children. When those means of spending money are exhausted; when there are none who are in danger of a downfall through poverty,-; when the idea that life can'be maintained by simply imbibing the .breath of Heaven is exploded, there will be no need for long-winded orators to impress the people with the mockery that they are the lords of the eartli, which is simply insulting the emptiness of their mouths and pockets.—l am, etc., • „. CORNELIA.. June 8.

BLEEDING THE RATEPAYERS. nr Sir,—lu a . statement recently-given by .His \\ orship the Mayor to the Press and publie, lie says that the rates levied. on the unfortunate . ratepayers of this' rack-rated' city are only £1000 more than the lected last year. He does not tell the public, the fact that in addition wo have to make good the heavy deficiency created by the Council when they took over the Electric Light Co.'s works' and compelled us to make good the rates on that property, which the'-Couucil refuses to pay out of the earnings. In the sama way we have; had to make good the rates paid in former ;times uy the old Tramway Co., and if His Worship has his way in the future\wo'will have to pay all the heavy rates now paid bj ( the' Gas Co., the Kelburno Tramway Co., tho Athletic Park/Co., and also the heavy rates of tho Manawatu Railway Co. when the Government take it 'over. It is an abominable shamo that the great arid wealthy monopolies liko tho Harbour Trust, :the Government, and the Corporation, who own the pick of tho city properties, should-be allowed ■ to, shirk paying the rates.—l am, etc., lUTEPAYER. June 8.

BASKIVILLE BENEFIT. Sir,—As a sympathiser in , the Baskivillo Benofit movoment, I hope you will grant-me space in your valuable columns in which to make a suggestion, which will, I think, greatly assist , a most deserving cause. When it was proposed that the Rugby Union should postpone all games set down for playing next Saturday, and So allow players ..and followers of Rugby to witness, the "now game" which is being played in Athletic Park, tho cials of the. Union decided that this could not be' dono owing -to limited time in which to finish the fixtures for the season. This difficulty is easily apparent in so far as the senior contest is concerned, but the same trouble • does not appear' to exist in connection with ttie games, in the various junior comnotitions; therefore'! would suggest that' all games in the' junior' grades be declared off for Saturday next, thus allowing several hundred juniors, to,'be present at the park and assist in a most worthy object. Tho date of finishing the junior, competitions is a matter of no moment to anyone, and as the Rugby Union has intimated its willingness to assist 1 in .the matter, I hope arrangements will be. made to .'doas/ suggested herein.—l am, etc.,' . r . : JUNIOR. June 8.

"MISPLACED SEVERITY." Sir,—Allow me to congratulate your paper On the'stand it has taken on the side-of common justice. If ever there was a miscarriage of justice, surely, ( sir, the recent case ini Invorcargill is a most' glaring example, and one that ought to appeal? to every, right-thinking main , and woman from end to end of our Dominion.' , Is'it not time, sir, that the whole of the people should raise their voices in protest when one hears that for falsifying an ordinary..school certificate a young man-receives, sentence'and is banded with all. kinds _ and conditions -of criminals to "do time" while liis wife and children, for whose sake the deed was done, are left without their breadwinner. w Does it not, sir, make one's blood tiriglo in every nerve to feel tliafc such justice is meted out m God's own country?

This for a poor man', while we have it on record where not school -cortificates-but books for larrje amounts have, 1 been ' falsified, and yet another, not one hundred miles from Wellington, 'where a position of trust and a high-salaried person, for appropriating to his own use, were , extended the benefits of the Probation Act. Yet this working man must be taunlit that his act was a crime, and could not conle under the above Act, and so hereafter must bo branded as one who has "dono time." - Hoping that your paper may bo instrumental towards the release of this man, and that tho matter be not allowed to drop until justice is done, and that pressure bo brought to bear'in the right quarter, so that a stroke ,of tho pen may cancel the whole blot and' frive tho victim his .liberty. .And, in conclusion, I, sir, am willing to contribute my mite, should such bo needed, tohelping tho victims of our ■ muchboasted justice and legislation. Hoping, sir, that your able pen will speed the beacon light, -for mine is weak,—l am, etc., \ A WORKER OF PETONE. June 8. •

THE BOCUS LABOUR PARTY. Sir,—From time to time cables have appeared in your valued columns giving particulars of tho Deakin-Labour compact! which exists in' Australia., Now, if there-is anything in this world' that is ' impossible',.'it is tho federation of those who believe in justice. to the workers with the' Deakin party. You mieht as well talk, of tho federation of sugar and sand, of oil and. water, of wolves with lambs, as talk of the federation of the Deakin Protectionist Government with the real democrat. As a matter of. fact, there is no real "Labour party'in Australia. There is hist .the..one big.Deakin

party under two names, and they are mating a fine mess. of things, pandering to each' other's stupid requests and proposals. What is badly wanted, both in Australia and New Zealand, is a real Labour party, men who have studied economic questions, and who can see through the swindle of protection, men who feel and know the dignity of Labour, and who know that it is freedom in both production and distribution of the products of labour, and not restriction, that is wanted. Without such a Labour party there is no Labour-party .—I am, etc., _ . ' E. STEVENSON. Hastings, June 5. THE DARLING DOWNS, QUEENSLAND^

Sir, With reference to your interesting article concerning the Darling Downs, Queensland, while agreeing with the general themoof your report, there are one or two exceptions I should like to point ' out. Mr. Hosking points out that, a ■ coalition between the Philp and Kidston parties is almost an impossibility, but 'such is not the case, as could be seen by the fact that at the close of last session, when the Socialistic party refused to support Mr. Kidston's railway proposals, Mr. Philp, when he could have thrown tho Government out of ■ power, supported these measures, Apart from, this fact, the manifestos issued by the two leadcis in question were much, on a par with each other, save a few minor details. , to municipal affairs, I should think Mr. Hosking had\not made extensive inquiries into these matters, for had he'done so he should have learned that in Toowoomba a loan of £25,000 had just beeu raised, and an extensive scheme to supply the city with n ater is at the present nearing completion, £ ? ca *^ s arG a^so up the subject 1i i ■ r?i m ?6 e ' one nian in particular— \ j. f- S. Burstow, who brought to a successful end the water scheme. Ono of the local papers—the-"D.D. Gazette"—also advocated the principle of effective drainage, and although nothing definite has beeu decided upon, I think the time is not far distant when an effective plain for the drain-, age of that city mil be carried out.- - With regard to the statement that Mr. Hosking arrived on the Toowoomba platform with ono minute to spare (according to time-table), and had, to wait tliirtv-five minutes, I would suggest that Mr. Hosking' had an old time-table, and' one that was out of date, for, speaking, trains on the railways in-, question run to time, although tho Brisbane mail from Sydney is occasionally • late, through no fault of the Queensland-authorities, the delay occurring, on the N/S.W. side, train thereby being kept in wait at Wallangarra' —tho . \ In conclusion, I ; should like to say-the land Jaws of Queensland aro most 'suitable to settlers, a free railway pass being granted to. bona-fide. settlers. The Darling Downs is considered to be one of the best dairying districts in Australia, as could be seen by tho fact that at .the dairying exhibition in' London /this year the Darling Downs Cooperative Dairy secured first. prize against' the whole world in an open class.—l am, eft.,- '. ■ ' ■ V . ONE FROM THE DOWNS.-

[THE ARBITRATION ACT, THE LABOUR UNIONS, AND THE; GOVERNMENT. Sir,—There is 110 doubt that the labour unions have stuck together well; proving to all, what any body of united people can do. But in spite of their success as a united body they, as all such organisations do, have sounded their death-knell of the power they, have had in the past. Tho fact of farmers' being cited before a Conciliation Board and the proof 'that the labour unions imagine that as the Government has been theirs for years they can ignore the Acts passed by, that Government-(for instance, the Auckland tram and Blackball strikes), cannot be ignored. Many ignorant people imagine the farmers are an ignorant class to be browbeaten and incapable of uniting for their mutual benefit. Mr. Robert M'Nab,, the son of an old Southland. squatter, wakened 1 them up_ by his land legislation; and' like the British Lion of old, "Beware how you tread oil his tail." The Farmers' Union started, in Auckland, and . to. Auckland is due tho honour at the last provincial conference, of making our union political.' \V-o invite all those who have Liberalism, justice, and right at heart, to join us at, next election, to oust Conservatism from our land. Tho labour unions have raised the. most Conservative Government New Zealand has known. Their legislation is ignored by those who put them in power, aaj as we the Empire builders, and class who made this Dominion what it now is, liavo over 400,000 votes, ; .which with the numbers I have spoken to in tho towns, who aro with us, wo can'win if we stick together, as the. labour unions did. Organisations must win, look at tho Temperance Party, as an example.—l am, etc.; G. H. M'KENZIE.- • Oparau, May 31.

. THE STORY OF RATIKIRA. Sir, —It was very appropriate'of you this morning to refer, by a paragraph in'your paper, to this being the anniversary "45 years ago of the action of Ratikira in Taranaki, but I am suro yo'li would like your facts to be correct. As I happened, to have been" present on that occasion as extra A.D.C. to General Sir x D. A. Cameron, lamin a posi- ; tion to correct you. The regiment you allude to was,the.s7th" ; (my late regiment), not the sth, which regi-: .lnent never was in New Zealand. General Cameron was not merely a spectator, but: was in command, and directed Colonel Warns (commanding the 57th) to take a portion of. that regiment, and attack the rifle pits, : which ho did, being supported by the remaining portion of His regiment. It turned out the enemy were not in, their riflo pits, bntOiad retired to defend their redoubt.- The ■ support then becarno the attacking party, . ..and charged : and took the redoubt. The general, seeing the change, immediately ,/ sent mo with orders to Colonel Mulock (commanding the 70th) to take his regiment at once to. the support of the 57th. The engagement, was a great success., We. gathered I' 2 of the" enemy killed, and laid them out in a line for inspection of Sir . George Grey,who landed after the engagement from IT.M.S. Eclipse, and inspected the. dead with. '. General Cameron. Our casualties were 10 wounded. —I am, etc., - . ~ , , EDWARD GORTON. : Juno 4. ■

The whole trend of legislation and almsgiving is in tlio direction, not of "self-help" but of " help yourself"—in the Socialistic sense—to some other person's property, so that responsibility for yourself and your family may be carried by someone else.—"Gentlewoman." ' 1 . The ordinary Englishman hates to bo suspected of anything but the matter-of-fact.' Tho more deeply he l'cels, the more intent he is on slurring, it over with a joke or a bit of useful slang.—"Truth."