LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 14

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

! - ~ [ ' IN EQUITY. £.. f'-. - Sir,—A, case : of sonioivhat' unusual inliiQ ferest'tb;thVstorclicepingVcoairaunity. has recently '..been under.-'.my te^Hejcase^njpoirit?,wa^'tHatrin'lwliicli;^thejf;-;, proprietors stores- in': : :-by. E||: ;of; miisances ; for ■ an; alleged l ;byyaws;regar(ling the jfe;; condition-of tlicir . yard.' It ' will suffice .tlie,': presiilii^ feperlups; tlie--moefc • unbiased and 'dispa:i- ' administrator :of theciviclaw kif; that^.\v'e_ r .have; to' deal: with) p?'tnled-tfist\'ttte^'i no'ease, |v- .ißnd 'j'the r . matter - was accordingly .. dis-% | missed.i./ For. the: defence, .one of the old-. £est ,Vconstables in-.the police- -force, gave p.:v.evidence , and. stated: that the :yard m S-w> : question-, was .'comparatively! :• clean : and p v'j.couJd notihavo! caused, anv• annoyance. ; i- LVSiyNow, as an; absolutely , disinterested. Is.Hi-party.v.want ..to.-.know-? what . guarantee |ivt. there is.-that a: similar, prosecution < may ly notvbe.'.brought.fagajnst . these storekeepers. - at. any -time -without- justification. -Every p; law-abiding., oitizen knows. that, these - in-" p>. Bpectors -have , a .certain ■ duty 'to perform I' -And -I feel:.sure - that overy shopkeeper r.. -Rill -be only too ready to .help them to |.-,- . Bee: that. the : law -is - complied, with; hut >•:: .nnfortunatcly human-nature is. weak, and i.-- .1 prone to en or, ; r.ud -action may-be wrongi ..fully! takejuasrarast: an innocent and-un- ~ ...offending .- person/-.causing both , expense '!i:-:and:inconvenience.-..\The firai.referred to, ,1.-. for i instance, was - summoned: for ■ an 'aly. leged; offenco and --proved absolutely wf- i . nocenf/. by the leading magistrate'in. Welp?.-/-. lington; ■ and - yet , they: are . out -of pocket f,.over.-,£lo.for. solicitor's• fees^and- lossof pv-time... ,Ij\am; of: opinion that 'such a'con--6:--; tingeacy ■ should not bd possible.—l- am,' ! etc,. E JOHN TOOiIBS. t OUR BEAUTIFUL RAILWAYS. Sir,—TalL about .facility for travelling;, this?.- From-.Taumarnnui up. - tho . Mam - Trunk, there -is - but - one pasf Benger train per day that stops at any p-,-.,of v the>small.placesarrivedhere last [, i night by the tram that gets in at 6 ft--:s oclock,- and.ilican't get::on till the-same, f'ri'time ;this.:-evening. viTliero isa train that'. I,ls.Jisted.on., tho January A time-table, that ir rgets.m at-8,-o'clock, but-this-ris more a goods strain-.and; the guard i absolutely re-[ii-Mused,to; grant:me permission torget-on {f.v.roishwv.--N<ra,,.from. a'commercial point fe..°f -i-vi.ejv,, this is .simply: lovely!—l'anv r etc, f Cfi, r Ongarue, Tcbruary 9 ,

f " THE "RARE GENERAL." h :';/;:. Sir,—lf instead of > joking! at :the :"rit wrkastic" •yotf' "were ■ ; to (J s,; look-; seriously > into; H it, . - youfe laughter t'. might bo turned - to '.tears.- Take it l: .'separately:— Rooking,no ; hy' should: be doneby the cook or, .cook--ironing,:: ; hangingr-\out, ' anc ' ; potting .< away, \ iJiiretc.V'is; fbr'the ; "rare''general," not : fijifwashing:-!Ohi' near,'-'.no'!' YNot after :'the fV : general", "has been - "lured" intothe' .....Dac&blaeks..l?R'^t er yrfv ; afternboii: ; ;off; * Sundays ; in-, pi: eluded,"rr-A^servdnt.: f rises "' about:' i.30-5 .-' s.m;, works hard until . 1:30 p.m., at :V- scrubbing, ' .'cleaning'' .window's, .' knives, .-laying and waiting at table, blear- - ing-. away-and: washing .up,etc etc., and b'iOther,: rynnumerablehousehold : duties, js,"-1 Then comes ; the - much-vaunted' "afternoon ' .off,' from 1 30-3 30.' Then-.take in mis- ■ .tressess's ■ afternoon :tea7? for.'-which l --the 5 "raro general", must 'be dressed: in :caso" i, »',of usitors Then another spell until f;- :So clock,; .when' dinner, - a meal 'most' | "cockles" insist on asibeing- "classy," hasI to be prepared for. "By;: the time this is i , ..cleared,? away,; dishes washed,; • etc, proLV'iS aiding Kalways: dinner : has.- not- been kept ' a : by-no-means-raro. event, the k' ..general;;- unless - there is . any ironing- -to fe.iPe vdone, -nor, tho .-range is not required. IV' for.-cooking, or a . little mending -of? te! children's clothes, is-usually glad to crawl [s,.'.:.pif, to jj)od,.having:.put:in : a hard day's fef'.work, tf,.'twel v e,' hours,: ; iu spite 'of the ter'-s«tqrfoMi -off " "Sundays ''included."—. hj^What.-.other-, employer -of.'girls:.has to ad"Sunday. afternoons.- off'-'' as ' an I,attraction. .. Poor general I ' |>.ft! Trivate sitting-room."—This • -is:-often-' -v.* necessity, ,the present-day. kitchens being Pte? n hfelyjunSitted ifor.vsittingt-inuespfciallyi-how- ? Ter , the "rare general" has littlo time ,L^>r, to inake.nse.of:either.;tiie '.'private sitting-'-y room 'or tho .piano. t k * "Vine with tho 'family."—This cai? be., called- a"lure/': surely,; as<the* arc frequently, so "boorish 1 in -their manners thafc i a decent general would 1 find it-trying to take f her v meals >uth l them 1 ' - v "Good wages "—And surely in a country, b - where all^.workers. with their liandsaro Nqw: Zealandi - Government, as. recemnpgood.wages-why , "jionld not" the "rare, general;'' -lured into -.•< this country -by. such - advertisements as. K'.-.the. present,;and,working, twelve-hours: a' - day,: Sundays as well, receive good wages ? :/. But: apart from, the ••.advertisement;-.tho f -v- whole. crux of .the matter is the behaviour of...the.mistress -.to ..the servant, in this country.:^ln- a great- many, cases, the: mis-' f.stress,.:was'.' the servant: of. ,'her present p., husband,-vv&he has never been-used to the [fiLrmanagement of servants, and:women are' - f : always admittedly, more intolerant, "and fe..,.petty- than->men,,.and'it. is:al' case of drive, p:;. drive,drive.. the: poor. general-from pom- - E.'. aing.-till..night; icookmf, ; washing, • scrubt\v bing,-.ironing,--. makiiig-ibutter, ' cleaning !■,: dairy, milk pans .and.,pails, making soap; [, -j- mending?- clothes, and; ofter jhe is- asked p. 1..: to, milk, a' cow or -two. for, the house.And p;« yet -they- wonder, why- "generals" are .rare. -A proprietor of a well-known registry office-said -to me tire other'day. "I want k .forty generals,, and I cannot get one; and t;; > vhile vthe mistresses ■ continue' 'to-- treat them as they do,-1 see-no possibility of I getting them."—l am, etc, r , EXPEEXENCED.