ANZAC DAY HOLIDAY.

Evening Star, Issue 21091, 2 May 1932, Page 1

ANZAC DAY HOLIDAY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —The large assembly of Dunedin citizens at the Queen’s Gardens on. Anzac Day showed that the people have not forgotten their dead, and the enormous number of wreaths placed at the foot of the memorial proves that an interest was taken by all, including the City Council, Although the council had its wreath placed honouring the dead, it thought fit to deprive its outside staff of pay which has been customary in the past for Anzao Day. Amongst the outside staff are many ex-service men who have done their bit fighting for that great democracy. While lam not an advocate of reducing wages, I consider that if it was necessary to deprive the outside staff of wages for Anzao Day, then the Town Hall staff, including the mayor, town clerk, and first and second engineers, should also forego a day’s pay on that day. We may be informed that the council is short of money, or that it is saving in the interests of the ratepayers. Should this be the case I would advise the Finance Committee and head officials to start at the top and work downwards, instead of starting on the employees who now earn only £3 a week, weather permitting. As a man who fought with some of our glorious dead I shall always respect them and raise my hat to their everlasting memory, but I can never agree with the pernicious method adopted I y the Finance Committee and high salaried officials of the Town Hall in depriving the outside employee of a day’s pay and retaining to themselves the right of a holiday with pay. Surely this is not the spirit of Anzac.—l am, etc., Bryan O’Donnell, April 28.