CORRESPONDENCE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume VIII, Issue 216, 14 August 1918, Page 5

CORRESPONDENCE.

1* ninst be distinctly nnderstood that wo are not to bo identified with the opinions expressed h> correspondents in our columns.) EX-EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. ‘ I TO THE EHITOB. ) Sir,—Will you please explain to your readers the relation of the late ' Empress of Russia to the British ! Royal family.—l am, etc., | IGNORANT. Otane, 12/8/18. [The ex-Czarina Alix,, wife of the j late Czar Nicholas 11, is a granddaughter of the late CJueen Victoria, .and first cousin to King George or ' England. Her mother was the Priniccss Alice, Queen Victoria’s second j daughter, who married Prince Louis J (afterwards the Grand Duke) of i Hesse Damstadt. The late Czar’s ’mother, Empress Marie, is a sister to Queen Alexandra and the Duchess of Cumberland. Ed. H.B.T.] I RAILWAY STATION Cok1 VENIENCES.

[to the editor.l I Sir,—ln reply to “Citizen” in last 1 night’s issue of your paper. I wish I to state in justice to the Railway I employees that I know the ladies I lavatory to be cleaned onee, twice and sometimes three times a day with strong disinfectant. I had occasion to visit the place, when it had been cleaned only a few minutes previous, the sight which met my eyes was astounding, ladies (?) two of them dressed in the best of furs, were acturally befouling the floor. I waited outside to try and identify them, but they turned their faces away and sailed off as if the Huns were chasing them. I am ashamed to be a woman when I see such cases and knowing as I do the unpleasant duties to be performed by the railway employees. I know also it is frequinl a plumber has to be called th< ip to dear the drain. Should thia no: be '■iillieicntly explanatory to I‘ Citizen” I will be pleased to giv* further details if she will call on,— MADAME B. E. PARKER, JO2 Avenue Rd. Hastings, lie. 18. MORTGAGE EXTENSION ACT. f'IO TUB KDITOB.I Sir, -Your correspondent signing himself “Mortgagee”’ in your issue of 13th. has to his satisfaction made the poor farmer appear inconsistent. ■With your permission Mr. Editor I vo ild suggest there is another view of the picture not so inconsistent a* your eerrespomlcnt suggests. The resolution asking the Government to extend the Act for ( five years or some such period , as they think fit was carried, but I surely mortgagee knows t hat this ap- ( plies only to capital and not to rate <n interest, lie is therefore not in such a bad way and is protected just as much as the farmer is. The resolution carried last year asking Go(vomment to compel mortgagees to pay jwirt of farmers’ Land Tax was ; simply asking Government to return to position obtaining before war, and nothing more. Your correspondent knows well that prior to war he had to pay Mortgage Tax and that a farmer could deduct the amount of mortgage from his valuation and had only to pay tax on what he owned. The present position is that a farmer lis not allowed! to deduct his niort- . g.T-m but has to pay Land Tax on I what belong to the other chap, while the mortgagee pays nothing on this account. In other words the farmer is in a very much worse position than before the war and the mortgage* very much better I don’t anticipate any friction between mortgagors and mortgagees over this matter, but 1 would like to remind him that the extensions ripply to everyone, not only the poor farmer. The tone of Mortgagee’s letter suggests to ma that he is not the kind of man the farmers are seeking protection from by the extension asked for, but he well knows they need it from some. Even the wool resolution is not so inconsistent. The proposed new contract is not for twelve months after the war, but. for twelve months from the June following the close of the war. This means two clips, and the farmers asked that it should end at the same time as meat contract, viz... three months after war. I must add that this by no means represents the unanimous opinion of farmers, but it does indicate that the Tarniers or any other class do not want Government interference in trade any longer than is necessary. If farmers are foolish enough to risk the open market after the war instead <>f accepting a certainty, and the prices go down, .Mortgagee will still get, his sumo rate of interest, and I suppose the same mortgage tax exemptions, an<l will be very glad his money was so fixed that ho could not liuv'a farm.--! am. etc., FARMER. Hastings, 13'8/18.