MR PEARCE AND WAGES

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 23 November 1911, Page 5

MR PEARCE AND WAGES

(To the Editor.)

Sif>— In your report of Mr Pearl's meet ing at iNormanby it i S stated*"?^ reply to a further question (from Mr Payne) Mr Pearce said he certainly" had not written to the papers saying that he had voted against the rise in workmen's >vages because things were dropping " , i^t^tea p ress o f December 2of I^)7 nad the following letter from Mr Pearce • As a correspondent in your mner signing himself Worker' se«m s toS my st a t emen t at the Council meeting that it was an inopportune time to raise wages, as produce was dropping may I trespass on your valuable sp^ace to publish the enclosed article, on December 4 trom the Meicantile Gazette of New Zealand, by which .'Worker'" will see tnat it was not wool alone that has dropped. 1 sincerely hope it may not atfect wages in this country (although it has evidently done so in America already), as it is better for usi all when Pl^f afd wages are good. As for Worker's' cheap sneer at Tory eondidate, on 'Worker's' own figures I oould nave-been considered a Liberal for the small sum of Is per day, but I do not I™t be a Liberal of t:fi& sort that Worker evidently supports—liberal with other people's money. Had it been a, question of my own employees' wages 1 might possibly have voted dift'erentlv' —(Signed) G. V. Pearce." # I could give many instances of such inconsistencies, but the above seems sufficient in itself to show the electors ,that Mr Pearce is not a man to be given a free hand in any political matter.— I am, etc., ARTHUR W. PAYNE. Hawera. hawer"a~hospital. (To the Editor.) Sir, —After reading the report of the last, meeting of the Hospital Board, in which are set forth the difficulties presenting themselves in connection with

.the renewal of the present structure —or, as an alternative, the building of a new. hospital—it has occurred to me as an ex-member of the Hospital Board that the present, situation of the HJawera Hospital is not altogether a desirable one: and that while the Board is considering the question of taking in hand the erection of*a more up-to-date structure, it would be good policy to consider at the same time the advisability of selecting a more desirable site than the existing one. A more elevated position would be a decided advantage in many ways, not to mention cheerfulness of outlook —to which the proximity of the cemetery does "not conduce —and where possibly health conditions would be more favorable. The the event of the Board deciding that it would be serving the interests of ratepayers and patients in the most effective manner by erecting a building, say, of concrete—and therefore fireproof—l hope this suggestion will be taken into consideration. By building elsewhere the present structure, and also the patients, could remain undisturbed, and it is possible the old building could be utilised in some manner. -

C. A. WILKINSON Eltham, Nov. 22.