LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13780, 19 June 1908, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

j IMPORTED BXPKKTci. ; .Sir.-- Your timely , leader ia.Tu'wJay's »- ■ sue on the suitß-i *, of importing experts tit* "'■ I *erv«»s th<' feftrne*t .'ntlcntion of a!} cngatc<C ~ I in itgricuSttirAl antl hortittrltural pursuits, r - ''*;' i W'c luiv..' bct'tt int|>>rtirij export-? Jr-itg i cnouslit •-««' ' f i* I'JRu time .«'*;■ set e»t*o':ts- ■;',.-? ! training inch iw-n in tin* Ofttntnioi'i, ''!•» i doubt wtn& <>f th«? iMijvrtrwtl expert-' irav<?* ; . j bi«n .mil »ro thing jj<x»tl work, while of her ' : ': 1 j. rt v,< not been all 'thai t«uW tw dosir^d. •'•,£.;. I Kxp.-M.-ocvii aericultnri-ts. know, and Mr. ;'• I ilcXah no doubt is Hilly aware of th«- fnet.. ' : '. I that. » ni'>s'lj-'"mpw*rt" .-sjt<'rt has amy _ j great deal to learn, and also ?oibp thing* t« '/,. j unlearn, IK-f6r«j ho can hi? oi much wrvir* • | bo:-.-, 1 imagine : it "i* }<•>■'. en ''''""" p<.>icivi I where Mitiw of our imported inon fail, l»- ; ..V i causft they am uriablo to adapt ilif"ir if.].>«a : to the sltt-rcd conditions prevailing her.-. ' ! Lluw tituns arc bitfiually pxpcndw by the [ Dcp.iiiin'-nt of AgncttHuix' on i-xfwrimenta.) ' farms, wiikti in fho main I 'n'limo to b»« ' Well spent, 'and •■' is possible wo should I think to enlarge the -<<■:>.. of our or p.'ihaji* i two of thc-M- l.uru-. m that tlo* dairy ifisprci tors, instructors., fruit experts, and some I others could i.-c-i\c th«» i) >-.'<: >."■>.-)«rv trtduiug : there. Then we have LhmniX College, .it, ' Canterbury, one of the best places fur im I partiii? a tiii.i-i.:;ciily rtgrioidturai 1 knowledge, and 1 am sure our future v«tcrI inary KitrsTt'oii". could be trained «nt! receive I their dipioma from that ii)»titiiiiotJ. 1 ! t-tibmi! it if icusilih' for our ehief veterinary I to iiirtke that eolh'ge hi* Imadipwrtt-iN, ri> I' be principal of the veterinary dopartineaf, ■•■■■.■ 1 i.ii.l !;;•■ jnsi!st;i;tcc of otlO or tun: ~:; . I really pr.ietieid men. <•!' the stamp of Mr. I Lyons, wo !»*mli:i. I ictd sure, turn out [ much inure satisfactory men in every w,<y lhati c,... can <s\i'i- expect to import. | K. .\1..1..A.V. | A.V APPEAL. i Sir, -Will you once more allots mo t<» ■ make my :iuxniu] appeal ',■•> my 'fellow .e*tizen.i bo* w supply of hooks, magazines, music, ■ " etc.. for the ■patients in the Mental Hospii tnli Then., are 694 ["wtietits, mnatiij whom x'ijjio cm appit'eiaie the highest kind of lite, rature; of coir.-.', «. very much larger number revel in urdinnry matray.ines, while another section find softrfe of (jtiit>t. enjoyment in looking at pietures. I am thankful to receive parcels or single tuagrtninen or hook* - at my office in Palinwrstoii Buildings, while the larger* parrels by the kintl <ourte."y o£ the Northern S.S. Company and the Settier,-' S.S. Company will lie conveyed to m»» free.: and the X.Z. Express Company ha* kindly eonsentetl to convey parcels from'' the wharves ami railway station free oi. charge to my office. .Please remember that most of the patient;: (unlike those in the general hospital) are there for long periods. and many for life. Jlfc.snv Wilding. Deputy-Inspector. THE SCHOOLS AND THE FLEET. ; Sir.— was with some surprise that I saw) in your issue of the 11th insri that the Education Hoard had decided to .hat. the time of the Michaelmas holidays from September to August, instead of allowing an extra week's holiday for' (lie fleet's visit, its was done when the Duke and Ditches.', of York visited Auckland. The change is made evidently with a view of allowing country teachers to be in -Auckland during'the fleet' ■ visit, hut however worthy 'the motives which have .prompted the change may be tin* Hoard evidently forgets that it is an utter impossibility for the great majority of country teachers to get to Auckland and back to their duties' within the week. Were an extra week's holiday to be granted the Michaelmas holidays could, then be combined with- , it, and so enable practically all the teacher* in Iho province to share the good fortune oft their brethren iiotir the city. Again, in - many of the country districts nearly nil the parents, with their children, intend visiiing Auckland during the fleet's visit, and will lie absent, at least a fortnight, thus leaving, the teacher the. only person in the district for olio week, presumably 10 teach himself. b trust, the Board will, at its next meeting, rescind its former resolution, and show its! patriotism, by granting the children and teachers an additional week's holiday f«' mark such an exceedingly important, event. '..'..■■■.!' • Pathior. .:■'. FARM LABOUR. ' iSir.--U'irh reference to the report in Ihifl ; .morning's paper of Mr. M< Xab's speech L '• really feel it my duty to protest a gains* '.; Mich an absolutely misleading statement as .-' " from one end of the Dominion It. the Other the men 011 the lend toe asking for labour, . unci offering good wages, but they cannot ; be supplied." He also said that they would pay,as much as 27s &d a, week to any un- . skilled, able-bodied men who were willing to work. Being in Auckland looking; for work v '[' 1 applied to the Labour Bureau and received a letter to a farmer at AVhangurei in need of a man. I accordingly went up ft) Whangarei. after having as an additional precaution put fin advertisement ..in (lie local paper, only to find the job filled, no answer* tit all! to my advertisement, and a largo • number,of men of all capacities already out; of work. Finding through a brother in, • Auckland thai it; was quite hopeless to try for work in Auckland, as there were already hundreds out of work there, J have hud to accept, a job at bushfelling for flic winter months. J am .quite competent to do any work on a sheep or cattle station, am strong and willing, also a good cook, and won.'tt • have been glad to get, a job at £1 « week. . ' and found; yet, despite advertisement, letter of introduction, and three days spent in tramping after every conceivable kind of job. J am unable to get; work in the district, '■. and, moreover, am informed by an old rest- • dent that, the holdings around Whaiignr»i', are too small for the farmers to be able to Y\ afford to pay'wages. Nov.. if a skilled mat) ■ cannot get £1 a week, how absurd it is 10 talk of unskilled men being paid 27s fid, and 1 certainly think that. it. is a, great' shame that such statements should be made to draw emigrants to an already overcrowded labour market. In any case life on most farms in this part of the island ia simply a. miserable existence, and as to wages a glance at your advertisement columns will usually disclose a few. oilers of jobs for ploughmen at £1 a week. M.K.S. June 17. Sir, was much amused or: reading in, . : to-day'*: issue of the llkb.u.l> Mr. McXab's account of the scarcity of farm labourer* '' all over the Dominion. I know there are several good men about here who are idle simply because there is no farm work avail able, and are not strong enough to do bush work: also no" one hut experienced men'-ire ' /, employed in the bush. This winter will 1>« * '• the hardest for the working man for many year.-. A few weeks ago, hearing there was plenty of work down the East Coast, I went' down, thinking it would he easy to obtain, work, but it *.i.-, like jumping from the living pan into the fire, there being plenty of men available, and. strangers were not wanted. The same in Hawke'u Bay. Wellington., and Tar-uiaki provinces, the supply bcii.< greater than the demand for farm labourers. •June 17. A Farm Hand. FLOGGING. -Sir,—l agree with your correspondent "Lex" that very r.tringent measures must be taken to suppress erimt ; yet. 1 hold thar flogging is a retrograde Hep, and Mill never ']■ bo the means to the end. We must go deeper down for a sobuirm of this large question. Your conespondent, Like thounnds of others, allege* thai flogging put down garotting. The following is' front the speech-."* made in the House at the time: — Mr. Asqnith (Heme Secretary, 1892-9S) : "As to garotting, that crime had been brought to an end as ,1 serious 'danger before the Hon.-.-. in a lit of panic, due to om* of its own members having been garotted. • resorted ■to legislation, tiarotting was nutdown, without resort to the lash, by a fearless administration of the existing "criminal law." The late Lord Ridley (Home Score ary. 1895-1900); " Reference" lias been made to "the. Oardth'ug Act. He agreed with the history of that Act, at all events as tar as ''. London wasNconcerned, given by the right lion, gentleman opposite (Mr. Asquith), and that the rapid and severe action which put lovvn garotting !*+''* place before the passing /■ of the Act. of ILi " Briefly, the garotting scare was over before the Garotting Ace " had been passed. Truth.

j I CHURCHES AND STEAMERS, i Sir, Your . correspondent, "Alex. Mei Lean. Presbyterian." would like the Dc.iohi port ferry steamers run conveniently for ■ ■•'■■■'. J attending church in town on Sundav. 1 I should like to risk the. gentleman referred -":0. I in what opportunity the men who run the j steamer* have of attending any.-- church I I * lived in an English city where the tram- '• i driver*, and guards complained bitterly of y | the practice of suburban residents atterfdin;? '■.■■':'t i town churche*. stating t!tu,< certain Sunday ; *' j tram* would he discontinued--if the.-o peiJ Kins would attend churches in their own . ;,';? neighbourhood. Now, if Mr. McLean would j'X attach himself to the Dcvottport Presbyter- '-> ian Church he would .still belong to hi.- own denomination and his conscieJiet) would In'* . clear as regards making others work in.' : i< .Sunday, M.S.I'., Methods.