LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17485, 1 June 1920, Page 7

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

1/ : KING GEORGE 1 V.'' HOSPITAL. I 1, % j.v Over five y,cfk;.i have elapsed since j ';:"■ >the, lasti batch sof patients, reached • Rotoraa ; _ from the "Auckland Hospital annexe, and. in ; spite of : the Defence Department's as- ;: \ . surance, the : opwatirs theatre ;is ; not , yet |! ready, for use. : , When . tho annexe was ; open;. there were performed there on ; : aa : ■ . average about 25 msjoi; 'operations' weekly. /, In the last five weeks at Rotorua.there i' has been one minor operation,- performed in a side room, as ill-equipped for such » psupose as an ordinary bedroom. Just !•* ■whai would happen sbouV " particularly ii urgent operation to save a man's life-bo 1( neccsssiy, hardly forms ■jood;'food: for <- thought. '>. " Bluebot. d : ~ ' •' » ■ 3 ' I THE PRICE OP.BUTTER. -; ■ 3 Sir,—ln reply to Mr. Budd, . may . I point fc out that the price -paid! for Latter-fat lat Jpresent is roughly 35 to 40 per cent." above -> pre-wa" price, and against this we k»ve ; to pay ' he following increases in the print cipal 'lines necessary for. production * Farm hardware, 400 ■pes cent, ; fertilisers, t 150 per cent.; seeds, 200 per. cent.;; I am ' sure the suggestion re ; margarine will re- , ' r.jivo the approval of cockatoos generally, d as it: would .boa' much : more"' congeiiial J occupation for them producing (.he ingredi- <] «nfc« nece*feiy>'fw. its manufacture. Wo • •would then; have a few : free Sundays,! which' we do not get at present.ln c<m i; elusion I would liko to ask anybody can I?. supply a logical ; reason why tho- price M a batter should be.controlled, while we isave I • to purchase the coinmodifien necessary to £ produce it op. the q*nmrfcst.>v-f, v ' y •' ; ■ F. .7, Saxby. t 1 • • - ••• •• o -WAIMT MINKS. • 4 :,. Sir,— Waihi directors announce ' that 'profits with them era none too >] good, and thai they intend .to return .XaaJf p the capital to shar-rhf ; and. the Waihi J Grand Junction, though knovra to have f rich reefs and a gem outlook generally, o is nwkiag but small headway at present. Instead; of reducing capital the two companies should combine forces in . some form- Union is strength, and'' in this case would result in one 'ine, property. The • Waihi could buy out L<e Junction, giving,- , say, Ss per; share cash and one share - in ; | i the united concern 1 frr every two held in '» ;..ic Junction. The Waihi would extend its a life, indefinitely. Th. 'saving in working ' expenses would be emrmous, and to the - i mnt-ual advantage of Sot-h - sets of share- i holders. The chairirr,i of the Junction I could join the reconji.vuctcd board., and, j say; the two first vac • neks be filletl from t the present Junction .board. , I have c . spoken, to ' severalshareholders :in both * companies from Auckland to Duncdin ou i this proposal, and all were favourable. * : " / . T. T. M. I "-r "" V'.;i ' 5 1 FARMING COSTS. - t - t Sir,--Every paper 1 ? pick up has some reference -to increased wages to meet the i c cost of living. . I wonder if anyone has! ( ; worked cat. what fanners' produce would > cost if it were to get- equal to pre-war 1 : l ite-s. The farmer has to meet the in- t creasea cost of living, increased . freights j front town to country {said to He nearly ' 70 per cent), -nd increased cost- of producing (at least 100 per cent, {or dairying ana cropping). On these prices butter would have to be 2s t>d and meat 8d wholesale, I have in the last two years turned out mow Chan ever I did before, yet my profits amount, to only two-thirds of what thfty would have been in 1915. Ivi spits of this, 1 the Government talks of supplying butter 1 to the; people at. the present increase of ' 50 per cent. Will someone tell me how i i can clothe my children and ' joed them • on such an increase! j Everywhere you i go you will sec ; that. small farmers are ' albrwtng their places to go lack. How can they fence wid paint and manure at aach prices? Ss it British fair play ;to take a farmer's work at . a fixed price and not j help him to buy at an equal !s;'''o-^ > ■. : T ' Farmer. -o:s-•■••••■■ • ■ • • BLIND STREETS. v Sir,—-planning- has bee.i 1 rather cV : ETire'J Jate'y by other, issues, but when ' Pailiame.it meet:; .'we may expert the subject to be again discussed. • There is a . utility aspect c*. the i question which I have'net ~ yet sec- mentioned, viz.,- tl'i matter, of .'streets. In most of our suburbs there are many streets with ' A dead ends." This ; should" never he ■ B,'lwcci, i where it can be avoided. A blind street f fi a" constant source of expense- to trades- " men delivering goods, ■to tlie Government, in postal and telegraph-delivery,-and to local bodies in refuse collecting, and in public utilities— water, gas, arid electricity,. In these_ matters the annual cost of blind streets in and around Auckland must amount to a-large sum. Local bodies should have very drastic powers of control over thj,surveying of estates which are biing cut up for sale. At present, it eeems as though an owner Can cut up his property without regard to neighbouring "'streets. I trust that those who are mterested in town-planning will givo this matter their earliest and immediate,- attention. The business is urgent, for the evil is a growing one, and it is a matter in which prevention is cheaper than cure. J.B.A. ' SOLDIERS' PENSIONS. Sir,—Regularly we read that food has ! risen 5 or 10 per cent, or that clothing J has jumped up 15 per cent., thereby giving j another lift to the general' cost of living, j and almost as regularly we read that such j and. such a union has claimed a new \f?ge . award, , or that another bwy of workers have struck for mors pay to meet such »n creases. But what of the returned soldi vs who are in receipt of a pension from the f«vernment. There men have not the power to industrially enforce any claims for a " rise," yet I am certain they •deserve and would get as much public support lor their claims if the people of New Zealand realised these men's position thoroughly. When one considers that, > quite a large number of men are incapable j of earning a half of the ordinary living w? y. aria that some are prevented by J their disability from earning anything at j all, the present pension schedule is seen | to bi absolutely inadequate. I think even j the least thoughtful will <igree that the most important liability c ? the Government 'v.hi:h is txi people) Ls -he disabled men. <e.»ier is noi/ ?• cry lor something unj! dust v?>' or for chat ty, but is an appeal l'tr justice and reasonable treatment. J W.H.A. TS.AMWAY FARES. {?"?, —It, lie -EKALi; of May 28 the City Coivcil is reported to have confirmed a ; proposal that the 25 per cent, ' tramway j concession tickets would be available for j one calendar rr.or ,h from date of issue only and v/oold ne tbe transferable. An amendment thai the- concession tickets bo made transferable as between husband and wife and members of family was lost, the reason giver., being that, a? there would be one person in the car without a ticket, there would bo no check. To illustrate the '.ffect oi this, i am a man with wife and five children, living in the second section. If I tike all the fajrvv out in tho ears at, one time I would, in order to obtain the concession rates, have to buy seven dozen tickets, or. in other words, prepay fares to the extent of 15s 9d to make a journey .Costing ls 3Jd—adult concession fares. If I buy seven dozen tickets it is unreasonable to assume that I should be compelled to either use them within one month or forfeit them. Tho alternative of paying cash fares is manifestly unfair on the married man. who deserves the utmost consideration. Why cannot the citizen enjoy the same privileges as travellers on our ferry services, where there is no time limit or harsh restrictions limiting the use of 12-trip tickets to one person? Surely it is a simple matter to issue 12 single perforated tickets in one card, as now done, and have no restrictions whatsoever. It may be said that this leaves the way open for abuse in respect to leakage of revenue—-a ,3 fact apparent to any observant traveller toj |-| day ; but the onus to detect and stop ! ' this—not a difficult matter either— on the tramway officials. B.