LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24539, 23 March 1943, Page 2

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Soldiers' Language On Trains Sir,— May. I protest against the language used by some men of the seivices when travelling on the railway.' On every journey I have been a witness to the ignorant vapourmgs of immature youths—to whom obscene expressions seem to be some kind of joke —to the deep humiliation of decent women (including girls of the sen ices) who must listen in silence. I suggest to the Army and Air Force that the I senior non-commissioned officers who ! happen to be making the through trip | be appointed as disciplinarians by their i respective railway transport officers | prior to the departure of each troopI carrying train —say, two of each ser- | vice to a carriage. Spkfx'HJ.kss. Robert Burns' Father Sir, —The high regard which Robert Burns entertained for his father was a feature of interest emphasised in connection with recent Burns celebrations A tutor to the Burns family is reported t.o have described the father as "by far the best of the human race that he had ever the pleasure of becoming acquainted with." A fine tribute written by Burns in appreciation of the character of his father appears to have been overlooked. Many years ago I heard it quoted, and since then, within my memory, its words have ever held an honoured place. They are: —• Few hearts like his with virtue warmed, Few heads like his with knowledge so Informed. If there be another world, He lives in bliss. Jf there be none, He marie the best of this. J. A. \OUNG. Nurses' Studies Sir, —I endorse the protest of "Health First" against the system of study and work combined followed by the Auckland Hospital in their training of nurses. No wonder that about 50 per cent of the starters do not get as far as to sit for the State examination, in spite of the strict medical and other examinations before they commence, the majority of the others falling out through breakdown in health attributable to the intensive system in vogue. Thereby many excellent prospective nurses are lost, besides the waste of time and energy of all concerned. The Waikato Hospital, I understand, relieves nurses for certain periods to devote their whole time to study. This appears to be a distinct handicap to tlie Aucklanders, as it is the samp examination throughout New Zealand. The wonder is that such numbers come forward for nursing when one compares the hard work and small remuneration of nurses with that, for instance, of teachers. One can only conclude that there are lots of girls who have the welfare of humanity conscientiously at heart Faiii Pr,\v. The Political Future Sir,—Mr. G. Henry's criticism of my suggestion to increase salaries of members of Parliament is not based on sound premises. Ho states that "probably the best public service is given by those who receive no remuneration at all." That may be true up to a point, but such service is generally confined to the locality in which the person rendering it resides, and occupies only a small portion of his spare time. It cannot be compared with a Parliamentary career, in which, for a monetary consideration, a man obligates himself to serve his electors and in doing so lives away from home for somo months of the year. Mr. Henry suggests that a man who will work hard only with, the incentive of promotion is the one we ought to keep out of public life. It is not possible to analyse correctly the motives actuating anyone, but surely a man can possess an altruistic and humanitarian outlook and with it a strong desire to succeed in the performance of his duties and achieve promotion in doing so. It is unfair to suggest that a man possessed of the highest ideals and otherwise qualified should be willing to serve his country irrespective of the material sacrifice involved or of the happiness of his family. It may be a beautiful conception of a public man's outlook, but it is not practical to-da.v. It would be a long process and a gamble at the best to try and improve the calibre of our public men by the special education Mr. Henry advocates. The practical way is to offer sufficient inducement to those who are already qualified by sound business training and experience. A Parliamentary life snould ho a whole-time job. It must not be viewed as four or five months in the House and the rest of the time free for private interests. Let us see to it that we encourage our gifted men of ideals to enter Parliament unhampered by the spectre of financial struggle. J. Victoii Macky*