LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24542, 26 March 1943, Page 2

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Naming Political Parties Sir—A political party has a perfect right to take any name it eliooses. But I am sure a smile must have passed through the electors when they learned that a party of two had tacked the word "soldier" on to its classification. Before the Christ-church by-election the Democrats predicted that they would receive 100 per cent 6f the soldiers' votes. Instead of that the National Party and the official Labour larty polled the majority of the soldiers votes. Have the, soldiers of the Dominion endorsed the Democratic Labour Party? Decidedly not. For a party or two to assume it represents the soldier electors is reminiscent of the famous pronouncement made by the historic "Tooley Street Tailors." And to take the word "soldier" is a gesture that would assume that the Democrats have been authorised to look after the interests of our soldiers, both in the Dominion and on active service. The very old cookery books used to preface their recipe for cooking a rabbit with "first catch vour rabbit." I would suggest tliat the Democratic Labour Party first catch its rabbit. Herbert Mui/viiiill. Character Training of Our Youth Sir, —In last Friday's issue you reported that a meeting had been arranged between the Headmasters' Association and tlie School Committees Association to discuss educational reconstruction, etc., and, in same column, the president of the Federation of University Women recommending a school for social studies. There seems to be a connection between these proposals and the political future. If educationists and parents paid more attention to character training there would be less juvenile delinquency and a better standard of citizenship. We have had 70 years or so or secular education, neglecting not merely religious, but moral and ethical teaching. Although the Education Department's syllabus commences with an imposing statement on charactertraining, this important subject has been grossly neglected. Why? Because a teacher's grading marks depend on the pupil's performance in everything but character-training. In view of the neglect of this matter, not only in the school but also in the home, is it any wonder that there has' been an increase in juvenile delinquency and irresponsibility and a serious decline in the standard of citizenship? Parent. Cost-plus Contracts Sir,—l noted in the Herald of March 2-1 that the Australian Government is already taking action in the matter of the cost-plus contracts tor Government work, the loss which it involves to the community having become realised. This system, which is operative in New Zealand in all defence building work, was introduced to meet especial circumstances and its adoption in those especial circumstances may be reasonably considered as inevitable. There is a noticeable tendency, however, on the part of those interested to call for the retention of this system when the necessity no longer exists. This is doubtless a part of that cry for "security" unfortunately becoming increasingly common in the community, which covers much more than insurance against unavoidable ills of life, such as unemployment during periods of economic depression, sickness and death of the breadwinner. A demand becomes increasingly apparent that the State shall take all those risks in ordinary life and commerce which have hitherto been regarded as difficulties to be surmounted by character, energy and skill. | It is to be hoped that in the case of ! Government contracts the well-estab-lished system of open tendering, which has proved to conserve the public interest without injury to any except the incompetent, shall be re-established as early as possible. In the case of the building trade the schedule system in operation prior to the war, which had become almost that is, a system where the quantities of labour and material were measured by a professional quantity surveyor, but had to be priced by the contractor, removed all but the reasonable and proper risk taken hy any business man in any other business. The system adopted under the defence building programme of price schedule rates for labour* and material places the whole risk of loss upon the community. Equitt.