LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24676, 31 August 1943, Page 2

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Reception to Mrs. Roosevelt Sir, — If the civic authorities are able to arrange it, I suggest that Mrs. Roosevelt proceed to and from the Town Hall in an open car This would enable the thousands who will be unable to get into the Town Hail to catch a glimpse of and pay tribute to America's leading lady. Tiiiihjtk The Patriotic Appeal Sir, —The .Metropolitan Patriotic Association is disappointed at the lack if response to circular letters sent to 'citizens Hut 1 believe il the let tors had been followed by a personal application they would have produced donations in most cases. It is a sad fact that few answer the letters they receive. and circulars are the most neglected in this respect. In my neighbourhood the collectors were children 4. !io missed those who were absent Ironi iiome. including me On the other hand .1 lady, who is following up the collectors now. has collected a large sum. ['here are many people with leisure in our public libraries and 011 our streets who could do this work for our soldiers Citizen Egg Marketing Sir, — Kggs are now down below cost and who can say that the minimum ha> been reached!* And why the existing state of lethargy!' Who can possible reconcile the price of eggs to-da> with our increased production costs ami heavy increase in cost of living- Ul course, the poultry-larmer who is raising chicks usually does not mind il "ggs are cheap; he almost regards eggs as a sideline. Hut lie should pause and reflect how is this going to affect his chick sales!' Last season pullets were much in demand as high as 15s each—a sorry "buy'' in face of to-day's prices Not mam will want to repeat then orders this season In any case, why should a man have to resort to rearing to make poultry-fanning pavr Why -honk! not tin straight-out egg producer he able to sell eggs at a price that ensures hitn a livelihood? l'V.n [ T r> Unreadable Books Sir, —New Zealand opinion may not count for much, but some protest ought to be made about the typographical format of many "war economy standard'' books now being produced in Britain Their high prices would not matter so much it they were readable, but the type is small, the lines are long and close together, and the paper is often a deeper grey than any newsprint About 10 words to a line is the 111 nni 11111111 in good typography, and then onl\ if paragraphs are kept fairly short and the type is reasonably large or the lines are separated by "leads." In contrast, numbers of these books have 11 or more words to the line, and the total effect makes continuous reading a sore trial. The obvious remedy is to throw custom overboard, divide the page into two columns and narrow the margins if necessary. The wellknown magazine Header's Digest, which deserve.-, a prize for legibility, does ihiv and averages 0. I word- to the line, the same as the Hkhai.d's news columns. Die eye travels easily from the end of one line to the beginning of the next, and readintr is a pleasure instead of a vexation ('.\xton

'The Swiss System Sir, —As .Mr. M. Aldis says, with the Swiss system policy is formulated by the House ay n whole, .Ministers, as such, heing merely administrators. But this floes not necessarily mean that parly will lie forgotten when Ministers are appointed Prejudice and ill-will between parties would remain under an\ -vsteiu. and moreover , a party such for rll -1 a i ice as mil l.alioui Party. Willi :i leliniie policy would undoubtedly want Ministers in administer Ihnt policy who ftoiild he in .sympathy with it. Like most things, the Swiss system has its advantages and its disadvantages. With the parly system we have had loyalty and leadership. Often it has been leadership of supreme value. With the levelling up and down thai goes with the Swiss system, would we have had the same leadership? Would Winston Churchill or Franklin Roosevelt have devoted his life to polities if' the highest position offering in politics had heen that of a departmental head with practically no control over policyy I do not iliink so and I do not believe that adoption of the Swiss system would give us better results. J. Johnston.