LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24826, 24 February 1944, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Burns Grace Sir,—Perhaps the Burns grace might be of interest on March 6, when meat rationing comes into force. It is as follows: Some hae meat, and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat. And sae the Lord be thankit. The poet had been on a visit to the Earl of Selkirk at St. Mary's Isle and was asked to pay grace dinner. He repeated the foregoing words, which have since been known in the district as the "Selkirk Grace." Scotch Descent. Meat Habit in New Zealand Sir, —New Zealanders are reputed to be the world's largest meat eaters and smallest milk consumers. We have other records to our credit, too. It was announced recently that we are the longest-lived people in the world, our infant mortality is the lowest in the world, and New Zealand soldiers, on a ration of lib. of meat per day, are second to none, and now we are being told we eat too much meat just when we are about (by force of circumstances) to do with less anyway. It should be most interesting to outside observers, say, in about 12 months' time 011 Is 9cf worth of meat per week, to note our further achievements. Let us hope, however, that this very small sacrifice we are asked to endure will in some way help where it is mostly needed. Sir Loin. Rewards in the Civil Service Sir, —In your advertisement columns of February 14 I notice that there are Government vacancies for fire inspectors and also for some senior technicians (communications). I wish to draw attention to the discrepancy in _ the remuneration offered for the qualifications required. A good fire brigade experience entitles one man to an income of up to £4OO per annum, plus £l3 cost of living bonus. The senior techni- f cian, with an experience in general telecommunications, including automatic telephony, carrier telephone systems, radio transmitter and receivers, teleprinters and the elements of telegraph working, and lino construction, commands the princely sum of up to £355 per annum, plus £26 cost of living bonus. He will be responsible for carrying out installation, maintenance, and general supervision of power system telecommunications in his district. In short, this man must have spent the greater part of his working life at this work and also studied it thoroughly. I invite your readers to make the necessary comparisons. I hope that, I have shown the futility of developing abilities in a Government service. Mac.

Stalin and the TJ.S.S.R. Sir, —The major point in "Student's" neat letter is the power of propaganda. I hold that, while yon may fool a lot of the people for a long time, you cannot fool them all the time. To believe otherwise destroys any foundation for democracy. Nor can propaganda succeed without some basis. Hitler profited (a) by German disillusionment with capitalist-Democracy in iho economic crisis; (b) by some aspects of the peace treaties and Allied post-war policy: and (c) by the financial and other help of conservative capitalist interests in Germany and elsewhere. His essentially anti-democratic, methods inevitably led to war, from which will come disillusionment with Hitler's propaganda and performance. The test of what is called "Stalin's propaganda" is likewise in practice. Its appeal is essentially democratic; it has had powerful interests against it; it has been essentially pacific, unless the early recognition of the nature of Fascism and the attempt to develop collective security bo deemed aggressive; it has been tried, not like Hitler's, by meteoric diplomatic and military successes, but by retreat, hunger and suffering. Could a morale based on mere propaganda fooling have stood up to such tests? "Student's" argument that Soviet zeal springs from ignorance of the "workings of a real democracy" can be reversed. Does criticism of the U.S.S.R. arise from ignorance of the working of socialism? Actually there appears to be less zeal—e.g. over the war effort — in the capitalist-democracies than in the U.S.S.R.; and it is said that British workers produce best when they know the product is to aid the U.S.S.R. Willis Airey.