LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25172, 9 April 1945, Page 4

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

"What War Means'' Sir, —Having had the pleasure of reading the magnificent article "What War Means," written by Noel Chappell, New Zealand Press Association correspondent with the Pacific Fleet, in your Saturday's issue, I feel that I cannot do less than thank you for the privilege afforded; as well, 1 have been asked to forward the grateful thanks of three other readers of the article, one a serviceman who has served in the Pacific area and the others relatives of servicemen in that area. In a lifetime of newspaper reading I do not remember ever having been gripped so deeply or having read such a moving article as that written by the able writer of that article. Presenting as it does a pen picture of the immense Pacific battlefront as a whole, written sincerely, and free from that "flag-waving propaganda" that mars so many of the Pacific front articles we have had in the past from overseas journalists, "What War Means" stands in a class of its own and is without doubt already being quoted far and wide and acclaimed as the finest work to date by any war correspondent. M. I). Wallace. Shortage ol Sugar Sir, —You have an article in the Hehald in which it is reported that Mr R. M. Barker, secretary of the New Zealand Master Grocers' Federation, gave the opinion that it was difficult to reconcile the recent cut in the sugar ration with the quantity allowed in Australia. The Australian certainly has more sugar than the New Zealander for general purposes, but is heavily rationed in the quantity of sugar allocated to the making of beer. How can it be said that the New Zealander is short of sugar when not only are the hotels open all day (and there is talk of extending the hours still further), but there is no limit on the quantity of drink purchasable? The hotels in Australia are open for very short hours, and only then for the sale of a limited quantity of drink. When that is gone the hotel is closed. The Australian housewife gets 121b of sugar extra per annum for jam, but her husband needs to wait a long time in the queue for a bottle of beer (and then probably does not get it), while the New Zealander gets all the beer he wants and his wife has to bottle fruit without sugar and cannot make sufficient jam. One wonders which is the most value in a country at war—or are we? Kiwi-Gumnut. Rehabilitation and Industry Sir, —There Iras been a Government film shown recently called "The Key to Rehabilitation" that shows up the absurd policy suggested by the Government for the rehabilitation of returned soldiers. In this picture wore shown various scenes of small secondary industries that have sprung up because of the war. Having included the inevitable "Well-made, New Zealand," the picture ended with the suggestion that all these jobs would be awaiting our soldiers when they return. All economists can see the fallacy of this course, but, unfortunately, not so thfe Government. These small industries will not survive after the war against the competition of other great manufacturing nations, unless they are heavily protected by fixed prices. There is a well-known law in economics which states that protection is only justified in the infant stages of an industry, and that after that the industry must be made to compete with the rest of the world, and either survive or go under. It would be very unfair to give soldiers these jobs ir they are to prove bad propositions after the war, and if they .protect the industries it will mean that the high wartime prices of today will never descend to normal levels. Would not it he more • logical to find jobs for these returned soldiers in industries that would be certain to gain a place in the world's market of tomorrow? To encourage protection of these small industries is to encourage isolationism, and to encourage isolationism from the future free trade world, is to court disaster and bankruptcv. * Mens Sana.