OUR LADY'S LETTER

NZ Truth, Issue 731, 21 June 1919, Page 2

OUR LADY'S LETTER

By "DOT."

' Talk about camouflage! "Dot" has been favored with copies of the. "Kuti'Po" and the new classification list of the Post and Telegraph staff. The "Katipo" is the official journal of the members of the department and m the number received reference is made to the increase to be granted under the new scheme, and £45 per annum is '■ mentioned as the likely minimum m- i crease, instead of which, m many i cases, the actual increase for the year ! Avill not. exceed £11. Take one case j wher 6 the postmistress was receiving • £130 with free house accommodation, i £7 10s war bonus and anuual increase of £10. a year. She is now down at £ 156 and has m addition to, dropping £10 increment and war bonus to pay ; rent at £12 a year! Without any re- ; classification, she would have received i £ 147 at the end of the present y-ear . and, no doubt, an additional sum of i £1 10s, 'if single — £154 10s. As jt is, ! she is graded £156 and will have to .' pay £12 house rent — £144! .And this j with 15 or more years' service! Coun- j try postmistresses are to start at £10-1 ' m stead of £90 and pay rent! Where, ; again, is the increase of pay conse- I quent updn the high cost of living? Strong exception is taken by "Dot's" correspondents to certain women with short terms of service receiving a big rise m salary. So far as can be ascertained from the "list" these women have been lucky enough to be appointed or transferred to a higher-grade office or on c that has increased considerably since they took-., over. Regarding a lady with only five months' service at the G.P.O. receiving an increase from £160 to £192. The position is a new one. and probably a much-needed one, therefore no comparison can be made with other positions and salaries. If the lady m question only sees to it that undesirables are not' employed m our G.P.0., she 'will have earned easily £ 300 a year. If there are prompt and emphatic appeals lodged forthwith by all who feel they have been harshly dealth wi£h — and there must be many amongst the lower-paid women — there will no doubt be a careful revision made and relief granted. "Dot" understands that the long service increment is being taken off men and women m every department before reclassifying them, and that the actual increase m some cases will amount to about £ 5 per year. So much for Commissioner rule ! • • • The Auckland patriots are very business-like and -when they sent Colonel Parkes £1000 to be spent m delicacies, for the sick and wounded, and tricycles and such -like indigestible commodities were purchasced with all but £50, they want to know "Whaffor." And quite right, too. Too much of that kind of thing went on m both Egypt and England. Will other cities I please follow Auckland's lead and demand particulars of cash sent overseas. No doubt the War Funds Coun-. cil is looking into invoices and balance sheets. What about those that won't balance when th 6 amounts collected m New Zealand. the amounts sent overseas and . the amounts remaining won't fit m? There was enough fuss over the Patriotic Society's affairs, why is there none over these later ones? ' •• • - Again, Auckland shows us the way to treat returning soldiers. On every train — m fact m every carriage — the patriotic women of that city place a tuck-box well-stored for the comfort of the men en route, Then no matter what delay may take place before the train reaches Marton, the food is sure. Wellington women allow the troop trains to start without even seeing the boys off and lately they had to starve all the way to Auckland because Marton refreshment rooms manager had not been notified that a special troop train was on the way. Wake up, Wellington J That conservative, quiet little borough of Woodville breaks out now and then and provides a good big scandal.; Not long ago th e lady clerk of the C. C. Council created a sensation. Last week an ex-mayoress and pillar ' of the Presbyterian church and a companion were caught m the act of shoplifting m Palmerston North and sent to gaol for a month without the option of a fine. There was a painful scene at the court when the sentence was announced, but the "lidies" had taken the pitcher to the well once too often, and the S.M. had no mercy on people who were well off and owned a motor car. ••. • . It is well that some of our teachers and school committees are taking a firm stand over the shortage or absence of heating apparatus m our schools. The winter, so far, has been very severe, especially inland, and- it is sheer cruelty to expect children to remain for five hours per day m cold schoolrooms and expect them to study, The cost of living is so high and coal is practically unobtainable m the henries that the least we can do is to ensure a certain degree of warmth andcomfort m the schools. The shortness of nourishing food renders the poor kiddies, more susceptible to cold and, unfortunately, we have a cold climate. •■• . • Well done! Captain Cosgrove, late O.C. m charge of the Recruiting Branch of Defence. What : can make up to him, a soldier by -profession, the crushing lack of opportunity to serve his King and country Jn this grea]t ( war? A sergeant -nia'jor-'intn'e-. "pei-ri 2 " torial\army — and. an, enthusiast at that — he should now be 'a' 'colon 1 el>^ at least — or one whose name 'Would" 'be 'perpetuated on our Roir of Honoj' for. all time. As it is, he;' r reVerts to '"his? former rank of serge'ant-m'ajbr and has to take up that position whilst puppies innumerable Who' : - V have : . occupied "cushy" jobs on headquarter^" m land, France or Egypt, are swelling their chests as' captains, and m some, cases much higher m,' rank. Captain Cosgrove, prevented* from ( going to! the front m order to/ do valuable, work at home, is reverted, to his, pre T '.war rank as an N.C.O. and given ah, M.8.8. The powers that be' don't even fallow him to enjoy his final leave as a, commissioned officer. Compare this treatment with some of -the real officer who are 'so.' well known to all of us. c •;•■■• War is not all horror to many people. There are quite a number of very happy marriages as a result of brave men and women journeying to far lands to do their "bit." A "digger" saw a marriage notice m one of the morning papers and burst out enthusiastically: "By Jove! Sister Westoly has married Major Aitken! She was one of the, greatest bricks out, to us boys. In Egypt when we had enteric and there were no eggs or milk, she used to soak bread or biscuit m water and something else and feed us out of her hand almost. Sometimes a big-gun doctor would come along and order U3 to have our pyjamas buttoned up close round the necks and a tie on when the temperature must have been over 100 m the shade — only there was no shade. Well, after the first outburst of the old gun. Sister would truss us up just m time for inspection and then as she followed the guy out of the ward, she turned with a lpvely smile and a twinkle m her eye' arid— off came the ties and- our chests were bare m a jiffy. Later on I struck her atCodford and all the chaps were wax :: m her hands. - We would do anything for her and took fine care that her ward won the prize for the best Christmas decorations. I am glad that she has married the Major.- ■ He's tip top, tool