RECRUITING AND COUNTRY HAWKERS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16537, 10 November 1915, Page 10

RECRUITING AND COUNTRY HAWKERS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib, —There is at present a great outcry concerning shirking and shirkers in connection with enlistments for the front, and yet in face of it wo get men to fill up the reinforcements that arc at intervals leaving our shores for the scat of war. There may be, and certainly are, a number who are tardy in coming forward, but no doubt very many of these will eventually enlist of their own free will. If they all came forward at onoe a good deal of jealousy would ensue, a« they could not all be straightway accepted, and those who had to wait would no doubt consider themselves slighted at not being , included amongst the chosen But there is _a -worse evil than shirking. I allude to the itinerant pedlars who travel the length and breadth . of the dominion. The ordinary shirker ' may object to military service, but for all , that he may not be a loafer. He may be [ engaged in a useful occupation, helping , to . produce something for the public good. Not so with these gentry of the van and pack. 1 They do nothing whatever for the good of . the country—neither work nor help to proI duce. Many of them, moreover, are very 1 insolent, and force timid womenfolk to buy from them. In justice I should say that I know some of them to be well behaved [ enough, but they are all morn or less ; troublesome. Besides, they soil nothing . but what* may be bought at most country , stores, and any one requiring the articles . can easily procure them there, and help local trade at the same time. In a time ; of stress like the present, when every per- ! eon has to put forth his best efforts, I whether in fighting tho enemies of our Em- , pire, or in manual labour, to produce tho , necessaries of life, no drones should be allowed, and, therefore, these pedlars should be discouraged 'in every way.—l am. etc., Fair Play. ; West Taieri, November 5. FRUIT LAND AT ALEXANDRA. • TO THK EDITOR. Sir, —Mr Ramsay's letter in your issue of r Saturday last suggests ono or other of two J things "Either he is anxioue to do possible applicants a service, or ho wishes to dissuade Dunedin people from participating in ' tho ballot, so that his friends at Alexandra j may bo able to " scoop tho pool." If he . Avae genuinely anxious of giving applicants I a lead, why did he not publish his letter 3 sooner? He lives in the town, he knows tho j land, and as the plans have been about for a few weeks now, he has really no excuso ' under this head. It ie now impossible to visit the sections personally before the ballot, so the sudden arising of Mr Ramsay with his warning is very inconvenient to would-be applicants.—l am, etc., Interested. [Our correspondent may dismiss from hie mind any idea that Mr Ramsnv's object in ■writing mav have been to enable hie friends at Alexandra to "scoop the pool."—Ed. O.D.T.]