LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16928, 14 February 1917, Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE SECOND DIVISION. Sib,—Whon the ballot for the Second Division takes place, will the man with, say, five or six chimin be balloted lor at the same time as the man with one child? If so, w.ll they have to go into camp at the same time, providing they both pass the ivledieal Board?—l am, etc., INTERESTED. [As far as we understand the intentions of the Government, it is proposed to institute a classification of the reservists in the Second Divsion.—Ed. O.D.T."]

MEDICAL STUDENTS AND MILITARY SERVICE. Sir,—Tho way of the mcdical student is, and rightly so, attracting a good deal of attention. You have in your articles given something, but not all of the case, and I think that tho oublic should know as much as possible cf the matter, for the question of sending medical students to the iront :s one in which the general public is ajid will be much concerned. At the outset many volunteered for action, and were accepted. Many others wero prepared to follow, but were told their place was at home getting through their courses as quickly as poss bIC. Then those at tho front were recalled to complete their studios. Surgeon-general Henderson was sent out from Home to take control _ of medical military business, and his advice to the Goveriment was that medical students should bo . retained at their studies. I-Ie also more than once told the students tho same, and so the students thought they wero not to bo allowed to go to the front. The Minister of Public Health wrote to the University Council asking what could he done hero to hurry tho medical students through their course. It was feared that the supply of medical men would be insufficient to meet homo demands, and this has proved quite eorrcct, for wo now find fourth-v'-ar and fifth-year students oecupvincr positions as hous-; surgeons in our hospitals. If this is the position now. what i* it 1 kely to b? in a coupln of yours when there is practic-vlly no medical students to Hike those positions, as will be the case if only fourth-year and frth-year students are exempted? Our hospital staffs will be vpry much reduced, and tho rem.-.ining medical ni"n will be overwhelmed with work, for we icnowfrom |n?t experience that a groat deal of 6iekness will have to be dealt with oa tho return of our soldiers. Then again.

xs if the Government has determined that medical students should remain at home, •'he students were formed into an Officers' Training Corps. This was done at con's derable expense, and the young fellows are now under orders to go into camp at Awapuni at the end of this month. Tho purpose of the corps was to fit these young |™' n " n completing their medical course to be able to step at once into the ranks of the N.Z.M.O. And now after all this action °n the part of the Government, we have f he Appeal Board saying that only fourthyear and fifth-year students are to be xemptcd.

At the sccond last sitting of the board •lore the cases of certain students came up ind were clearly put forward by the Dean of the Medical Faculty. The cases were mjourned til next meeting of the Appeal LJoard, and when that meeting was held iu V0 !!l • who had been drawn in L third ballot found that their cases wero considered and settled though they had received no word that their cases were ooto- !"" on - Surely these young fellows should have been given an opportunity to appear it they had wished to do so. They miff lit hav" bee n able to add a point or two for the cons deration of the bonrd. The point for settlement is whether it is more necessary interests of the Empire to send an additional 30 or 40 men to the front, or whether these 30 or 40. having gone a certain length in , their medical trailing, would not be of greater service bv completing their medical course. Most of the students called up in the second and third ballots are due for a professional examination in May. Pome men who have boon drawn m the ballots have been allowed time to settle their affairs before their departure, burely those students might be allowed to stand asid" till they had sat that examination. i his is _ a question or nat onal importance. and it the Government to give it every consideration.—l am. etc., Nemo!

YOUNG NICK'S HEAD. SlB, Relerring to a paragraph in thii morn ng s Daily Tune* as to the thoroughness of l>r M"i\"ab's work on Nqw Zealand tarly h .story, 1 do not know if it would interest your' readers to say a word or two more. Captain (Jook named many featured on our coast, among them SaUdle Hill, in our own vicinity. "The story about Young Wicks Head-is that, in the first week of October, 1769. L eutenant Cook, of the barque Endeavour, 370 tons, an armed vessel with 10 carriage and 12 swivel .runs observing strange b.rds. floating wood, seaweed, etc., thought himself in. the vicinity of land, and promised a gallon of rum to the one who should first sight it. The surgeon's mate (Mr Perry) had as his servant a lad named Nicholas Young,: who sighted the po.nt; hence the name Young I\ icl; s Head. Some records say that the lad was Captain Cook's cabin boy. The he espied the land was October 7, i P"; ' s 582.t high, and is remarkable for its vvh te cliffs, fl forms the south point of Poverty Bay. It is said that on one occasion 200 defeated Maoria wore here killed and eaten. —I am, etc., Dunedin, February 12. . M.

TRAM LINES IN MORNINGTON. Slß,—Will you allow me to expiess my appreciation and admiration of tne wholeheartuci selfishness ot trie Elgin road and -Uaryniil p L opie in regard to then- tram Lues. Both of these " white elephants" nave been played w.th far too long, and nave lauded tnu district with a legacy of debt to nand down to posterity. Ail the money of the borough nus been required n i cse ornaments going, and the lielleknowes people, who have quite as far to walk, have had to put up witn half-mado lootpatns, wholly neglected, and allowed to tall to pieces tor' want ot rcpa.r. Between Mormngcou and Belieknowes there is not a s.ngle screet Ciossing, and everyone knows what the streets *aro like on a wet day. If the City Council faced its duty manfully it would immediately root out these two monuments ot the tolly of past borough, councillors, and then devise a sememe which would bo more useful and fairer to all of Alornington. One' has only to stand at the back 01 tne tramsheds and look over too district to see that the old lines will not pay axle grease for a generation yet, at least, and, more than l.kely, never wilL If the ears must run, let the districts served, and not the whole of Mornington, ba rated to run them. Their supporters might not be so keen on having tuem running under such conditions.—l am. etc.. R.

WOMEN AND THE WAT!. Sik, I thought it a splcncLd idea of one of your correspondents, that all shops in which German capital is not employed siiould have a not.tication to that eil'ect posted in their windows, so as to lot the people know where they stand. I have of late watched some of tne premises in this city that are partly owned by alien enemies,' and have been surprised to see mothers and sisters, who I know have sent sons and brothers to fight for the cause of liberty, purchasing goods in them. We are now at fatal grips with the enemy and with their submarine mcnace to destroy us as a nation. This is, therefore, not the time to put on kid gloves to tight thorn. We should utterly cast everything Geiman out of existence, and the women of New Zealand can help in this—if tlicy think at all— by the exercise of thought in the expenditure of their money, and by remembering the boys they have sent to the war, many of them to lay down their lives to uphold the liberty of the nation. We ought to fight the enemy with any fair weapon wo can lay hands upon.—l am, etc., Fioht the Good Fight. Dunedin, February 10.