CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17444, 12 October 1918, Page 8

CONDENSED CORRESPONDENCE.

Mother of Two Mnjn Body' A Ton " presses satisfaction that Mrs J. K. Macfie should have refused the proffered distinction of membership of the Order of the British Empire. Surely, at this time, she says, when the sons and husbands ol women in New Zealand are sacrificing their all, right-thinking women are not looking for any reward. After all, is it not the mothers and wives who axe most deserving of recognition? Have the majority of those recipients of these so-called honours anyone in tho trenches? All the worthy women of New Zealand; or elsewhere _ are doing their "little bit." Why these invidious distinctions? * "Pedagogue," writing from Central Otago, expresses a hopo tat the Hon. D. T. Fleming's proposal that the school* should bo supplied by,the Education Board with books will be carried by the board. Tho board supplies the necessary furniture for a school, and school books are necessary furniture. By purchasing the regular supplies in bulk the board would get liberal discounts, and schools could bo supplied ai cost price. The board fixes the class of school book to be used, and changes could be made only when the stock in hand was used up. School books, like everything l else, are increasina- in price, and the tendency is to raise the price on the slightest provocation. The board would be above such a tendency. ' Father of Sons at the .Front" recalls Mr A. E. Harm way's statement, in. his first letter, attacking Mr Eellett over the latter'a comment during the hearing of the appeal for the exemption of one of Mr Hurraways" nine brothers, that personally he had no sympathy .with the application for exemption since, if a man was lit, his Dropei place was in the fighting line. . This" being so, he is puzzled at Mr Harxaway's attempts in his later letters to show that the Military Service Board was discriminating l in favour of other persons of the soma occupation as his brother. Sister Ernestine writes expressing thanks for giftfj to St. Mary's Orphanage, Momington. received from Riverton, the /Taieri, and Waipiat-o.